Newquay, our beautiful seaside town on the north coast of good old Cornwall, is home to many amazing and inspirational individuals. Names such as Luke Dillon and Tom Butler who are known for their surfing prowess may resonate with some and then there is Brad Pauls also known as The Newquay Bomb and the first Cornishman in 100 hundred years to win a Professional Boxing title. Brad recently made history when he defeated his last opponent to become the new Southern Area Champion in London. Not since the days of the great Bob Fitsimmons, a legendary boxer who fought during the early part of the 20th century has Cornwall had a champion to win a professional title. Brad truly takes pride in where he comes from and finds solace when he is home in Newquay with his family and friends.

We're thrilled to be sponsoring Brad Pauls for another year, and over last summer we caught up with the Newquay Bomber to discuss his career, the lifestyle that makes him a champion and what words of inspiration he could give to inspiring athletes.

Let’s go back in time. What got you into Boxing?
BP- It was a mixture of getting into trouble from fighting at school and realizing that I could do what I was getting into trouble for at school but legally whilst receiving praise. My grandfather got me into boxing and from the day that I first put on the gloves, I was sold and have been ever since.

You have been a professional boxer now for the last 4 years and recently you have become the Southern Area Champion after your last opponent. Tell us what this whole experience has been like?
BP- Really hard, a lot of sacrifice, a lot has been learnt, not just in boxing but as a person. After winning the Southern Area Title, all that training and hard work, time away from friends and family felt justified, it truly paid off.

Tell us about your rigorous training regime that you must go through to become the athlete that you are.
BP- Typically. Get up, straight in the Boxing gym for sparring, punch bag work, pad work and boxing based drills. Followed by a break and some food, the afternoon sessions vary, they could be Strength and Conditioning based circuits, it could be running the 400-metre track, swimming or even a 5 mile run. The afternoon sessions can be different each day to keep variety and to prevent monotony. I train 6 times a week, it is vital to have a day off from training to allow my body to recover and come back better, sometimes if needed it can be 2 days off dependant on how hard I train the previous day.

When you’re back in good old Cornwall to see family and friends and to have some relaxation, how do you maintain and stay in shape?
BP- I go at a more leisurely pace, maybe once a day but at an enjoyable pace. Going 100% all the time will just allow me to burn out physically and mentally, so I’ll maintain my fitness through circuit training, running and the odd boxing class over at Newquay ABC. But it is important to have that mental and emotional relaxation and then I am back in camp fresh and ready to go.

Do you have a Strength Training routine for developing Speed of movement and Power in your punches?
BP- For me personally, most of my resistance training is circuit-based resistance exercise with moderately light intensity. For example I could spend 1 minute on a particular exercise for speed and as many repetitions as possible. Sometimes once a week, I may go into the gym on my own and do very low rep heavy bodybuilder type exercises for no more than 6 reps. As I get closer to a fight, the weight management side is very strict in order to be able to make the fight, if I am lifting heavy weights all the time it may make me heavy and slow me down.

To sustain your performance in the ring, you need a lot of cardio and endurance-based training. Tell us a bit about that.
BP - Boxing Training with punch bag work, pad work with a trainer and sparring is really good for improving my skill and technique as well as cardiovascular performance. Outside the boxing gym, swimming is really good and challenging, hill sprints to get my heart rate up and to improve speed but for me the 400-metre track is my favourite. If I need to hit a personal best time in completing the running track, I get to push myself each time to achieve a new personal best record and the numbers don’t lie. I’ll aim for track work at least twice a week.

So, what’s next for Brad Pauls aka The Newquay Bomb aka The Southern Area Middleweight Champion?
BP - I’m going to defend my title, hopefully in Plymouth around the start of October time. It will be a voluntary defence against any high-ranking boxer, I will be looking to pursue a tv slot in which my fights can be televised. As I defend my title and continue to learn and improve as a boxer, I will be chasing many other championship titles all the way to the top.

You work with a mental health support group called Man Down Cornwall, an organisation that supports Men’s Mental Health Awareness. Any advice for anyone who would possibly be struggling?
BP - Talk about it, speak to someone, if you don’t speak to someone and let it out, nothing will change. In this day and age, it is finally being talked about, it is a silent killer. You can be Joe Bloggs on the street or the champion of the world and you can still have mental health problems. Seek help, speak to someone and keep pushing forward because with some guidance and help you can overcome it.

Any words of encouragement and Inspiration you can give to someone who is pursuing a dream that may seem impossible to others?
BP - You have to be all in, no half measures, whatever it is, it must be your number 1 priority, everything else is secondary. If you want something so bad and you put everything into it, you will achieve it.

Keep up to date with Brad at newquaybomb.com or follow on Instagram @bradpauls

For information on Man Down Cornwall visit mandowncornwall.co.uk