British champion Pauls primed for biggest fight of career

Brad Pauls has lost just once as a professional

"Boxing's funny because you're one win away from a completely different life and you're one loss away from being a bum, so you better hope you get the win," says Brad Pauls.

The British middleweight champion has his own unique way of defining the importance of Saturday's top-of-the-bill clash with Denzel Bentley at Wembley Arena on Saturday.

The pair will fight for the European and WBO International middleweight title - as well as Pauls' domestic belt.

But more importantly, the winner is on course for a likely world title shot in 2025, with Bentley ranked as the WBO's number one contender and Pauls in second place.

It could be the culmination of a lifetime's work for the fighter know as the Newquay Bomb - who became the first boxer from Cornwall to win a Lonsdale belt since since 1939 when he beat Nathan Heaney for the British title in July.

"It's strange, but what else did I expect to happen?" Pauls tells BBC Sport.

"I've done nothing else, I promise you, I'm not good at any other thing.

"All I've done is box, I thought 'something's got to happen here' and it's nice to be in the history books. I'd love to give Cornwall some history where they don't have loads of superstars coming out of that county.

"I feel like there's a little bit more to gain, a little bit more to do."

'I know it's a dangerous fight, Denzel hits hard'

Pauls and Bentley (right) are the main event at Frank Warren's show on Saturday

Pauls, 31, has won 19 and lost just one of his professional fights - 12 of his wins coming via knockout.

But he knows that Saturday's bout with Bentley will prove a turning point in his career - either being left a 'bum' or getting that 'completely different life'.

"It's a lot of pressure, but that's what makes it exciting; it is so much to gain, so much to lose all at the same time," he says as he takes a break from training.

"But for me I'm the underdog in this fight, he's the established champion - a two-time British champion, a world title challenger. I'd say there's more pressure on him, he's more of a name."

Londoner Bentley has a record equal to Pauls' - 17 of his 20 wins have come via knockout.

Of his three losses, one was in a world title fight to unbeaten Kazakh champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly two years ago and the other came at the hands of Heaney last November, where he lost the British title that Pauls now has around his waist.

"I know Denzel, his gym's 10-15 minutes away, I've sparred plenty of rounds with him," explains Pauls.

"I know it's a dangerous fight. Denzel hits hard, has a lot of knockouts, but so do I.

"When they presented me with the options for my next fight, they said you can fight Denzel or fight someone else who wasn't as challenging, in my opinion, and I took the tougher fight.

"I want to look back at the end of my career and say I stepped up and I fought the tougher man, because it's not in me to shy away and pick an easy fight.

"If you want to be the best, you've got to go out there and fight the best people in the country, so here I am fighting Denzel."

'Cornish people just want to see me do well'

Brad Pauls proudly holds the Cornish flag after winning the British title earlier this year

Pauls' win over Heaney earlier this year meant he became the first Cornish fighter to win a British title since Len Harvey won the light-heavyweight belt shortly before the outbreak of World War Two.

The middleweight says the support he gets from his home county is one of the things that spurs him on the most, and he is expecting another good turnout from the Duchy on Saturday.

"It's given me a lot more faith in the world because all the Cornish people just want to see me do well," he says proudly.

"There's no hate, no agenda, they just buy tickets to help me achieve my dreams.

"Pretty much all of my sponsors are Cornish businesses that are just backing their man; I couldn't do what I do without them.

"I just want to do well for them, and after my British title win I could really see what it meant to them, people were so happy for me.

"They couldn't be more generous and genuinely happy, so it just adds a little bit more motivation to why I'm doing what I'm doing."