'Judged on one night' - the cost of defeat in boxing

Bradley Rea (right) lost on points to Tyler Denny in 2022, but has since won six consecutive fights

Not many boxers know the harsh reality of what a defeat can do to your career more than Bradley Rea.

In November 2022, the Lancashire fighter suffered his first professional loss in a close decision against Tyler Denny for the English middleweight title.

While Denny went on to collect European honours and face Hamzah Sheeraz at Wembley Stadium, Rea has not competed on a televised card in two and a half years.

That is set to change on 28 June when 27-year-old Rea headlines in Hull as he faces Shakan Pitters for the vacant European light-heavyweight title, which will be live on DAZN.

It has taken 31 months to get away from the small-hall events and back in front of a broadcast audience, and Rea did not think he would have to wait this long for another shot.

Rea, however, says he does not regret taking the risk that ultimately led to him slipping out of mainstream boxing.

"Not for one second did I consider not taking the Denny fight," he tells BBC Sport.

"Since I turned pro, I'm in the game to test myself against the best possible opponents in the biggest possible fights.

"I knew it was a dangerous fight, and I knew it was a fight that if I wasn't on my A-game it would go the other way.

"I didn't turn up for one night, but people have bad days all the time. Losing your keys, stepping in a puddle, that's a bad day for the average person.

"For me, it's getting my head punched in. I seem to have been judged based off that one night."

'I'm the type of fighter promoters want'

The Denny fight was Rea's 15th in the professional game, having won the previous 14 - five of those by stoppage.

It was Rea's first opportunity for a belt at 24 years old; he was promised a comeback fight, but feels he was then pushed aside by promoters.

"Six months became a year, which quickly became two and a half years. I had to take fights on smaller circuits to stay busy so I wasn't inactive," Rea says.

"If I was a promoter, I'm the type of fighter I'd want on my shows. I have a fight of the year against Jez Smith, I feel like I deliver.

"It was hard at the time - I couldn't quite understand why.

"People always asked when I was next in a big fight, but I had to tell them it's out of my control."

Rea says his story is the perfect example of why some fighters are not prepared to face riskier opponents.

"If there was a lot more people in the sport with my mentality then it would be a better place," he says.

"Boxing's a business before anything - at the end of the day people have to be making money. When you see it first hand, you understand why some people don't take risks."

'People have written me off and forgotten about me'

Rea's six-fight winning streak includes five stoppages

Rea's run of bad luck has also stretched into 2025.

A scheduled bout on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2 in February was scrapped in fight week.

In April, he stepped in on three days' notice to fight Daniel Blenda Dos Santos only for the European light-heavyweight champion to pull out on the day.

Dos Santos was stripped of his 175lb belt and Rea was ordered to fight Pitters instead for the title.

Despite all this drama, Rea says he is "where I'm supposed to be".

"The last year although career-wise has been difficult, I'm probably the happiest I've been in general life," he adds.

"It's been a long, bumpy road but I feel like I'm going to get there in the end."

Rea says if he can win the "prestigious" European title, it can be his "bargaining chip" to return to big fights.

"It's more about being back on that big stage and proving myself to the people who have written me off and forgotten about me," Rea said.

"I want to prove people wrong and show what I can do, that's what it's about. Once we have this title, people will want to fight me."