Noah Hooper leaves criminal past, violent assault behind to pursue boxing career

The young boxer has a place on two of North Queensland’s most famous boxing pedigrees, as the nephew to two world champions: Damien Hooper (14-1) on his father’s side and Les Sherrington (38-17) on his mother’s.

His dad and trainer Shane Hooper said he believed Noah possessed more talent than either of his uncles but knows it will be how his son handles those demons outside of the ring that would determine whether he joined them as a champion inside it.

On Saturday night Noah will face off against New Zealand’s No.7 rated light heavyweight Jesse ‘The Maniac’ Maio in his second pro bout.

The fight will bring to a close a troubled 12 months in 20-year-old Hooper’s life.

A year ago the boxing prodigy faced a Townsville courtroom and pleaded guilty to 12 charges related to a “week of madness” travelling between Townsville and Mackay in a car loaded with weapons and an electronic scale.

A month later he was stabbed in the arm and leg while fighting off three attackers in a carjacking at Stockland Shopping Centre in Aitkenvale.

Hooper said boxing was his salvation as it helped repair his mental health and provided the strength and focus to cut loose the bad influences in his life that threatened his dream of boxing greatness.

“I want to go all the way in boxing,” Hooper declared.

“My dream is to be a world champion but I’ve got a lot of work to do.

“I like fighting but it’s about discipline in life, too, and being a better person.

“Doing something else instead of doing the wrong thing. It has helped me a lot.

“I hung around with the wrong people but getting up early and training hard takes your mind off things.

“It’s good for my mental health and makes me feel better about myself while I’m training.”

Hooper laced up the gloves for the first time at 15, hopeful of following in the footsteps of uncles Hooper and Sherrington.

“I take a lot of inspiration out of them,” Hooper said.

“Watching my uncle on my mum’s side (Sherrington) fight has always inspired me. He’s fought in America, South Africa, all over, as a super middle – one below me.

“He’s never seen me fight so hopefully he is there on Saturday.”

Shane Hooper, of Dreams Boxing Club, is approaching his son’s bout with Maio as a trainer first, then a father.

“It will be Noah’s second pro fight and this fella has had eight,” Hooper said.

Hooper will fight on the undercard of the No Retreat No Surrender fight program headed by the Ashton Cater v Adam Flood clash at Endeavour Park in Annandale.

There’s more to Candy than just strength

If speed and strength were all it took to forge a professional fighter, Riley Candy admits boxing would probably not be for him.

The 22-year-old super middleweight isn’t blessed with a lightning jab or thunderous right hook but does possess the one trait that unites every good boxer from Las Vegas to Charters Towers.

“As an athlete I don’t have a whole lot of attributes but one thing I have got is discipline,” Candy (1-0, TKO) said.

“I went to boarding school in Charters Towers and got into boxing to get fit and beat up the kids who were picking on me for being overweight.”

Discipline has changed Candy’s life. A 4.30am alarm has been his daily wake-up call, running personal training classes in Charters Towers before starting his day job as a farrier, shoeing horses.

His evenings feature more PT classes and, three times a week, a round trip to Townsville to train under coach Shane Hooper at Dreams Boxing Club.

“At this point I feel like nothing can break me,” Candy said. “I don’t like thinking too much about what the other guy is going to do or what they will be like. I just know that I’ve done everything I can to prepare for it and that’s what gives me confidence.”

Candy made his profession­­al boxing debut on a 10 day training camp in Thailand earlier this month.

On Saturday night he will fight for the first time on home soil, taking on Mackay-born Gene Shaw (0-2) in an open-air affair at Endeavour Park in Murray. His walkout song will be Sammy Davis Jr’s 1972 hit The Candy Man – but that is just for now. Candy dreams of fighting in major arenas overseas, with John Williamson’s Home Among The Gum Trees his song.

Originally published as Noah Hooper leaves criminal past, violent assault behind to pursue boxing career