Northampton boxer Ben Fail raring to go as injury nightmare comes to an end

A two-and-a-half year injury nightmare will come to an end for Northampton boxer Ben Fail when he returns to the ring on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old, twin brother of fellow Far Cotton fighter Carl, will take on veteran journeyman Eligio Palacios at the Telford international Centre as part of the undercard of the WBA Continental middleweight title fight between Nathan Heaney and Jack Flatley.

The super-welterweight bout will be shown live as part of the Queensberry Promotions show being broadcast on BT Sport, and Fail can't wait to get his career back on track.

It was way back on September 30, 2020, that Fail made his professional debut, beating Robbie Chapman on points over six rounds.

But in doing so, the town man damaged his hand, and it was to prove an injury that would go on to plague him for the next two years and more.

He was at one stage even advised his best option would be to quit boxing, but Fail, his team, and his family's persistence paid off as he found somebody who got to the bottom of his issue.

And he is now fully fit, raring to go, and ready to make up for lost time.

"I have had two-and-a-half years out of the ring, and it has been tough, but it has made me hungrier than ever," said Fail.

"I just can't wait to get back in there, make some statements, and then really push on this year.

"All I could do was stay dedicated and stay in the gym, and Carl has obviously helped me, and helped me push myself.

"It has been disheartening, because it wasn't like I was picking up new injuries, it was the same one recurring.

"So after the operation I have obviously been a lot better and I am ready to go now, I can't wait."

A series of specialists were unable to get to the bottom of Fail's hand injury, which would consistently flare up, and in the end he had to undergo an operation that involved a bone infusion, with bone taken from his hip to fix his hand.

"It has been hard," admitted Fail, who is nicknamed ‘Big Ben’. "I got the injury on my debut, and then for a whole year it was all up in the air as we didn't know what the problem was.

"I couldn't find a specialist that could get to the bottom of it, I couldn't find a physio, and I was just told 'keep trying'.

"But the pain would reoccur and reoccur, and after about 12 months, when I was training for a show in Northampton, it went again.

"That was when we found the doctor in Manchester that sorted things out.

"Just before that, I had been to see a specialist and they actually told me to retire from boxing.

"That was heartbreaking for me, and for Carl, and that set me back for about three months, it destroyed me to be honest.

"But then Carl, my coach, my family they all pushed me again, we didn't give up, and then we found the doctor and I had the operation.

"From that moment it has been go, go, go, I have been in the gym and just waiting for my opportunity.

"It's as good as new now, and I am looking forward to getting this first fight out of the way."

While Ben has been sidelined, he has stayed active in the gym doing all that he possible could to stay in fighting shape - and he had his brother Carl to encourage him and keep his spirits up.

"We motivate each other," said Ben. "On my down days, when it has been hard to get to the gym and train using one hand, and being in pain.

"He has been the motivation, he gets me out of bed, keeps me running, keeps me training, and we push each other.

"I am blessed really to have a twin brother that does the same job as me."

Fail admits that he feels like he is starting his career all over again, especially as Saturday night will be the first time he has fought as a professional in front of a crowd.

"That first fight was in lockdown, so there was no crowd there," he said.

"This fight feels like my debut to be honest, I am going to have all my people there, it is my comeback after two years and it's a big night for me."

While Ben has been out of action, he has been a supportive presence as Carl has been very busy, recently claiming his eighth straight win as a pro.

Carl will be in Telford to support his brother, and Ben says the twins still have big ambitions.

"We want to be pushing together, so for me it is about catching up," he said.

"Carl is going to be fighting for titles before the end of this year and things might slow down a little bit for him, whereas for me, I can bang a few fights out now.

"I want to get going and get to six or seven fights by the end of the year, while Carl will be on 10 or 11 wins with a couple of titles around his waist.

"The year after then will be even better and we'll hopefully both have titles!"

And he added: "With me and Carl being so competitive, we want to be the best.

"We want our names to go down in the history books as the best from Northampton, that is our aim.”

Fail’s first fight back sees him fighting Palacios, who hails from Nicaragua and is based in Spain.

The 36-year-old has been a professional since 2013, and has fought 78 times.

He has clocked up eight wins, drawn five and lost on 65 occasions, being stopped seven times.

Palacios has lost his past 11 fights, with the last nine all going the distance. He will take on Fail over six rounds in Telford.