Boxing
Newly motivated Kieron Conway says it’s all about family
BECOME a parent can completely change a fighter’s mindset. Suddenly, the thought of taking risks and making huge sacrifices seems less appealing as they consciously try to mitigate the professional hazards of boxing.
This in turn can cause some to withdraw from the brutal occupation they once fell in love with. For others, however, the responsibility of supporting a family can discover a completely up-to-date motivation in which their childhood dreams are not inhibited but strengthened.
“There’s more at stake. If I don’t do well, my salary will go down,” said Kieron Conway, who welcomed a up-to-date member of his family just over a month ago.
“[My daughter] must have a certain lifestyle – must eat; must dress; must have a place to live.
“Now everything revolves around her, now everything revolves around my family.”
It seems the opportunity to earn a life-changing amount of money couldn’t have come at a better time for Conway.
With the return of Matchroom’s Prizefighter, the 28-year-old has the chance to not only improve his position in the middleweight division but also, if he makes it to the final, pocket a lucrative $1 million bonus.
“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “There are players in this tournament who try to downplay the money and say they’re not motivated by it.
“But let’s be sincere, if you weren’t motivated by money, you wouldn’t be entering this tournament.
“So yeah, let’s just call it that. $1 million for three fights is a little more than we’re used to.”
Conway returns to the ring after a sixth-round knockout victory over former British title challenger Linus Udofia last October.
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 5: Kieron Conway of Great Britain looks on during the press conference ahead of the WBA featherweight fight Leigh Wood vs. Josh Warrington at The Cutler’s Hall on October 5, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
His momentum was halted when the Prizefighter quarterfinals – then taking place in Suite, Japan, on July 15 – were delayed by several months.
But the delay, while frustrating, gave Conway more time to prepare for his fight against opponent Ainiwaer Yilixiati – an enigmatic boxer from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China.
“It was demanding to find out too much about him, but I found what I thought was enough,” Conway said.
“I think he’ll try to knock me out because he’s got a lot of knockouts on his account, but [his opponents] are not at this level.
“Those guys shouldn’t have been in the ring at all; I don’t even know if they had boxing lessons – all those guys he knocked down.
“I don’t care how tough he is. When my punches land on his face and right in the middle of his nose, a different game plan will come out.
“I’m a lot bigger than him and I know what my punches are going to look like on fight night.”
Undefeated middleweights Aaron McKenna and Mark Dickinson will join Conway in the quarter-finals, which, unlike previous Prizefighter tournaments, will consist of 10 rounds – the semi-finals and final will take place on separate nights.
The longer format should suit Conway, however, who suffered his first professional defeat in a three-round semifinal bout in an earlier tournament promoted by Boxxer.
“I came to this tournament only expecting to win because those guys weren’t at my level,” he admitted.
“That defeat really got me down; it gave me a up-to-date gear and changed my attitude.”
Since then, Conway has proven himself in the super welterweight division, with his most memorable moment being his British main event win over Ted Cheeseman (below), before losing a split decision to Souleymane Cissokho around two years later.
Action Photos/Andrew Boyers
Now, after impressively overcoming those setbacks, he fights at 160 pounds, using the extra weight to further develop his punching power, which – despite what his past performance would suggest – has often been a problem for his opponents.
“The power was always there,” Conway said. “My amateur coach used to say I was one of the hardest players he ever felt on the pads.
“I think people realize pretty quickly in the middle of a fight that this isn’t the kind of force they want to go up against and get hit by.”
In addition to the $1 million carrot waiting for the winner, there are also $100,000 in bonuses for eliminating participants in each round of the tournament.
But financial gains aside, Conway knows all too well what a win in the Prizefighter revival would mean for his career.
He trained with his father, James Conway, in Northampton from the age of 11 and, while he always had his sights set on winning the world title, had often considered playing a game on the Northampton Saints rugby pitch.
For Conway, that’s reason enough to stay in his hometown, where he can support his family and sound the alarm in anticipation of a potential stadium fight.
“It’s good for me to be a stay-at-home dad while finishing up training camp,” he said.
“Many people would say that [staying at home is] distraction, but even though there were a few days [after my daughter was born] when I had a demanding time sleeping, I was still able to exercise and stay sturdy and fit. My fiancée is also very understanding.
“My intention is to keep winning and building a fan base. I have a really good support system at Northampton, so I think one day, [a stadium fight] “may be very likely.”
It’s protected to say that when fight night arrives, the future of Conway’s boxing career – and any accolades and awards that follow – will hang in the balance.
The stakes are extremely high indeed.
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