Exclusive: Burnley Boxer Reece Farnhill Would Love Turf Moor Fight

Reece Farnhill is dreaming of one day headlining a fight at Burnley’s Turf Moor stadium, as he plots a course towards the British title.

The Lancastrian last month surrendered his English belt in heartbreaking fashion, suffering two bad cuts during a bout with Mark Dickinson of County Durham on the undercard of Pat Brown’s clash against Federico Grandone.

That fight, which saw Farnhill taste defeat for the first time as a professional, was staged in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. But the 27-year-old remains convinced he can one day rule the domestic super middleweight division and would love to defend that crown in front of his hometown fans.

“It would be great to get a fight at Turf Moor,” Farnhill exclusively told SportsBoom.com. 

“Why not? I think that’s something great to aim for and a really good idea. Maybe for the British title or, if I win it, I could make my first defence there."

“I definitely think people would turn out for that. Burnley is the kind of place where people get behind their own. They give you their support and their backing if you are from the town or the surrounding area.”

“You’ve seen that with the football club,” Farnhill continued. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m some sort of huge Burnley fan. But I do follow them of course and I’m proud of what they’ve achieved."

“Hopefully people in Burnley can be proud of me, too. I could give them something else to get behind, something else to shout about, because it’s a place people often overlook and doesn’t always get what it deserves.”

WELL RESPECTED IN THE RING

Farnhill, who had won all of his 11 outings before losing on points to Dickinson, is one of the most wholehearted fighters on the British circuit with a reputation for being involved in absorbing battles. 

Those qualities, which have earned him the respect of boxing purists and casual fans alike, should be enough to see him granted the opportunities to climb back up the rankings once the injuries he sustained on Matchroom’s most recent NXTGEN show heal. 

Combined with a down-to-earth and humble demeanour, the guarantee of entertainment a Farnhill bout brings makes him an attractive proposition for promoters too.

Although it undoubtedly represented a set-back, the circumstances surrounding his defeat to Dickinson served to illustrate Farnhill’s courage and heart. The gash which opened up above his right eye was deemed to have been caused by a clash of heads. 

But rather than attempt to exploit the situation by engineering a technical draw, bloodied bruiser Farnhill gamely opted to continue - upping his work rate, which ultimately played into his opponent’s hands, after being reminded the contest would go to the scorecards after four completed rounds.

Describing himself as honoured to hail from Burnley and determined to follow in the footsteps of former champions Charles Shepherd and Jock McAvoy by extending the area’s boxing lineage, Farnhill added: “I’m proud to be from here. It’s made me the person I am. It’s a hard working area that isn’t up itself. That’s what I’m like. I hope that’s how people look at me as well.”

“We’ve had a few fighters come out of here. I’m proud to be from my gym and we’ve produced quite a few. It’s good to come from that background and hopefully carry it on.”