The '˜crazy' boxer who can turn his record around

Brawler Connelly has a below-par record of Won four, Lost 18, Drawn one.

But he is devoting more time into the sport now and at 28 wants to be known as somebody other than a losing journeyman “I have worked with Lee for years and years” said Marlow, at the S18 Akademy gym in Dronfield.

“He is possibly one of the toughest guys on the planet. He has got something in his head that he takes ridiculous fights, if it is just an average fight, a 50-50, he’s not interested. He wants to get somebody with an unbeaten record and turn them over. It is something in his personality, his mentality, he’s crazy!”

The Killamarsh man’s last seven fights have been on the road, all but one of them defeats.

“We keep going in somebody else’s back yard, we know we are going to have the judges against him.”

Marlow claimed said some of his losses were hostile judging verdicts or as he describes it: “definitely home scoring.”

“He is a warrior...he felt ill before his last fight but still went out there, he wouldn’t let anybody down. He went out there to knock the guy out. What a man!”

Marlow believes Connelly should drop from light welterweight (10 stone) to lightweight or super feather. “As his trainer I would probably say just take a few months out, let’s get back to the drawing board. He is boxing above his weight at the minute, at light welterweight and even heavier than that.”

Like most fighters, Connelly is too brave for his own good, Marlow added.

“Lee has absolutely got every move in the book, when he is on it I don’t think there’s anybody better than him, he’s different. The power is coming now, a little bit too late, maybe. When he starts stripping his weight down and fighting at his proper weight you will see his power.”

Marlow and former English champion Andrew Facey are also working with a new protege, Jayce Lee Dixon, who made his debut recently at the age of 33.

He says the hard-to-hit boxer has a similar style to Herol Bomber Graham.

“Late in life, he had a dream to be a boxer and been to a few gyms been let down and came here started working with him, and I was thinking ‘Has he got it?’

“He has got something special, quick reactions and movement, as slick as anybody’s.

“Andy has done a really good job on him, good fast pads, and I’m gelling it together on fight night.

“I think he will surprise people.”