Doran is ready to help boxers learn the ropes

On Monday, Doran opens his gym at The Old Brewery Estate, a short walk from where he took the first steps in his own boxing career four decades ago.

“I took up boxing because of my brothers, Joey and Stewart,” he said.

“They used to come home with trophies and I used to think: ‘I want one of them.’

“I was only eight years old when I first went to the gym in Wem and there were so many good fighters there at the time, like John Humphreys, (former British champion) Larry Paul and (former Midlands champion) Cliff Gilpin.

“We had one of the best gyms in the country at the time and I want to get it back to where it was.”

Doran used training at Wem as a springboard for a professional career that brought him the Midlands Area belt and a challenge for WBF world honours.

He said: “If there are fighters out there who have the ability and dedication to go all the way, we can take them there.”

Roddy and Joey will take the sessions that are open to anyone aged over 16, with women’s classes being held on Wednesdays.

For those who want to box competitively, Doran says he has a show pencilled in for next February.

“If they are training hard and are good enough to fight, we will put on a show, possibly at the gym,” he said.

“We will have to do it behind closed doors and do a pay-per-view stream to pay for the costs.”

Doran says he plans to top the bill with a much-anticipated rematch between heavyweights Benny Howes and Richard Galea after they drew in Oswestry in March. Everyone who saw that fight will surely want to see a rematch.

Howes and Galea bounced bombs off each other for three rounds in front of a sell-out crowd.

Doran said: “If the rematch is as good and as close as the first fight, maybe we could have a third fight when crowds are allowed back in ?”