Junior middleweight Alex Bray (12-0, 9 KOs) is building a résumé that took a step forward on August 8th, when he delivered an eighth-round stoppage victory over Antraveous Ingram (13-1-1, 7 KOs) as part of Matchroom Boxing’s Project Series. It was more than another victory for Bray. Against a previously undefeated opponent, Bray produced one of the strongest performances of his professional career, breaking Ingram down before securing the stoppage in the eighth round.
“I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I still feel like I’m just getting started,” said Bray. “Beating an undefeated fighter like Ingram... showed me that the work is paying off. At the same time, it made me even hungrier because I know there are bigger fights out there for me.”
Bray welcomes the pressure of reaching the contender stage. Rather than protecting his undefeated record, he wants the type of fights that will reveal how far he can go. “I want to keep stepping up,” he added. “I don’t want easy fights just to stay undefeated. I want to fight guys who are going to push me and make me better. Guys in the top ten. If I want to become a world champion, eventually I have to beat the best, so I’m ready to keep proving myself.”
He has nine stoppages in twelve victories, but Bray understands that power alone will not carry him to the top of one of boxing’s deepest divisions. “The knockouts are great, but I want people to see that I’m becoming a complete fighter,” Bray continued. “I’m learning to stay patient, make adjustments and trust what we worked on in camp. Every fight is teaching me something, and I feel like I’m getting better each time I step in the ring.”
Amaury Piedra, president of Bray's promoter, Boxlab Promotions, believes Bray’s victory over Ingram demonstrated why the promotional company has high expectations. “Alex is developing into a very good fighter, and the Ingram fight was an important step for him,” said Piedra. “He beat an undefeated opponent and showed he could perform when the level of competition went up. He has power, he works hard and, most importantly, he’s still improving. We believe Alex has a very bright future, and our job is to keep putting him in the right fights so he can earn his way toward a world-title opportunity.”
Bray understands there are still significant steps between his current position and a world title opportunity, and he has no intention of trying to skip them. “Becoming a world champion is the dream,” Bray concluded. “That’s why I put in the work every day. I know nobody is going to hand me that opportunity, and I don’t want anything handed to me. I want to earn my way there. Right now, I’m 12-0 but I’m still hungry. I want to keep winning, keep moving up the rankings and keep giving people a reason to watch me. When my opportunity comes, I want to be completely ready for it.”
