‘Fearless’ Frankie Storey became a two-time Southern Area super bantamweight champion with a stoppage win over Zach Phee in Brentwood last night and then admitted that he had considered retirement after losing the belt last year – but that it’s firmly off the table now.
The 26-year-old from Farley Hill produced a composed and clinical performance, rocking his rival in the second round with a leg-wobbling left hook and dominating then on with that fist before Phee’s corner retired him after a seventh punishing round.
It notched the second stoppage of Storey’s career, 11 months after injury and family commitments left him questioning his future in the sport when a cut forced his corner to retire him, giving up the belt to Lewis Frimpong in his first career defeat.
But having fought through setbacks and sacrifice, he now looks ready to climb towards the English title mix.
Moments after his victory, which her dedicated to his daughter, he said live on the Dazn TV channel: “I was actually considering retirement because after that I had a little girl, Darcy, and I had a few things going on outside the ring. But I pulled through and here we are – two time. That’s to you, Darcy, my girl. I love you always.”
On his triumph over the previously undefeated Phee, the Luton southpaw said he was, “absolutely over the moon,” adding: “The game plan paid off. It’s been a long 14-week training camp for us. I’m always in the gym training and putting work in with Tony [Pill] and Don [Charles] and the team. The plan actually paid off for once. I’m really happy with the performance.”
Though he will inevitably be thinking about bigger opportunities in the division, having talked up his hunger for titles in the build up to this championship bout, with the belt back around his waist, Storey said his immediate priority is family time.
“I’m going to go home, give my little girl a big kiss and a hug, and take her on holiday,” he said. “I’ve got to thank my partner Claire. She’s been watching me go through the mill, day in, day out. And a big, big thank you to my dad, the man who started this journey with me. We’ve been doing this since I was 11 years old. He’s been my hero since I started.”
With his pal, Luton’s ‘First Lady’ of fighting Tysie Gallagher, cheering him on ringside ahead of her title defence later this month, Storey also paid tribute to their trainer and the Lutonian fans that travelled to Essex to see his crowing glory.
“I want to just say a big thank you to everyone who’s come out and bought tickets, their hard-earned money to come and support me,” he said. “And a big thank you to my main man Tony Pill because he’s putting in as much work as I am, the same hours – and let’s be honest, he’s not got that much money. Thank you, Tony. Love you, bro.”
