James Griffiths injury-free and hunting a Midlands title
After an accident at work saw James Griffiths (8-0) cut off his thumb, he thought his boxing career could be over, but after some clever work to reattach the digit, he has been given the all clear and makes his ring return on the undercard of ‘Unfinished Business’ at the WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton on October 24th.
“It was my own fault, to be honest,” said Griffiths. “I was rushing what I was doing using a chop saw, and it happened. The thing was, I got in the van and told my uncle that I had cut my thumb off, and I think he thought I was joking. The whole way to the hospital, all I was thinking was, ‘That’s my boxing career done.’ I couldn’t believe it. Fortunately it was repaired, and I have been fully cleared to box again. To go from thinking the worst to being back out again is incredible; I’m lucky.”
The 30-year-old from Wombourne turned professional relatively late and didn’t waste any time, boxing seven times in 15 months, all wins and all over four rounds. A persistent shoulder problem didn’t deter the ‘Baggie Boy’, who was keen to test himself over a longer distance, and he got that chance against Octavian Gratii in March, taking every round on Ryan Churchill’s scorecard 60-54.
“Doing six rounds, I felt absolutely fine; I could have done eight or 10 that night even with the shoulder giving me problems. I held my hand a bit low at times, It was a bit of laziness, maybe because I didn’t think he could hurt me, but the shoulder was a problem, as it had always been. I have had a lot of therapy on it and now finally it’s right.”
When not risking his hands at work, Griffiths trains at the BCB gym in Wednesbury, where there is plenty of high-quality sparring around his weight class, and like he has many times before, he has been getting in rounds with Tyler Denny ahead of his first fight in seven months.
“Tyler is great to spar with; he’s tricky and is different every time. He’s a southpaw, and I feel like I spar a lot of those; whenever a new southpaw comes to the gym, they just put them in with me.”
Prior to the accident the Midlands Area Boxing Board had made Griffiths mandatory for Troy Coleman’s middleweight title, but with the champion looking to secure a major televised fight and then the subsequent injury he has had, he will have to bide his time until another shot becomes available.
“I keep myself fit all the time, and maybe it’s just the way my body is that I put a bit of weight on between fights, but right now middleweight is the division I want to be in and make that step up to the longer distance and title fights. I was made mandatory for the Midlands Area title, which Troy Coleman had at the time, but then when I was out with the injury, the board put forward Aaron Bowen for it. Another couple of wins and I’ll be unbeaten in ten, and they won’t be able to ignore my name much longer. I want something on my mantelpiece.”
The show is headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Ryan Griffiths and Lewis Morris. James Griffiths was in attendance that night a the Hangar Venue and is keen to watch the two warriors go again.
“I was at the first fight, and it was a cracker, so I’m looking forward to being able to have mine, get the win and then come out and watch their rematch.”
The stacked card also features home city favourite Brandon Bethell, a plethora of unbeaten talents Bradley Thompson, Paige Goodyear, Mia Holland, Callum Seedhouse, Regan Williams Conor Baker and alongside the returning Jacob Lloyd.
Remaining tickets are available now, priced at £45 for general admission and £80 for VIP. They can be purchased from the boxers directly or by emailing info@bcb-promotions.com.