Nathan Gorman (18-1, 12 KOs) will not only be fighting for the honor that his fighting heritage demands, but also for the IBF International heavyweight championship title when he faces Tomas Salek (17-3, 13 KOs) on Friday June 17 as part of a night of free-to-air boxing at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, live on Channel 5.

With his cousin Tyson Fury, and being great-nephew to the bare-knuckle fighting phenomenon Bartley Gorman, fighting is clearly in his blood. This does not act as pressure for Nathan Gorman, but a welcomed opportunity to continue the Gorman name being carried on to future successes.

“I do come off a long bloodline of fighters. I can go back maybe two or three hundred years to my great great grandfather, all the way to me at this present time. The last bare knuckle in our family was Bartley Gorman which everyone already knows of, he’s very famous throughout Britain.

“It’s good that his legacy lives on, and I’m happy to be a part of it and happy to have this surname. Hopefully I can bring it into the boxing ring and take it to the world title stage.”

Not only is it the past of this fighting family that spurs him on, but the support of present-day members. After Gorman’s loss to Daniel Dubois in 2019 it was his cousin, the current WBC champion, Tyson Fury who came to his aid.

“He (Tyson) rang me a day or two after the fight and said ‘It’s boxing, one punch can change everything in the heavyweight division. It’s not how you go down, it’s how you bounce back up and keep going forward and keep progressing – it’s all experience,’” said Gorman.

“I took a long time out of the ring; I needed to find myself, regroup myself, and change a lot of things around me. Here we are today, I’m headlining my own show in the next few weeks so it doesn’t get any better.”

The addition of the IBF International Heavyweight Championship title has welcomed a new level of incentive for both fighters. Gorman has never denied his ambitions when it comes to fighting for world titles, and this is a step in the right direction to make them dreams a reality.

“I’m topping my own show, then I got this news confirmed that I’m fighting for the IBF belt, absolutely fantastic. Live on Channel 5, and fighting for a very well-known ranked belt. I imagine a few things have changed for both me and Tomas Salek now - there are more marbles on the line here now.

“Winning the title and pushing within that top 10 in the world, and the way heavyweight boxing is booming at the minute excites me for the fantastic fights that can be made there. It’s following the right path to where I want to be, and hopefully fighting for a world title in the years to come.”

Ahead of this huge heavyweight clash, made bigger now the IBF strap is on the line, this opportunity is not only big for Gorman but even bigger for his opponent Tomas Salek. It is a genuine chance for the Czech fighter to try an derail Gorman in his home nation.

“Tomas Salek is a really good, really sound, boxer and is coming off the back of two good wins as well as being the champion of his country,” said Gorman.

“He’ll be looking at this like he’s headlining a big show, on Channel 5 in front of a huge viewing audience, and potentially able to put himself in the driving seat to get another massive fight. I am expecting the best Tomas Salek, and I know I’ll get that, but he’s also getting the best Nathan Gorman.”

With fight week commencing, it is all business. Gorman happy to acknowledge the abilities of the man standing in his way for title glory. Alongside this appreciation, it is still strictly business, with the English fighter ready to produce a performance to wow the Chanel 5 audience and all those in attendance.

“Expect a boxing show, fireworks. Tomas Salek doesn’t take a backwards step, so I’m expecting a real good fight. This isn’t going the distance.”