Steve Bunce calls Nathan Heaney v Brad Pauls 'potential fight of the year', wants June rematch in Stoke

Steve Bunce called Nathan Heaney v Brad Pauls a "potential fight of the year” and said a June rematch in Stoke should go ahead.

Heaney and Pauls traded blows over 12 rounds with the British middleweight champion dominating the first half, before Pauls came back into the fight ahead of some frantic championship rounds.

The champion had been planning to get back into the ring this summer but there was no clear fight to be made, and speaking to TNT Sports, Steve Bunce said that a fight in Heaney’s home town of Stoke would be the ideal setting to run it back.

Following the headline fight on the Magnificent Seven card, Bunce said: “Potential fight of the year. The last three rounds are unbelievable, the 11th round could be the round of the year and it could be the fight of the year and Nathan Heaney needs an opponent when he goes to Stoke, maybe in early June.

“Am I missing something, why is there even a discussion? Even if he gets a world title shot… Nathan wants to put that right tonight, Brad Pauls wants to start earlier, it is made, it is made for outdoors.”

Heaney said that he would be open to a rematch with Pauls but said that he would follow the instruction of his promoter Frank Warren.

Speaking in the ring after the fight with Pauls alongside him, Heaney said: “Gutting, I wanted a win, I didn’t want a draw. I thought I did enough to win but I also let him into it as well. He caught me at times. Fair play to Brad, he was excellent.”

Asked about a potential rematch being possible, he said: “There was plans with Frank. I’m happy to do whatever Frank wants me to do.”

A few moments later outside the ring with Warren beside the champion, Heaney added: “I think the first six rounds I controlled it, then let him in it I think in the seventh round. I think there were three rounds where I let him win, but two rounds he won big, that gives him fives rounds.

“I let him too close, I let him win too many rounds, and it allowed one of the judges to score against me.

“That’s what the British title does to people. I’ve fought two English champions and a current British champion in Denzel Bentley, and Brad is the current English champion. So, I’ve been fighting some good lads.

“I want to go back in the summer but we’ll see what happens with Frank.”

Queensberry’s Warren described Heaney’s performance as good enough to carry the win, but he acknowledged that Pauls had made it difficult.

He said: “I thought he won it by a couple of rounds, but with Brad it was such a competitive fight, I didn’t agree with the scoring but he deserved to be in there and deserves to get some accolades for the fight. He showed a lot of heart and it takes two to make an excellent, entertaining, edge-of-your-seat fight like that.

“That was a real gruelling fight for both those guys.”

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