Louis Merreywether became Weston Warrior’s first ever amateur to pro boxing story this weekend as he won his first ever pro fight this weekend.

The 23-year-old is the first fighter to be solely trained at the amateur Weston gym to turn pro in the past decade that the club has been training, and he put on a show, winning the bout by unanimous points decision.

Merreywether picked up boxing at 15 after finding himself in trouble at school, and the sport that was initially meant to help him focus on his studies pulled him and never let go, taking him all the way to his debut bout in Swindon on Saturday night.

Coach Dean Lewis and his club have also recently celebrated the crowning of their first ever British Champion Ash Lane, who had previously boxed in Northampton, but Merreywether’s victory holds a special place in head coach Dean Lewis’ heart after coaching the youngster since his teen years.

Coach Lewis reacted to his fighter’s victory, he said: “Last night was a little bit special for us, Louis had his professional debut and was also the first boxer from my amateur club to turn over as a pro after having the club for 10 years.

“Starting from the bottom as a cheeky young tear away teenager at age 15 where he didn’t know a boxing stance to now turning professional it makes me a very, very proud coach and a pleasure to call him my boxer.

Weston Mercury: Merrywether celebrates in the ring with his coaching team and head coach Dean Lewis (far right)Merrywether celebrates in the ring with his coaching team and head coach Dean Lewis (far right) (Image: Weston Warriors Boxing)

“Not only did he have his debut, but he also boxed superb, listened to instructions from the corner, and carried them out round by round.

“A very mature performance from a young man who has had a year out of the ring since he last boxed and not had much sparring in the build-up.

“The are big things to come from him, this is just the start, if I didn’t think he could win titles I wouldn’t have turned him over to the pros.

“I’ve been in this game a while now and I know what is required, this man can box, and he can fight when he has to, the pros will be the making of him, just you watch.

“A huge thank you to every single person who bought a ticket to support Louis, the noise was incredible, without you spending your hard-earned money to support him this would not be possible, thank you all.”

Merreywether himself was also extremely proud of his performance, but insists this is only just the beginning, with plans of going to the very top of the sport.

The 1-0 pro fighter posted on his social media: “It was a great debut, I loved every second of it, but the journey starts now.

“Big thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and travelled up to support me made some great noise, also big shout out to all my coaches who have helped me get here.”

It’s been a huge month for the Weston Warriors gym with a new pro and a new British champion, and with plenty more fighters coming up through the ranks it might not be long before we hear from them again.