Forner Truro College student Brandon Pauls admitted all the hard work in the gym was paying off after he stormed to boxing gold at the BUCS Gatorade Nationals in Sheffield this weekend.

The 20-year-old headed to the Steel City looking to rule the ring in the Under-75kg category at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

And while having a slight wobble in the first round of his finals bout against opponent Yannick Foh, Pauls lived up to his favourites tag by taking the victory.

It was even more pleasing for Pauls who had only just changed to his new weight category.
And while revealing he did not have a particular game plan for his opponent, the boxer insisted all his preparation work had given him the edge.

“It feels good to win gold. I can only box what's in front of me so I’m chuffed,” said Pauls.
“This is my new weight and I felt really strong. Sometimes I'll have a solid game plan but today I just though I wanted to go out and keep my head moving and keep my hands going.

“I went in there first round and felt it out a bit and saw what he had to offer.

“I got hit with a good shot in the first but I recovered quickly but after that I think I got the better of him and I knew I’d get the win.

“I've been working hard on my strength and conditioning and I hit him with some tough body shots that really rocked him I think.

“In the third I think his corner knew that I was landing clean shots and they saw enough and threw in the towel.

“I knew I could finish it, I had it in the tank because I'd done all those long runs and all those tough training sessions that have paid off.”

Pauls was competing in Sheffield on behalf of Southampton Solent University where he is currently studying sports science and personal training.

And with another victory under his belt, Pauls, a boxer for the last decade, was eyeing up making a living out of the sport.

“I think I can make that leap to professional but I want to do it the right way,” he added.
“It's all about doing your apprenticeship in the amateurs and figuring out how good you are and getting the basis and the platform for doing something good with your career.

“I'm only 20 so I've got a lot to learn but I've been boxing for 10 years and all my skills are coming together a bit now.”

Gatorade is the exclusive nutrition and hydration partner to British Universities & Colleges Sports and headline sponsor of the BUCS Gatorade Nationals. BUCS and Gatorade work together to educate student athletes on the importance of sports nutrition and hydration – visit: www.bucs.org.uk/gatorade