For years, Nathan Heaney’s army of supporters have pushed him through fights, raised his profile helped him to achieve his dreams.

Over the past few months, the 35 year-old from Stoke has learned that the support they give him away from the ring is just as vital to him as the noise they create when he is fighting inside it.

In November 2023, Heaney realized his lifetime ambition when he shocked Denzel Bentley to become the British middleweight champion.

At the time, the idea that he would go winless in the 15 months following the career best performance would have been absurd.

Last March, Heaney and Brad Pauls boxed to an exciting split draw. Four months later, Heaney suffered the first defeat of his professional career and lost his beloved British title when he was stopped in the twelfth and final round of his rematch with Pauls.

Heaney was heartbroken by the defeat but before he considered how it would affect his career, his initial fear was that he had let down his large fanbase.

Heaney, 18-1-1 (6 KOs), has developed one of the largest, loudest followings in boxing. Since the defeat to Pauls, he has realised that they are also one of the most loyal.

This weekend, Heaney returns to action He will fight France’s Sofiane Khati, 17-5 (6 KOs), over ten rounds on the undercard of the heavyweight fight between Derek Chisora and Otto Wallin which takes places at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena. The evening will be televised by TNT Sports in the UK and worldwide by DAZN.

Around 2,000 fans are expected to make the 40 mile journey north from Stoke to support him.

“When I'm on my run, sometimes I’ll hear people beeping,” he told The Ring

“You just think to yourself, ‘They aren't bothered at all.’ Well, of course they're bothered - they don't want to lose - but I think it's like anything with Stoke. When I watch Stoke City play, if they put their all in but they lose, I am not bothered and I think everyone knows that I put my all into it.”

Heaney knows how vital it is that he beats Khati in style this weekend. Last December, he was at ringside to watch his two most recent opponents - Pauls and Bentley - do battle for the British and European titles. Bentley dropped Pauls en route to a decision victory which also cemented his position as the WBO’s mandatory challenge for the title currently held by Kazakstan’s unified WBO and IBF middleweight champion, Janibek Alimkhanuly.

Watching the action from ringside gave Heaney a timely boost. He believes that at his best, he is still more than capable of beating both men and would love the chance to challenge the Londoner for his European title to prove that his first victory wasn’t a flash in the pan.

He understands that is unlikely to happen. Instead, he will become a Bentley supporter and hope that his old rival can collect the WBO title and lay the table for a rematch, outdoors at the Bet365 Stadium, the home of Stoke City.

“I want Bentley to win,” he said.

“I think the roadmap is there right now to easily put on me versus Bentley for the European title at Stoke, but they're not going to. I know in terms of if you're number one mandatory, the risk-reward. Although you get a good payday to fight me, if you've got a chance to fight for a world title you're going to have to take that.

“I understand. And obviously, the winner [of Pauls v Bentley] was promised a world title but, actually, the winner of me and Bentley was also promised a world title as well. So, really, we've both been promised world titles but I'm the only one that's had a win between us.

“But I would want him to win because if he wins, I want to be the first one to have a crack at it and I think I deserve it as well.”