Malachi Towns hopes to inspire in first title match of career

He credited much of his recovery to two things: his faith and boxing.

"That's what kind of got me out of the dark times," Towns said.

"Faith, believing, praying. I was in a dark spot, and I just got on my knees and prayed to Jesus.

"Having a good team around me like [head coach] Jamie Carroll and the One2Boxing team has also been very beneficial to me in escaping that bad place."

And now, Towns is in the closing stages of preparing for the biggest fight of his life this weekend.

Though he knows it will be a tough bout for the North West regional super middleweight title, the 24-year-old has never been better prepared.

"I'm pretty at peace, real rested and calm for this fight," Towns said.

"I'm feeling strong, I'm on weight, I've put in 110 per cent, and ready to get in the ring on Saturday night."

When he does step into the ring, Towns will not be fighting for himself.

After everything that he has been through, the young boxer hopes to inspire others who might be struggling.

"I want to be an inspiration," Towns said.

"Not just to myself or my family, but also for my community. If I can do it, you can do it too."

Boxing is just one half of Towns' major passions in life. The other is stand-up comedy, in which he began dabbling at 16.

Both passions allow him to express his strong creative instincts in different ways, and his job at the IGA allows him the time and flexibility of schedule to pursue them.

"I can get a job or any other career path down the track if I choose to do it," Towns said.

"But right now, I've got no kids, I've got no big responsibilities, I can achieve what I want to."

In the short term, however, his focus is firmly on this weekend's fight. It is the first title that Towns has vied for in his amateur career, and he knows it will be anything but easy.

"He's a tough to competitor, but I'm tough as well," he said.

"It's about who's got the most heart, the most IQ, brains, and who's done that extra mile in training, and I believe I've done that."

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