Home-town stadium show is a big goal for Junaid Bostan

MILLER TIME: Junaid Bostain enjoys his afternoon at AESSEAL New York Stadium. Pic: Mo Hussain/Matchroom

BOXING prospect Junaid Bostan enjoyed Rotherham United's resounding home win over Cardiff City as much as anybody in the stadium.

But he also had one eye on his own sporting ambition...to win a major boxing title there.

The new Commonwealth Silver Champion was paraded on the pitch with his first belt by the Millers on Saturday, a week after his stoppage of Jack Martin in Liverpool – his ninth straight win and seventh knockout.

While United have been relegated to League One, the Eastwood super welterweight prospect believes his boxing career will give his home town better days to look forward to ahead – and the ultimate aspiration would be to headline at the club’s 12,000-capacity stadium.

“It would be a dream to headline here at the New York Stadium,” said Bostan, after the season's final home game in which they celebrated a 5-2 win.

“Bringing a massive event to the area and fighting in a huge fight for a world title would mean absolutely everything to me.”

The Steel City, Sheffield, gym-trained Bostan lived up to his “Star Boy” nickname at the recent show at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool when he dispatched a gritty Jack Martin with an emphatic left uppercut to earn an eighth-round knockout victory.

At just 22, an English title shot is set to await the southpaw in the near future – but Bostan is already looking at bigger things further ahead with the British Super-Welterweight Championship currently vacant.

"I have only been a professional for just gone two years and the trajectory I am moving at is very quick,” he said.

"I am in the top ten in the country (BoxRec rankings) and within that ten everyone is at least seven years older than me, so I am doing something right.

“Now I’ve landed my first title in winning the Commonwealth Silver, it would be a career goal of mine to go on and become the first British champion from Rotherham in more than 100 years.

"I'm ready to face whoever is next.”

Matchroom have yet to announce who Bostan will be facing next as he continues to hone his craft.

Bostan’s last fight showed he has become a smarter and more patient operator.

Meanwhile, Rotherham-born Conner Kelsall will be seeking his 12th straight win in a super bantamweight contest at the Magna Centre on June 29.

The opponent's name has not been confirmed yet.

Also on that bill is Doncaster's central area super lightweight champion, James Flint, who hit the headlines by beating Ricky Hatton's son, Campbell, also at the Magna Centre, back in March.