DAN MORLEY is aiming to win titles as he prepares to make his return to boxing after two years out of the ring.
The Epsom-based fighter has had a rollercoaster career which saw him defeat Louis Isaacs in a fight of the year contender in 2021.
Fast forward a few more months and Morley faced Ivan Njegac, which proved to be his last fight after the 27-year-old quit amid growing pressures and rising costs.
Morley suffered a broken nose and broken hand which derailed his progress while fights that earned him £500 did little to cover the £1500 medical tests needed for each fight.
He told SunSport: “I was looking at the next five years of my life when I was 25-26 thinking ‘how quickly can I get through these?’ Which is not a way to live your life.”
So the Chelsea fan hung up his gloves and set off around the world for coaching opportunities which saw him train clients in Switzerland and the Maldives.
He brushed shoulders with ex-England rugby stars Jason Robinson and Ben Cohen, as well as fitness guru Joe Wicks.
Morley even trained members of the Qatar royal family and a then 15-year-old Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame on the Maldives island of Huvafen Fushi where he stayed in hotel rooms costing £60,000 a night.
Time away from the spotlight gave Morley a much-needed break both physically and mentally and started to enjoy boxing, sharing his knowledge first-hand and online.
He quickly began to build his fanbase and now boasts 400,000 fans across his social media platforms, including Snoop Dogg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Johnny Knoxville, who recently appeared on his podcast.
Morley is hopeful his new-found following will boost his profile when he makes his return to the ring, which he anticipates could be in the summer.
The 8-0 boxer aims to fight at British level but is happy to have discovered balance in his life, which has rid him of the pressures that pro boxing put on him previously.
He added: “I’m very optimistic and excited. Before I took the break I was looking at those five years with dread. Now in the ring I’m excited to get back, I can see myself winning titles, going up to British level and beyond.
“I’m looking at stuff outside too. Continue training abroad and I can get more opportunities like that. I would love to break through as a pundit, have a book published, travel the world with boxing. And build experiences in and out of the ring.
“It’s been a much better balance. Before I was obsessive about it to the point where its being fuelled by fear and paranoia. Just like the pressure of having to do it because it was my identity.
“Whereas taking a step away from it has given me the clarity to say ‘you know what, there are so many other things I can do – I do this simply because I love it’ and that’s the thing that always drove me, the love, but the pressure was killing me.”
Along with his return to the ring, Morley wants to publish a book and is still keen to continue coaching.
He trained TikTok sensation and world champion football freestyler Andrew Henderson, who boasts two million followers, for a few months and is open to training other influencers – or even fighting one himself.
Morley said: “I’m more than willing to help people within the influencer scene. I’m not massively fussed about fighting in it myself unless they offered me a load of money to beat one of them up.
“These influencer guys are going in with no experience and earning 50,60 times – even the lower level ones – the amount pro boxers will be earning in hard fights.
“It is frustrating to a certain degree but I looked at it and thought ‘how can I learn from what they’ve done?’ And do that in my own way without selling my soul.”
Morley is yet to decide on his next opponent but is hopeful of having a fight lined up for July – so watch this space.
