Let Me Entertain You

Fighter Diary by Bradley Skeete Last time out in July, Bradley Skeete fulfilled his dream of becoming the proud owner of a Lonsdale Belt after making three successful defences of his British welterweight title. However, there was a hint of regret following his exploits at the Copper Box against Dale Evans, as Bradley explains in his first exclusive Fighter Diary... MY THIRD BRITISH title defence in July was obviously a big occasion for me, being the final one required to win my belt outright. I was fighting a game, tough opponent in Dale Evans, who is proven dangerous puncher. Maybe, going in, that fact was at the back of my mind, but he simply didn't fight the fight I expected him to. I ended up doing what I do best, I kept it long and kept on the jab and maybe I was a bit negative in there. It wasn't the performance of my fight before against Shayne Singleton, which I was really up for and went in and demolished him. It was that sort of performance I needed again to show what I am really about. The Evans fight just didn't get going and I didn't make the statement that I wanted to. We all know the back-story to the fight and I did anticipate and prepare for him coming out full of emotion and like a bull in a china shop. I really thought he was going to come and engage and really put it on me sort of thing. That was the gameplan we had set out, to ride out the storm, catch him on the counter and then get him out of there. He just didn't seem to want to engage on the night and seemed happy enough to be on the end of my jab. Maybe it is me, maybe it goes back to me being too good for my own good sometimes. I make good fighters look average and I won probably 11 rounds out of 12 with my jab. I do look at it and think should I go and chase the fight but, by doing that, I might give him the chance to land that one bingo shot. I could then be plonked on my backside and my dreams are gone. I do know this is the entertainment business and I didn't impress a lot of people with that performance, but I did what I needed to do and I can now move on from it. I know what I've got in my locker and I know what I can do. I can take some positives from it, while the negatives I can change into positives in my next fight. I have to reconcile the achieving of a lifetime goal of mine in winning the British belt with a missed opportunity to impress in my first fight live on BT Sport. I know the people at BT wouldn't have been happy with that performance and Frank wasn't happy, so now it is up to me to show them what I am really all about. I have to make them realise what sort of fighter I am. That is all I can do and that is what I intend to do. I want to put on a demolition job next time and remind BT and Frank what I am about. Frank has seen it before, but I need to show the BT viewers. I want to move forward and have a big year with them backing me towards the world title that I want. More from Bradley’s Fighter Diary next week