Bradley Strand on COVID-19 changes, Red Triangle Gym, and more
Bradley Strand is a 3-0 boxing prospect at Everton Red Triangle Gym. He is having to adjust his career trajectory this year after the insanity that has been bestowed on the world from COVID-19.
While the pandemic set him back, Bradley Strand is still doing everything he can to improve as a young boxer. At 23 years old, he’s still working on his game and improving leaps and bounds.
“I’ve still been running, but haven’t been able to do any punching because I haven’t got a bag up in my house. I’ve just been doing the same distance runs and sprints as well, just trying to beat my times, so I still set myself goals to aim for; I’ve got to have something.”
Right before the pandemic shut everything down, Strand managed to get in a fight with Taka Bembere, which he won. He is thankful that he did get a fight in this year.
“Yeah, at least we got a fight in before all this started, I know many others haven’t, so got try to take the positives out of it,” said Strand.
Strand’s gym works with Black Flash Promotions, owned by Pat Barrett. They had five events scheduled this year but Strand doesn’t have any inside info if they will go on still.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you if the shows will go ahead,” Strand said. “If they allowed sporting events, you wouldn’t get the ticket sales like before; small hall shows rely on the ticket sales, they’ll suffer the most out of all of this, but TV promoters will be safer because they have the TV backing behind them.”
He echoes his sentiments saying when things open back up, it won’t be back to business as usual.
“Even after lockdown lifts, people are still going to be weird about going to places, because you can never be too careful at the moment. But starting footy and boxing up again, well, I can’t see them having crowds at events for a while yet.”
Some boxers said they won’t box without fans. But Bradley Strand doesn’t care. He will fight behind closed doors with no fans, no problem.
“Yeah, as long as I’m fighting, I don’t care,” he was quick to say. “Ask the majority of fighters and they’ll fight behind closed doors. I know they are planning shows behind closed doors, so I’d like to think they’ll allow that, and I hope to get on one. With me only just signing with Frank [Warren], I’d probably be at back of the queue though. We’ve never been in a situation like this ever before, so no one really knows how to handle it.”
So now, Strand has to wait until the end of the year to return to the ring.
“I’d hopefully like to be aiming to fight towards the end of the year, it’d be good to get one more in this year if I can. I just have to carry on the way I’m going and hopefully get back into the boxing gym and better myself, that’s all you can do.”
Bradley Strand On The Pandemic
Bradley Strand says this pandemic made him even hungrier than before. He wants to get back to work and is ready to continue his improvement.
“The lockdown has defo made me hungrier. I’m hungry to get back in there after all this sitting around and just having nothing to do. I’m normally always in the gym, and there’s always something in your head to focus on, but having no dates ahead to look forward to, it’s been hard. That’s why I’ve been setting myself other goals with the running.”
Strand has to stay mentally strong. Boxing’s future is uncertain on how and when it will resume. That’s been a tough thing for Bradley Strand.
“People are saying boxing might not return properly until next year, so it gets to your head. You’ve got to be mentally strong in boxing otherwise you won’t go anywhere.”
Red Triangle Gym’s Success
Everton Red Triangle has a plethora of talent. Now with Peter McGrail, an Olympian and Commonwealth Games and European champion, the gym has some of the best up and coming fighters in boxing.
“We’re all in a group chat together, so we all speak quite regularly. Paul [Stevenson] sends us boxing videos to watch and study, and he’s always calling regularly.
Led by Paul Stevenson, the gym really looks up to their coach in these tough times.
“He’s boss, even just motivation-wise; during lockdown he always says, ‘don’t forget you’re a boxer, don’t be sitting on the couch everyday’.”
Red Triangle is still up and coming. Bradley Strand is optimistic about the future of his home gym. He believes people will eventually come to recognize the talent they are putting out.
“It just takes time for the gym to get more recognition. I think it’ll only take another few years before people realise just how good the gym is, because we’re all still young, so that’s why people ain’t really looking at us yet, but in few years it will all change.”
He continues that the best is yet to come for Red Triangle. There are two young brothers he is incredibly excited about.
“When Peter [McGrail] turns professional, the gym will get more recognition, I believe, and his little brother Joe, he’s only 16 and he’s a killer as well!”
