Dana bruised but bouncing back

By Kirra Livingstone

Beerwah boxing champ Dana Coolwell says he is “bummed” about his split points decision loss to Venezuela’s Ender Luces this month, but already has his sights set on another big fight in June.

The 23-year-old said the disappointment of the loss had quickly sunk in after going toe-toe-toe with the big-hitting Luces over 10 bruising rounds.

“It didn’t sink in until the morning after… but spending time with my partner and my coach, I feel a bit better now,” he said.

“Overall, it was a pretty good experience. I’m still a bit bummed but all I can do now is look forward to the next one.

“This one was harder because it was in my weight division, so I’m just taking this week to relax and head back next week into training.

Despite the loss the opportunities are still knocking with the likelihood of fighting on a huge night for Australian boxing in June.

“I’ll be on the main event card, it’ll be a massive card, they’re talking about (top cruiserweight) Jai Opetaia,” he said.

“He’s fighting for a world title actually, so it will be massive.

“For them to want me to be on that card still even after my loss, I’m pretty grateful for my promoters and my team.”

His coach said Dana’s attitude both in the ring and after the fight was a testament to his character and showed he had the ability to bounce back.

“I’m extremely proud of him, extremely proud of how he conducted himself in the ring and even more so how he conducted himself outside the ring post fight,” he said.

Both agreed Dana needed to be the aggressor more often during fights, which will be a focal point in their training preparation for his next fight.