Sheffield’s Shakiel Thompson has been one of British boxing’s most exciting prospects for the past three years — a 6’3” southpaw who punches with authority, stops fights when he wants to, and is reportedly already on the radar of unified world middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. On Saturday, March 28, “Dr. Steel” faces the biggest test of his career when he meets Brad Pauls — the Cornish brawler who held the British Middleweight Championship just four months ago and cannot be dismissed lightly.
Add in the subplot: Pauls beat Nathan Heaney by TKO in the 12th round to win the British title in July 2024, and Heaney is fighting on this very same card. British boxing rarely serves up layered narratives like this.
| Date | Saturday, March 28, 2026 |
| Venue | Co-op Live Arena, Manchester |
| Promotion | Queensberry Promotions |
| Division | Middleweight (160 lb) |
| Rounds | 10 |
| Broadcaster | DAZN (UK & Global) |
| Estimated Ringwalk | ~7:00 PM GMT / 2:00 PM EST |
Shakiel Thompson (15-0, 11 KOs) is the Sheffield southpaw who signed with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions in October 2025 and immediately elevated his platform. At 6’3” with a 79-inch reach, “Dr. Steel” is physically imposing at middleweight — and the 73% KO rate confirms this isn’t just a big man who boxes cautiously.
The data from his recent four fights is remarkable in its consistency: Dennis (TKO2), Benitez (TKO4), Wilson-Bent (TKO3), Kanters (TKO3). The last time Thompson went past round four, it was 2019. His September 2024 title defence against River Wilson-Bent featured four knockdowns — a systematic dismantling of a fighter who had given others real problems. When unified world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly is reportedly seeking a fight in Kazakhstan against an English southpaw with Thompson’s profile, you know the hype is grounded in something real.
Brad Pauls (20-2-1, 11 KOs) earned the right to call himself British champion the hard way. “The Newquay Bomb” went 12 rounds with Nathan Heaney twice in 2024 — drawing on split decision in March, then winning the British title by TKO in the 12th round of their July rematch. He lost the belt to three-time British champion Denzel Bentley by unanimous decision in December 2024, but a 32-year-old Cornish fighter who has held the British title and has never been stopped by a clean punch is not finished business.
Pauls’s 130 professional rounds of experience and 55% KO rate represent a fighter who can both box and punch. He will arrive with a concrete gameplan, energy for 10 rounds, and the knowledge that Thompson — for all his quality — has never been tested past the fourth round.
| Shakiel Thompson | Brad Pauls | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 15-0 | 20-2-1 |
| KOs | 11 (73%) | 11 (55%) |
| Age | 28 | 32 |
| Height | 6’3” / 191 cm | 5’10” / 178 cm |
| Reach | 79” / 200 cm | 70.9” / 180 cm |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Career Rounds | ~50 | 130+ |
Thompson holds a 5-inch height advantage and 8-inch reach advantage. These are not marginal edges — they are the kind of physical mismatches that fundamentally alter how a fight can be fought.
Shakiel Thompson — Last 4 Fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | Grant Dennis | W | TKO | 2 |
| Feb 2025 | David Benitez | W | TKO | 4 |
| Sep 2024 | River Wilson-Bent | W | TKO | 3 |
| Feb 2024 | Gino Kanters | W | TKO | 3 |
Four fights, 12 combined rounds. All by stoppage. Thompson’s last four opponents have collectively lasted fewer rounds than most fighters experience in a single contest.
Brad Pauls — Last 5 Fights
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | Denzel Bentley | L | UD | 12 |
| Jul 2024 | Nathan Heaney | W | TKO | 12 |
| Mar 2024 | Nathan Heaney | D | SD | 12 |
| Feb 2023 | Tyler Denny | L | UD | 10 |
| May 2022 | Ryan Kelly | W | SD | 10 |
Pauls’s last five fights have all gone the distance or close to it. The Heaney TKO came in the 12th round — this is a man who grinds.
On paper, this is a significant physical mismatch. Thompson’s 5-inch height and 8-inch reach advantages are the kind of structural edges that reshape how a fight can be fought from round one. His southpaw stance creates natural angles for the right jab and left cross that a shorter orthodox fighter like Pauls struggles to navigate.
But Pauls’s durability is genuine. He went 12 rounds with Heaney twice, absorbed punishment from a quality domestic fighter, and never quit. His plan against Thompson will be clear: close the distance, nullify the reach, rough it up, and drag Thompson into championship rounds he has never experienced.
The statistical tension is stark: Thompson’s opponents have lasted an average of three rounds in his last four fights. Pauls’s opponents routinely go 10–12. One of those trajectories bends on Saturday night.
Shakiel Thompson
Brad Pauls
Thompson enters as a significant favourite. The physical advantages, unbeaten record, and relentless recent form make him the overwhelmingly expected winner. Pauls’s experience is a real variable in the middle rounds, but Thompson’s size and KO rate should prove decisive. Prediction: Thompson W TKO Round 6.
| Country | Broadcaster | Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | DAZN | 5:00 PM GMT (Main Card) |
| USA | DAZN | 12:00 PM EST |
Estimated ringwalk: ~7:00 PM GMT / 2:00 PM EST.
When is Thompson vs Pauls? Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Co-op Live Arena, Manchester. Estimated ringwalk ~7:00 PM GMT / 2:00 PM EST.
Who is Shakiel Thompson? An unbeaten Sheffield southpaw (15-0, 11 KOs, 73% KO rate) signed to Queensberry Promotions. Ranked IBF #3 at middleweight, holder of IBF European and WBO Global title credentials.
Has Brad Pauls been British champion? Yes. Pauls won the British Middleweight Championship with a 12th-round TKO of Nathan Heaney in July 2024, before losing it to three-time British champion Denzel Bentley in December 2024.
What is the Pauls–Heaney connection to this card? Pauls beat Heaney to win the British title in July 2024. Nathan Heaney is also fighting on this same card (vs Gerome Warburton) in a compelling parallel narrative.
How to watch Thompson vs Pauls? Live on DAZN in the UK and globally. Main card starts at 5:00 PM GMT.
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