Five years spent commuting from Cumbria to Lancashire could well be about to pay off for a Barrow boxer bidding to beat an Olympic bronze medallist for a chance to be British light-heavyweight champion.
The gruelling daily commute from Furness to Preston – after completing a days’ work at BAE Systems where Liam Conroy works as a mechanical designer – allows the 26 year old to train at a specialist gym.
Liam says: “I’ve certainly gone through a few cars!”
But years of training, not to mention careful eating, may well result in the quietly spoken athlete bringing a prestigious boxing belt home to Barrow.
Liam says: “I began boxing when I was 9 at Brook Street and over the years notched up fifty five amateur fights.”
Time spent representing Cumbria saw him travel to Denmark and take part in trials to represent England before he decided to turn professional at 19.
Employed by BAE Systems for the past seven years the company has given him time off to prepare for his big fight, something Liam says has come as welcome news; as a new dad, life has recently become even more frenetic.
Liam said: “It’s my dream to take a British title and after winning an area title, northern area title and English title to be given the chance to compete at this level was ideal.”
His opponent has his full respect. Joshua Buatsi won bronze at Rio 2016 and is unbeaten.
Liam’s work colleagues, including his manager Martin Cookson, will be cheering him on when he steps into the ring on March 23: “Everyone can see Liam’s dedication to his family, work and boxing. Liam is humble and appreciative of the help he gets and is always eager to help.”
Martin added: “Everyone is backing Liam to achieve his lifelong dream to win the British Boxing Light Heavy Weight Title. Luckily Liam will always be the same genuine Liam.”
The bout will take place at the Copper Box Arena in London and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
