Wright in no rush to hit the heights

Boxer Danny Wright in training before his next fight

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FAILSWORTH prospect Danny Wright is in no rush to get to the top of boxing tree.

The 20-year-old former amateur star has made a terrific start to life on the professional circuit, having won his opening two fights.

Wright, who is trained by long-time mentor Ben Lancaster in Middleton, beat Krisztian Kovacs on debut in October, then saw off Ross Jameson a month later.

A hand injury suffered during sparring before the Jameson win meant Wright has missed out on a further appearance before the end of 2016, but that's no problem for the ex-ABA senior champion.

He told the Chronicle: "My hand is miles better now.

"I'm still not punching, but by the time the extension work to Ben's gym is completed in a couple of weeks, I will be again.

"I've been ticking over nicely, running and pushing the weights.

"I've spoke to my manager Steve Wood and he's hoping to get me out again in late February or early March.

TALK

"There's talk I might even get on a Frank Warren show in Manchester which would be featured on BT Sport."

As mentioned earlier, however, Wright is determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground for now.

One of the most talked-about tips for future stardom in the domestic welterweight division, Wright remains level-headed.

He added: "I'm not going to be rushing. We've just got to take my career steadily.

"I'm hoping to have maybe between four and six fights in 2017, and hopefully after a couple of them I can step up from four to six-rounders.

"I'm only 20, I need to bide my time."

Wright capped a terrific 2016 by winning the Jack Fearon Trophy for Boxer of the Year at the recent Ex-Boxers' Association dinner in Manchester.

He follows in the footsteps of stars like Tyson Fury, among others.

Meanwhile, Oldham's super-middleweight title hopeful Mark Heffron is another who will be looking to make further progress next year after returning to the ring in spectacular style in 2016.

Heffron (25) knocked out Attila Tibor Nagy in November to make it 12 straight professional wins.

He followed up just three weeks later by stopping Michael Mora in equally devastating fashion, leading some to link Heffron with a potential tilt at major honours during the coming 12 months. He appears to be back in business now after what has been a stop-start career in the paid ranks so far.

TOMORROW: News from Andy Kremner.