By Kirra Livingstone
BEERWAH boxer, Dana ‘Deadly’ Coolwell is heading back to the US with a vengeance, determined to return as a winner in his Las Vegas bout against Albert ‘Chop Chop’ Gonzalez on April 5.
It will be Coolwell’s second card in the US in six months after fighting Bruce Carrington on the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard on November 24 last year. While going the distance, the Beerwah fighter lost in a unanimous decision.
Coolwell said he was disappointed with his performance and was keen to get back in the ring. “It was a great experience obviously and I’ll take a lot away from it and that’s what I plan on doing,” he said. “I’m not taking it as a loss but more as a lesson, and putting that into this next performance.”
Preparations won’t shift much from his usual routine with Coolwell flying to Los Angeles this Wednesday for a training camp. “A lot of the preparation stays quite similar, we’re fine-tuning a few things, we’re just delaying more of the hard sparring for when I go to America,” he said. “So when I fly out next week, I’m peaking at the right time and not too early. The last prep was really good but we’ve taken away what we can change and put it into this next one.”
Coolwell added that Gonzalez would be a challenging opponent. “He’s good, he’s another really hot prospect, Bruce and him are probably one of the best prospects coming up,” he said. “So it’s good to be able to fight them back-to-back, I want to prove that I’m more than a test for them. I just need to move better, stick to my boxing, use my jab, stay behind that, draw the punches out and then counter strong.”
Coolwell’s goal for 2025 is to get a few wins under his belt and work back up the ranks after his recent loss. This will give him the opportunity to go for a world title next year.
Coolwell’s coach, Steve Pitt, said fighting in the US has been a huge advantage for the Beerwah boxer. “There’s no one else in the country doing this right now, to be back-to-back in America, fighting the cream of the crop, it’s great,” he said. “This next kid he’s fighting, it’s going to be a very tough and physical fight, and it’s going to suit us. Gonzalez’s team are gauging how Dana is going to box after his last fight, and they will be mistaken because that’s not going to be the same kid in the ring.”
Steve added that he was confident as long as Coolwell executed his plan on the day, he will win his fight against Gonzalez.