Dave Coldwell is arguably in the midst of his most hectic period as a trainer. On October 6th he takes Gavin McDonnell to Chicago to challenge Daniel Roman for the WBA super-bantamweight belt, and later that month he has Jordan Gill going for commonwealth honours against Ryan Doyle.
With negotiations still taking place between Tony Bellew and Oleksandr Usyk for all the glory at cruiserweight, Coldwell’s Rotherham gym is congested with fighters chasing prizes and the Sheffield coach loves every minute of it.
“It’s what I’m in the sport for,” buzzed Coldwell. “It’s been nearly five years since I returned to the corner from promoting and I think the decision has been the correct one with everything this gym has achieved since then. The next few months can see us go up another level with big nights approaching for Gavin, Jordan, and hopefully Tony as well, so having them all in the gym with their focus purely on being the best makes my job that little bit easier. It’s going to be a big challenge for me as a trainer, but I’m ready to do whatever I can to ensure my fighters are in the best shape possible for their upcoming fights.”
Coldwell added, “It all starts with Gavin next month over in America and the experience he picked up last year against Rey Vargas is going to be a big asset in this fight. He’s starting to think like a world class fighter now and the confidence taken from recent fights will put him in a good position against Roman. Jordan is a kid who’s just getting better all the time and he’s someone who I can’t wait for the public to watch on a regular basis. He’s had some exposure on Sky Sports and he enjoyed every single minute of it and that’s given him the hunger to push on and want it even more.”
On Bellew v Usyk, Coldwell went on, “They’re still talking and nothing is signed yet, but Tony is a true professional and is already getting himself into fight mode just in case the fight gets announced soon. The last few years for Tony have been nothing short of incredible and a fight against Usyk for all the belts is really the stuff of dreams. Tony has made no secret of the desire he has to face the absolute best and this is further proof. If it can get made then Tony will 100% be ready for it.”