Stretford boxer Brad Rea is celebrating winning the Commonwealth Silver Light Heavyweight championship belt following his third-round knockout of Adam Hepple on a show organised by Rea’s manager Steve Wood’s VIP Promotions at The Hideout in Farnworth.

“I caught him with a painful body shot in the first round, but he came back at me in the second,” explained Rea, “which focused my attention so that I was able to land a head shot in the third resulting in the stoppage. And now here I am with a title belt which I hope will open the door to much greater things in 2025, including an English title fight.”

Going by the moniker of ‘Sting’ Rea, the 26-year-old began his professional career in September 2018 following a distinguished amateur record which saw him win 74 of 98 amateur bouts. He’s lost just one of his 21 paid bouts and has stopped his opponent in his last five with his defeat of Hepple coming in the third of a scheduled 10 rounds.

Rea’s current streak of early stoppages means that finding a willing opponent can be difficult.

He added: “All credit to Adam Hepple for taking the fight on quite short notice. I’ve been doing everything that’s been asked of me so I’m hoping that there will be a title fight early next year and that 2025 will be the year of the Sting!”

Rea trains at Sharpstyle Boxing Gym, in Blackpool, these days but retains strong links with Greater Manchester and describes himself as a “Lancashire boxer through and through”’.

n Anyone interested in offering sponsorship can contact him at Bradley “The Sting” Rea - Professional Boxer, on Facebook.