Nathan Heaney: “The Stokies are an incredibly unique set of supporters, and their loyalty is outrageous.”

Nathan Heaney: “The Stokies are an incredibly unique set of supporters, and their loyalty is outrageous.”

By Matt Elliott

Nathan Heaney is a name that will resonate with most boxing fans. A tough competitor who has been involved in some great fights during his 8-year professional career, the current highlight being his brilliant performance against Denzel Bentley in 2023, when he became the British middleweight champion. As well as his talents inside the ring, Heaney is known for the thousands of supporters who follow him around the country, providing an electric atmosphere wherever they go, with a real affinity between fan and fighter.

Such is the loyalty of his fan base, it feels only fitting that Heaney is given the opportunity to complete the one outstanding item on his boxing bucket list: fighting at the bet365 Stadium, the home of his beloved Stoke City. Back in February of this year, after suffering his second defeat in succession, it seemed as if that ambition would remain unfulfilled, but after returning to winning ways in July with a points decision against Grant Dennis, there remains a glimmer of hope, as Heaney told me over Zoom this past week.

“All I’ve been told from Queensberry is that I need a notable win, and then they’ll do it, and I’ve agreed to someone that I believe, if victorious, would fulfil that criteria. For me, though, I don’t think I need a notable win. I understand that there is a large capital outlay upfront for these events before a ticket is even sold, but I genuinely believe that they could put anyone in there with me, and because it’s never been done before in this city, we’d sell 15,000 tickets, and with a big name, probably 20,000. And that might sound ridiculous, but the Stokies are an incredibly unique set of supporters, and their loyalty is outrageous. Not many people could come off the back of two stoppage losses and then sell nearly 1,400 tickets for their next fight before the event’s even been announced.”

That level of unwavering support is what makes Heaney a promoter’s dream. Fighters who can sell tickets are always a welcome addition to a show, and those who follow him have been by his side from the very beginning.

“It’s mad to think about it, but there was a show at the Telford International Centre in 2021, just after we were coming out of lockdown, and Daniel Dubois was headlining. Now, obviously, he’s recently helped to sell out Wembley Stadium, but back then I’d sold 600 tickets before the show was announced, and after I’d boxed the place emptied, so a future star was boxing in almost complete silence. Because of that, there have been occasions where I’ve gone on after a headliner to ensure the atmosphere was retained.

“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword for me, though, because when you see fighters going to Saudi Arabia, if I went over there, that’s possibly a show in England that suffers. I believe I’d take a few hundred to Saudi Arabia, though, and they’d transform the atmosphere over there. Let’s see what happens. My dream is the Stoke fight, but if not, then perhaps we’ll see if something could happen in Saudi.”

Heaney admits that despite agreeing to a potential opponent, there is currently no fixed date for his next outing. He had hoped to get onto the November show in Manchester and is now targeting the recently announced December date at the same location. Whatever the location and whoever the opponent, he will come into the fight full of confidence after that morale-boosting victory over Dennis back in July. It was a performance that he admits he needed following those stoppages against Brad Pauls and Sofiane Khati.

“The fight was important for two reasons. Firstly, I want to see if I still have my ability, and secondly, to see if I still have my punch resistance. I’ve always been a tough lad, and prior to those fights, I’d only been put on my arse twice in around 115 fights, amateur and pro, so for it to then happen twice in succession, you hear the resistance has gone, and my coach was probably thinking that as well, because he’d never seen me hurt before. I started tentatively, but once I relaxed, I began boxing better. I got hit with some good shots as well, so I ticked both boxes. I boxed well, and although you should never need to take shots, I took them well, which proved to me that my resistance hasn’t gone.

“People may point to Dennis’ record, and yes, he’s got losses on there, and consecutive ones, but against some of the best prospects in the country. When you play the ‘journeyman’ role, you have to be careful because if you beat a top prospect, you might find your phone stops ringing because you’re too much of a risk. Against me, he had a free pass; there was nothing to lose. That’s why the fight was good because I know he went in there with the intention of beating me, and he’s a very accomplished fighter.”

Reflecting on those two earlier defeats, the Khati one has since been ruled a no-contest, with the French fighter subsequently testing positive for carboxy-THC, a metabolite found in cannabis. Heaney only found out about the failed test from a friend and is frustrated at the process because of the impact it could’ve had on his career, had he decided to call it time after the fight.

“When you’ve got a contract and you lose, the terms of that contract completely change, but a no-contest takes you back into that contract. If the boxer wins, draws, or it’s ruled a no-contest, the terms of the contract remain the same. So, I could have retired immediately after that fight, thinking my career was done, and that I won’t get paid anymore, only to find out several months later, from a mate who shared a news article, about the failed drug test. Thankfully, I continued, but the transparency around these matters needs addressing, as no one at Queensberry knew about it either.”

As frustrating as that situation was, it’s nothing compared to Heaney’s view on the first Brad Pauls fight, which was scored a draw. It’s not just the result, which he contests, but the fact that it prevented a huge night at Stoke, which, had he won, would’ve seen him fulfil that dream.

“The fight was very competitive, very close, and he did hurt me, but I didn’t go down. When I scored the fight at the time, I thought I’d won by two rounds, and watching it back, I still have the same opinion. I think I won by two or three rounds. That result potentially deprived me of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because a fight at the bet365 was locked in for the 8th of June, where I was supposed to fight Carlos Adames for the WBC title. He could’ve splattered me inside a round, but I wouldn’t have cared, as just walking out at that stadium, onto that pitch, I’d have achieved everything I ever wanted, for me and for my city.”

Heaney came into the first clash with Pauls on the back of a career-best performance over Denzel Bentley at the Manchester Arena. Having sat ringside that night, it felt like a clear victory for the Stoke-man. Two judges agreed, and the third scored it a draw. Regardless, the right man won, and for Heaney, it was a night where everything came together.

“That was the pinnacle of my career so far. It was great because my coach, Steve [Woodvine], had said to me, one day you’ll put everything together and people will be shocked, but I won’t because I know what you’re capable of. There were flashes before, like when I boxed Jack Flatley in the rematch. I was giving him an absolute hammering and boxing lovely, but then I let him come back into it a bit. I showed snippets of what I’m good at, but not the full package.

“For the Bentley fight, though, Steve and I just knew we were going to win. The frustrating thing is that if I boxed like that more often, I don’t think there are many who could beat me. Now, granted, that style may only work for certain fighters, but I’d be very tough to beat. It was a lifetime best performance. I’m quite a humble man, but it was phenomenal, and that’s what I need to try and replicate in the future.”

The number of fights left in the future is uncertain. As long as the Stoke dream remains alive, Heaney will continue, but he admits that next summer, at which point he’ll be 37, must be the cut-off point.

“I’m 36 now, and if I walk out at the ground next year, I’ll be 37, which is a story in itself. I’ve still got performances left in me between now and then, but after that point, I couldn’t go another year because at this level it’s extremely hard. I could never have imagined becoming a British champion, and I’ve boxed most of my life, loved it, and done well. So, to achieve that would be the icing on the cake.”

For a man who openly admits that his main ambition when turning professional was to sign for Frank Warren and fight on TV, he has surpassed all expectations. In winning the British title, he became the first ever middleweight champion from Stoke-on-Trent and only the third ever British champion from the city in the last one hundred years. More recently, he was inducted into his hometown’s sporting hall of fame. Hopefully, there are still a couple of chapters left to write, but when he does finally hang up his gloves, how does Nathan Heaney want to be remembered?

“As someone who was a very loyal fighter and who did their best to entertain as much as possible, be that the ring walks or in the fights themselves, and someone who just loved their city and their sport.”

Photo Credit: Manjit Narota/MSN Images