Aroon Fiaz now has the nose for success

The first person of Asian descent from the town to box as a professional returns to action for tomorrow's fight night, writes Craig Birch.

Fiaz, known as 'Harry,' returns to the scene on his paid debut, where he removed James Conroy by fourth round TKO, to again compete over four.

The 23-year-old will once more step through the ropes in the Holte Suite at Aston Villa Football Club, featuring on a show promoted by Tommy Owens.

Six months have elapsed since he participated in his last contest, during which time he's flown to Pakistan to go under the knife.

His nose, which has been broken twice in amateur bouts, was causing problems which was severely hampering his training.

This, along with a chest infection, caused him to postpone his second pro outing, which had been due to take place in July.

But Fiaz is now back and raring to go, with the success of the proceedure making such a difference in his camp he's decided to drop down to middleweight.

He said: "I still have family in Pakistan and the surgeon is someone we know, so it made far more sense to go over there for the operation.

"I had something called a Septoplasty (to fix a deviated nasal septum). They reckoned one side of my nose was 90 per cent blocked, 100 per cent the other.

"It was a complete success and I've really noticed the difference. It's not just that my breathing is better, I can recover quicker after training.

"With that and a stricter schedule, I've come down from super middle. I'm 6ft 3in, so that will give me even more reach on most of my opponents.

"Now it's nearly time to get in there and see how the changes I've made will work out. I'm confident, but I certainly don't want to get punched in the nose again if I don't have to!"

The Wellington Boxing Academy graduate is going in with Ben Heap and will be led into battle by trainer Spencer McCracken.

He still trains and coaches regularly at the Mill Lane gym, which his family run led by head coach and father Mo Fiaz.

Around 100 supporters will travel to see if he can defeat Heap, a former English kickboxing champion who has been stopped just once in seven contests since switching sports.

Fiaz said: "I feel like I've got more knockout power as a pro, I'm punching a lot harder and more sharply. If I see an opening, I'll pick my shot and take it.

"I've been raised to stand my ground and don't let anybody push you back, so I'll get the jab working and keep him at range. If I can do that, the rest of the fight will fall into place."

Tickets are still available priced at £35, £50 with a buffet and £60 including table service. For more information, call the promoter on 07967 166 643.