Conor Gray is set to fight for the vacant super lightweight Commonwealth Silver Title next month in the first title shot of his career. However the road hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s just getting started.
Born and raised in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Gray discovered Boxing at the age of 13, a tough time in his childhood.
“I grew up very rough,” Gray told Park Life Sport. “We were very poor, and it was very strict. I got beaten, I got starved, locked away. Boxing took me away from all that.
“That’s why I’ve never left. It helped save my childhood.”
After joining Fight Factory Gym, Gloucester, Gray flew through the amateurs before turning professional in 2020, however he chose the wrong side of that year.
“I always wanted to turn pro from the first time I stepped in the ring,” said Gray. “When that time finally came around, the whole world then shut down from COVID.
“I always think of it as a blessing in disguise. It gave me time to make that transition into the pro ranks. It gave me a year or two to transform my body and my mind into a professional.”
When Gray’s first professional bout finally came around many would expect his biggest challenge to be inside the ring, but it was quite the opposite.
“This was mental,” remembers Gray. “30 minutes before my debut, my dad had a brain aneurysm. I couldn’t believe it.
“He was led on the floor, blood and sick everywhere from where he fell. He went into the back of an ambulance, and I didn’t know if I was going to see him again.
“My coach kept me in the right mindset. I went into the ring, stopped my opponent in the second round, went straight to the hospital and thankfully he was okay.”
Since 2022, Gray has had 11 professional fights, winning all of them. April 13th is his first opportunity to make a real statement.
He fights at the Swindon Mecca for the vacant Super Lightweight Commonwealth Silver belt, which will be his first title fight.
“It’s going to be a massive achievement when I grab the belt and take it home,” said a confident Gray. “It means the world to me.
“It’s going to open a lot of doors for me to then go and win the full Commonwealth and push on from there for British and European titles.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to win boxing silverware. Ever since I was a little kid, and I knew that I could make a career out the sport, my only thought was to be a professional champion.
“To have it one fight just away from my grasp is incredible.”
Gray has been tested throughout his entire life, and April 13th will be yet another. However it’s clear to see that the 25-year-old has prepared himself for anything.
