Nathan Heaney delivers tickets to fans' doors – he's a world away from AJ & Fury
NATHAN HEANEY is the Pied Piper of the Potteries – and the ultimate contrast to the super-rich lifestyles of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Compared to those glitzy giant heavyweights – who sparked domestic unrest in 2023 by winning the British middleweight title three months ago – he's a blue-collar warrior.
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Because they make a living playing the most dangerous sports around, no one should begrudge Fury and Joshua a cent of the mega-millions the Saudis pay them every time they climb into a Riyadh ring.
They have large teams of PR managers, medical support experts, trainers, security guards and various other hangers-on who pander to their every wish.
But it is the unglamorous bread-and-butter fighters like Heaney, 34, with his entourage of one – trainer Steve Woodvine – who are the lifeblood of boxing.
The Heaney story will never be the subject of a Hollywood film, but it is the heart-warming story of a humble man who was never expected to become a champion but was always idolized in Stoke and the surrounding towns.
He graduated from Staffordshire University with a degree in Sports Science and a degree in Foundation Law and had a happy life as a teacher.
Heaney had an unremarkable 90-match amateur career, retired from boxing after his eldest daughter was born, but decided to make a professional comeback six years ago.
Despite being unbeaten after 17 matches, Heaney was given a minimal chance of beating Denzel Bentley when he challenged him for his crown in Manchester in November.
But to the delight of more than 2,000 of his extremely noisy ringside neighbors, he won a shock points decision against a world title contender.
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There is no other fighter in this country who has Heaney's close bond with his fans.
Wherever he fights, he is urged on by more than 2,000 men and women who follow him loyally and passionately – and he is on a first-name basis with hundreds of them.
That's because he personally delivers their cards to their homes. He has already sold 1,500 for his first defense against Cornish English champion Brad Pauls – which doesn't take place until March 16 at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.
Heaney explained: “Most of my fans live in 13 different postcodes and I deliver tickets to their front door two postcodes at a time – that's around 100 a day.
'So it will take me a few weeks to cover them all.
“They seem to enjoy having a chat at the door and it gives me pleasure too. I find their support very inspiring – it gives me a warm feeling knowing that they are spending their hard-earned money to see me fight.
I find their support very inspiring; it gives me a warm feeling to know that they are spending their hard-earned money to see me fight.
Nathan Heaney about his fans
“People will no doubt be surprised to hear that I get requests for tickets from all over the country, including Scotland and Ireland, but I send that registered post.”
Heaney, a Stoke City supporter from the age of seven, has no delusions of grandeur and lives quietly with his wife Louise and two daughters.
He may be British Champion, but he still has to do the school run every day!
Life in the fast lane is certainly not for him – so far Heaney's only extravagance has been upgrading his car from a baby Peugeot to a Volvo.
He's so down to earth, even if he could afford it, that I'd be surprised if he were ever seen in a Rolls-Royce.
Heaney's overwhelming ambition now is to fight Kazakhstan's Janibek Alimkhanuly for his WBO and IBF world titles at the Bet 365 Stadium in Stoke City this summer.
If promoter Frank Warren can pull this off, Heaney's delivery service risks becoming overloaded.
Arnold Bennett, one of Britain's greatest authors, made the Potteries world famous with his novels and short stories about the experiences of ordinary people from the area.
Nathan Heaney would have been an ideal subject for him.
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