Promising Rhoose boxer extends his professional record

Promising Rhoose boxer is building a big reputation

By MARCUS STEAD

Talented young boxer Jay Munn has spoken of his pride at coming from Rhoose before his latest professional fight in Swindon today, 20th November.

The 22-year-old light middleweight, known as ‘The Rhoose Rhino’, was due to face Daniel Lartey in Taunton on 13th November, but the promotion was cancelled due to injuries and positive Covid tests among the fighters. But in a late change, Vladimir Fleischhauer from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia became Munn’s opponent in today’s bout.

A quiet and down-to-earth youngster, Munn said he took nothing for granted as he sought to extend his 5-0 unbeaten professional record and prepared for the fight by sticking to his training regime and by eating the right foods.

Today, in a thriller of a performance, The Rhoose Rhino gave his opponent not a seconds rest and beat Fleischhauer with a scorecard of 40-36 taking Munn’s professional wins to 6-0.

In September, Munn’s victory against ex-bare knuckle fighter Seamus Devlin at the Vale Sports Arena was witnessed by 1,250 spectators, including 400 of his own contingent: “The support I’ve received from the people of Rhoose, and the Vale of Glamorgan community in general means the world to me.

“I’m very proud of where I’m from, and I like to give something back, whether it’s supplying people who’ve bought tickets with beer for the coach journey or putting on a party for them.”

As a teenager, Munn competed at a high level in martial arts, but he became bored with the sport, and would walk past the boxing gym on his way to class, wishing he was heading there instead, until one day he took the plunge and went inside.

It took Munn many weeks to admit to his family that he had given up martial arts for boxing, but he was rumbled when his mother found his medical form ahead of his first fight: “It really wasn’t easy trying to convince her to let me fight, but the moment I stepped into the ring I knew that boxing was for me” he said.

Years of gruelling training followed, with high points including selection for Wales at the 2017 Commonwealth Games, along with training camps at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

Munn’s discipline and persistence paid off, and he went on to win two ABA Championship vests at amateur level.

Since turning professional in September 2019, Munn has been managed by Welsh former world middleweight title contender Gary Lockett and is trained by Chris Davies.

Munn usually trains at Lockett’s Llanrumney Phoenix gym in Cardiff, which he fits around his job as a part-time scaffolder.

But Rhoose is where Munn calls home, and he paid a warm tribute to the local community: “It’s a close-knit place where everybody looks out for each other. The backing they’ve given me this last few years has been tremendous, and I consider all of them to be personal friends.”

With five professional victories to his name, Munn has developed a reputation as a sharp and intelligent fighter, and outside the ring he demonstrates a deep and thoughtful understanding of the history of boxing: “When I took up boxing, I immersed myself in the sport. I’m fascinated by it and watching the greats from previous eras.

“The boxers I most admire are Roberto Durán and Ricky Hatton. I’m not old enough to recall either of them in their pomp, but Hatton is somebody I especially admire. He’s very level-headed and always remembered where he was from. I think that’s very important” he said.

Like his idol Hatton, Munn is a massive football fan, and wears the Cardiff City colours on his shorts, having been a season ticket holder since childhood.

Munn says that one of his big dreams is to fight in front of a packed house at the Cardiff City Stadium, but for now, he is content with being another face in the crowd at Bluebirds matches: “I don’t really want people to recognise me as Jay Munn the boxer, or the side of me that’s seen on social media.

“I’d rather people thought ‘he’s a nice kid’ or ‘I’d like to go out for a drink with him’. Just because I’m a professional, it doesn’t mean I have to change who I am. I’m no different to anybody else – it’s important for me to remain humble and grounded.

”Some people have assumed that ‘The Rhoose Rhino’ nickname was linked to Munn having a distinctive large nose, but he tells a different story: “It dates back to the Commonwealth Games training camp in 2017. We were in Alicante, and I had Zack Davies in my corner. I was sparring and he said, ‘you’re like a rhino with the way you keep coming forward’, and he kept making a rhino horn shape with his index finger.

“When I told a few of the boys about it back home, it stuck, and I’ve been known as ‘The Rhoose Rhino’ ever since.”