Gerome Warburton, known in the ring as ‘The Bread Maker’, could perhaps be more accurately described as ‘The Fortune Teller’. Regardless of the moniker, it`s hard to argue with his assertion that “all the things I spoke about have happened”.
Warburton reflects on a conversation we had over five years ago. Back then, he was a novice professional boxer with a 5-0 record, expressing the typical aspirations of a young fighter. He spoke of winning a Welsh championship, one day competing for a British title, and, most importantly, reaching boxing’s biggest platforms.
“Imagine me fighting for Eddie Hearn on DAZN,” he said at the time. “Just watch me go!”
Now, we can do just that. Warburton has, as predicted, won a Welsh title. He will fulfil his prophecy of challenging for a British championship this Saturday when he faces Kieron Conway for the vacant middleweight belt. The fight, which also includes Conway’s Commonwealth crown, takes place at London’s Copper Box Arena on the Johnny Fisher-Dave Allen II card, airing live on DAZN.
However, should he emerge victorious and bring two more belts back to Colwyn Bay on the North Wales coast, he won`t consider the mission complete. His goals have expanded. Beyond Wales, Warburton now has his sights set on global recognition.
“Anybody can talk about world titles,” he notes, “but I could be two fights away.”
He explains his path: “Conway is European mandatory, so if I beat him, I assume that position. [European champion] Denzel Bentley is gonna fight Zhanibek [Alimkhanuly, the IBF and WBO ruler], so I could pick up the vacant European title – and that gives you a world rating.”
This is confident talk from a boxer who, for now, remains relatively unknown in the wider boxing world, hailing from an area with minimal professional boxing activity. Only two previous fighters from North Wales have ever contested a British championship, neither successfully. Warburton has spent his entire career fighting away from home, a challenge he believes has prepared him well.
“I’ve always boxed away,” he says. “I’ve always been one who’ll take my chances. I ain’t got nothing to lose.”
He draws a parallel: “Look at Shakiel Thompson – he was offered a title shot [against Alimkhanuly] and 300 grand, and he refused. Why? When opportunities arise, there’s no turning back. You might not get another chance.”
‘The Bread Maker’ turned professional in 2019 without much fanfare. He recounts his decision: “It got to the point in the amateurs where I was positive I was gonna win Welsh championships, but I was beating my opponents and not getting the decision. [Then-stablemate] Sion [Yaxley] was turning over, so I thought to myself, ‘just go and do it; I may as well give it a try’.”
Warburton’s willingness to step up was immediately apparent. His very first professional fight was in the away corner against a local fighter with strong ticket sales, set in the historic London venue of York Hall.
“I was in the gym when I got a message from Chris [Sanigar], ‘do you want this fight?’ I thought it was a joke!” he laughs. “Going to York Hall for your first fight is something in itself; something to tell everyone. It’s such a historic place.”
His opponent, Celal Ozturk of Hackney, was also making his debut (0-0), but he had significant local support, while Warburton was unknown. Despite the challenge, Warburton ended up stopping him in the second round.
If Warburton expected that spoiling Ozturk’s debut would instantly propel his own career, he was mistaken. While he did occupy the “home” corner for the next couple of years (except for a trip to Spain during lockdown), fighting in Manchester under Kieran Farrell’s Vicious Promotions, he wasn`t impressed with the level of competition.
In 2022, he shared his frustrations with *Boxing News* about facing journeymen, the struggle to secure knockouts against opponents intent only on surviving “like wounded animals,” the difficulty of selling tickets while telling fans he was fighting someone with “a hundred losses,” and the anticlimax of following a Welsh title win with a four-round bout against a serial loser.
Consequently, Warburton has readily accepted more significant fights whenever offered, even when he wasn`t expected to win.
He lists his challenges: “The Welsh title at four weeks’ notice [won on points over 10 rounds against Morgan Jones, May 2022]; British title eliminator at six weeks’ notice [won on points over 10 rounds against Aaron Sutton, February 2024]; a massive jump up against Ryan Kelly on Channel 5 [draw on points over 10 rounds, June 2024]; Spain on two weeks’ notice against a good, rated kid [lost on points over 6 rounds to Jhon Jader Obregon in December 2021]; I was thrown into York Hall on my debut against a big ticket seller and won.”
“No one ever thought I was meant to win them fights. Taking a fight on a few weeks’ notice, people usually do that for money – I did it ’cos I believe in myself.”
And he carries that same self-belief into the fight against Conway.
“I ain’t putting pressure on myself, ’cos I already know I’ll win,” he states confidently. “Am I favourite? No. But I’ve always proved people wrong. Everyone from here [North Wales] who’s tried [to win the British title] has lost – but not me.”
He also identifies perceived weaknesses in his opponent: “He’s only fought two southpaws,” adds Warburton, who is a converted lefty, “and it’s well known he struggles with the weight. What’s he going to do in a hard 12-rounder with someone who makes the weight easily? I’ve never had trouble with weight. I used to eat KFC outside the gym before it opened.”
That anecdote refers to his amateur days at Colwyn Bay’s Dyffryn Boxing Club, where he remained for several years into his professional career, retaining Dyffryn’s founder, Wesley Jones, as his head coach.
However, the 29-year-old eventually recognised he needed to seek training further afield to advance, ultimately settling with former Team GB Olympic coach Paul Walmsley in Liverpool, about an hour’s drive away.
Leaving Dyffryn late last year was a difficult decision, but it was made with Coach Jones’s support and understanding.
“Wes agreed I needed to get out of my comfort zone,” Warburton explains. “At Dyffryn, it’s all about the fundamentals, and the fitness is probably the best in all of Wales, but the technical side isn’t quite there. And in North Wales, the sparring, the contacts, aren’t very high. You’ve got to move to the city.”
He finds advantages in his new setup: “And Paul’s got no other pros, so I’m getting the time I need. I feel like I’ve improved and people I spar with say I’ve improved.”
Despite the move, his loyalty remains. “It will be a shame to not have Wes in my corner for the British, but the belt’s coming back to the [Dyffryn] gym, not to Liverpool. Dyffryn’s always going to be my home, no matter what I go on to.”
He has already achieved more than most professional boxers from his region, and if Warburton defeats Conway, he will accomplish something no North Wales fighter has before.
Winning the British title would be a “fantastic, life-changing event,” he says, “but it’s more about showing people you can do it; showing the kids that if you believe in yourself and do things right, the opportunities are there.”
He concludes with a message of inspiration: “Just ’cos you’re not from the city doesn’t mean you can’t do something.”
