This content is protected An enlarged heart threatened Mills' career Folks pay good-money to see action, so I aim to please Dean Mills By Michael J Jones SOMERSET bruiser Dean Mills is reaching for the top of boxings glories. The all-action 5-4-2 (2) lightweight has just returned to the ring following a lengthy absence, after a mysterious illness threatened not only his boxing career but his life. Despite a patchy record, Bridgewaters Dean is a terrific prospect who was a solid amateur and has fought tough fighters consistently in the pros. Short and stocky with a decent dig, Dean has rarely been in a tame fight; win, lose or draw he gives everything in every encounter. Last year he took reigning British champion Gary Sykes the distance before being involved in one of the domestic fights of the year. Fighting for the vacant British Masters belt, Dean came off the floor twice to be edged by Mark McCullough in a savage encounter that could have gone either way. The 23-year-old was hoping to build on such a spirited contest before unfortunately suffering the illness that would force him out of the ring almost a year. Last June the popular crowd-pleaser came back with a four round points win over determined late-sub Raffi Khan. The heavily-tattooed fighters next contest will be against tricky-journeyman Michael Frontin in London on October 7 in a light-welterweight match-up for the international Masters title. Trained by Glyn Mitchell and managed by Nigel Christian, here is what the Pride of Bridgewater had to say. 1) You were the West Counties champion as an amateur, both as a schoolboy and a senior. How did you find the transition from amateur to professional? DM) I found it quite comfortable really. I think I was always better-suited to the pros. The amateur game is changing all the time with the computer scoring etc. The amateur system seems to favour tall boxers who take the points. The judges watch them more (than shorter boxers). I was always fast and hit hard, so I knew Id prefer the pro game. 2) You have always been matched hard in your career so far; three of your four losses are to unbeaten fighters. How do you view other prospects that are matched soft for their first ten or fifteen fights? DM) The way I see it is guys like that who dont really fight anyone are going to get found out when they step up a level. You can look at the fighter and say this guys the best in the world, but when you see who theyve been facing it isnt as impressive. When I reach the top, Ill be able to look back and say Ive done it the hard way and always fought the toughest matches. These fights are hard but theyll keep me in good stead for the future. 3) You lost a competitive decision to current British super-featherweight champion Gary Sykes in February last year. At the time you were just 3-3-2, while Sykes was 13-0. Did that fight, pushing a fighter of his calibre, give you confidence for future matches? DM) Before that fight, my team knew he had a British title shot coming up. They said tuck up and dont be made to look silly, which I did. I kept my hands high, picked my shots carefully and had my moments. After the fight though I saw that I really had to keep up the pressure and take more chances, so yeah it definitely gave me confidence. read the rest of the interview here :good
