Chatham boxer Robert Caswell is determined to show what he’s about when he fights next month after winning his last match with a broken hand. Caswell won his first eight professional contests before losing to Michael Webber-Kane a year ago in a scrap for the Southern Area super featherweight bout. His comeback against Karl Sampson in May was supposed to be a chance to bounce back.
It ended up a painful night, having broken a metatarsal bone in his hand after just two rounds. He went on to a points victory but could not make the impression he wanted. A date at York Hall on November 16 is one that’s eagerly awaited by the 23-year-old.
Caswell said: “This fight’s all about performing and showing that I’m back to my best. “I just feel like the last year I’ve not really shown what I’m capable of, which has been frustrating. “I broke my hand at the end of the second round [against Sampson] and had to get through it.
I was in quite a lot of pain, but I won, I won every round.” Caswell admitted to fearing the worst after the broken hand, sitting in the corner ahead of the third round and wondering if he would get the win he was so determined to achieve. He said: “I was panicking, thinking, ‘this is all I need’.
I had demons going into that fight as it was. My confidence wasn’t great because of the loss [against Webber-Kane]. “It was such an important fight for me, and then when I did that, I thought, ‘this is awful, this is bad luck after bad luck’ sort of thing.
It wasn’t ideal, but it happened.” Caswell had suffered a TKO defeat against Webber-Kane in his area title fight, a massive blow after a winning start in the professional ranks. He said: “Leading up to the Karl Sampson fight, it was all that was on my mind, really, it was proper giving me demons, not just the loss but the way I lost.
“I hold myself to high standards and I just wasn’t good enough. I was really poor that night and I knew I had to change a few things up in training and I’d done that. “I was looking forward to getting that written off and coming back with a good win, to show that I’ve made improvements and I was different to what I was.
“But then, with that happening, it was hard to show the improvements. This one feels like the comeback fight.” Two operations and months of rehab later, Caswell’s ready to go again.
He said: “All the signs are positive, I’m getting no hand problems in training or anything like that. “I took a few clean shots [against Karl Sampson] and I overcame it, I took them well and I didn’t have enough effects and I felt good. It’s definitely got rid of a few demons.
“Hopefully now I can end the year on a high.”.
Sports
Fit-again Caswell is determined to show what he’s about
Chatham boxer Robert Caswell is determined to show what he’s about when he fights next month after winning his last match with a broken hand.