It doesn’t matter how many fans are inside an area or how many friends and family are sat at ringside, wearing their t-shirts and shouting them on. Once a fighter climbs through the ropes, they are totally alone.

Their gym-mates may not be able to help them once the bell sounds, but the support, motivation and camaraderie they supply throughout the build-up can ensure that they get into the ring in the best possible position to perform and win.

On Saturday night in Manchester, Derek Chisora ended the UK leg of his long, colorful career by bullying Sweden’s Otto Wallin for twelve rounds. On the undercard, two fighters from the city’s Finest Boxing Gym showed just how important being part of a close knit team can be.

Jack Rafferty, 25-0 (16 KOs), successfully defended his British and Commonwealth junior welterweight titles, systematically breaking down Reece MacMillan and forcing the Morecambe man’s corner to throw in the towel midway through the seventh round.

Earlier in the evening, his close friend and gym-mate, English featherweight champion, Zak Miller, 16-1 (3 KOs), boxed the perfect fight to beat the rough, tough and previously undefeated Masood Abdulah. He took Abdulah’s Commonwealth belt and collected the vacant British title with a majority decision win.

Both carried out the plans put together by their trainer, Steve Maylett, to a tee.

Maylett took his friend, Terry Flanagan, from the bottom of the sport to the WBO lightweight title and now runs a small, tight team from his gym which is tucked away in the corner of an industrial estate in central Manchester. Maylett has four professional fighters. Rafferty and Miller are now British and Commonwealth champions. Welterweight, Liam Taylor, will get his shot at the British title within the next few months and Tom Rafferty is unbeaten in 13 fights.

The Finest Gym gets precious little attention compared to other more high profile gyms but is renowned around the North of England as a technically and physically demanding place to train. The dedication required to succeed means that the coaches and trainers become the closest of friends. Saturday night was as near to a team effort as it is possible to get in boxing.

“It's absolutely unbelievable. Wow. What a night for The FInest Boxing Gym,” Rafferty said in a delighted dressing room after the fight.

“Me defending my titles and winning in style and then I'm absolutely over the moon for Zak Miller. I've worked hard with him. I've grafted hard with him before Christmas, during Christmas and after Christmas.

“I've seen what he's done. I've seen him mature.

“For both of us to do that with Steve Maylett, that's a special night.”

Rafferty battled away for years, waiting for an opportunity to prove himself. Last October he broke through, stopping Queensberry’s unbeaten prospect, Henry Turner, in nine rounds to become British champion. That win earned him his own promotional contract and provided him with last night’s platform.

“I can see this arena from my flat. I drive past it to go training and then to go and defend my titles here. Wow,” he said.

“Reece was brave. He was tough. He was a lot tougher than I thought to be honest. I knew he'd give as good as he got. Maybe I tried to start-off a little bit too perfect and a bit too smart but obviously I'm a massive critic on myself. Nevertheless, I got the job done.

“I'm taking nothing off the night I won the titles but to do that tonight with my best pal. Wow. That was special.”

Miller has had his own long, hard path to reach this point.

A talented amateur boxer who ended up representing Great Britain as a long distance runner, Miller turned professional to little fanfare.

He too spent years fighting in leisure centres, building experience and working hard with Maylett to develop into the fighter he has become.

In November 2023, the 27 year-old was given a surprise shot at then champion, Nathaniel Collins’ British and Commonwealth featherweight belts. He lost a close decision but performed well in by far his biggest test.

He has improved as a fighter and won the vacant English title in the 15 months since losing his first challenge but whereas he went into the fight with Collins thinking he could win, he walked to the ring to fight Abdulah knowing he could.

Miller remained composed and focused for every second of the fight and also matched Abdulah for strength down the stretch. He started as a sizeable underdog but deserved the victory.

Miller didn’t get to see Rafferty fight as he went through drug testing protocol and had four different cuts stitched but was a happy man as he sat back on a sofa in the changing room and described just what the moment meant to him.

“Honestly, I can't put it into words but, if I had to, I’d just have to say it was absolutely fantastic,” Miller said.

“I've come out there, all my friends and family screaming my name and I've gone in there and beat the bogeyman who no one really wanted to fight. The toughest man I could fight for a British title. I’ve gone in there and there was no denying me tonight.

“I've gone in there and I've done my job, listened to my corner and I'm British and Commonwealth champion.”

After losing the narrowest of majority decisions to Collins, Miller once again had a nervous wait as the majority decision was read out but, this time, it was he who was announced as the winner. The memory of having come so close first time made Saturday night’s victory even sweeter.

“100%, I took that loss off Nathaniel Collins and it didn't deter me one bit, it just made me more hungry and I knew with the experience from that, I could take it into that fight and that's what I've done and that's why I'm champion

“It was like it was in slow motion while they read the decision but I just knew it was mine. I thought I was up by more than that. I thought I'd won it by two or three rounds on each but I just knew.

“Unbelievable. I’ve come from the small halls, paying for opponents and now I'm the man. I’m the British and Commonwealth champion.”