Small Hall Spotlight: 'I love being a professional loser' - meet 151-fight journeyman Lewis van Poetsch

«Maybe I could have been British champion, but I love being a professional loser.»

Last month's Small Hall Spotlight discussed how ambitious fighters at the lower levels must personally sell tickets to friends and family.

They need to raise at least £2,000 per contest, to cover various expenses and among those costs, controversially, is their opponent's fee.

These opponents, by contrast, receive £1,000 or more simply for turning up, which can make the role sound an attractive proposition. However, these 'journeymen', who choose the career path in the away corner, face their own challenges.

«Essentially, I'm a good, professional loser — and I'm OK with that,» says Lewis 'Poochi' van Poetsch, a 151-fight journeyman from Lydney in Gloucestershire. «You've got to be cut from a certain type of cloth to do what I do. It's not for everyone.»

The 31-year-old has spent the last 10 years boxing up and down the country, between middleweight and light-heavyweight — and forged a reputation as one of the small hall scene's best-loved characters.

Renowned for his inventive ring walks and likeable persona, he has nonetheless won only nine of his professional bouts, with three draws and a whopping 139 defeats.

«I'm there to put on a show, make the fight fun and lose, preferably on points,» explains Van Poetsch. «No-one's telling me to lose, as such, but that's how it is. If I get stopped or injured, there's a 28-day suspension, so I don't want that.»

The British Boxing Board of Control issues their boxing licences once a fighter can passes all their medical checks. As a licence holder and feature of small shall shows, Van Poetsch's health is regularly monitored.

His route into boxing was similar to many fighters, despite the specific role