Beerwah boxer savours state crown

Beerwah powerhouse Dana Coolwell says he’s relished a sizzling start to his professional journey in the ring and is hungry to maintain dominance towards some major goals.

Beerwah fighter Dana Coolwell was crowned Queensland State Lightweight champion after defeating Mark Snook on Saturday. Picture: Marty_Camilleri

BOXING: Beerwah powerhouse Dana Coolwell says he’s relished a sizzling start to his professional journey in the ring and is hungry to maintain dominance towards some major goals.

The 20-year-old fighter snared the Queensland State Lightweight title on Saturday after toppling Mark Snook at Redcliffe.

Coolwell earned the belt with a fourth-round technical knockout in what was just his third professional bout.

His previous two victories ended in similar fashion with a round two TKO and round three KO.

“It was a big win,” Coolwell said.

“It was great (to have) all the work (pay off) and finally be ticking off the goals now and starting to build for bigger things.”

Coolwell, who trains at the Hinterland Boxing Club, said the fight had gone according to plan, with a mixture of body shots and head shots wearing down Snook.

“He was a tough opponent but I just took my time and then picked my shots,” he said.

With a state title in the bag, Coolwell has fixed his sights on the next step, an Australian crown.

Beerwah fighter Dana Coolwell was crowned Queensland State Lightweight champion on Saturday. He is pictured with Shaun Halley (left) and trainer Stephen Pitt (right). Picture: Marty_Camilleri

He said he would aim to do another couple of fights in the coming months to stay active before entering the new year with the national belt on his mind.

A world championship was also a major dream.

While it was early days in the professional arena, Coolwell said he’d savoured the step up, especially the extended fight duration.

“I’m finding it really great because there is more time and more rounds and you can really take your time,” he said.

“I’ve had to adjust a bit to the pro (level) because it’s slightly different with the more rounds. You can’t be throwing as many punches or wasting as many punches so I’ve slowed the speed down just a bit and practised a lot more on the body attacks and worked on a lot of strength as well.”

When he's not sweating it out training for his boxing goals, Coolwell has his head buried in the books studying a Bachelor of Sport Studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

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