Out of the wreckage of a traumatic and trying year, a new dawn has emerged for Tyler Jolly just when he needed it most.
Looking to progress from an undefeated (3-0) start to his professional career, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist was instead stopped in his tracks by the results of a routine medical check that flagged something concerning around his brain.
What followed was months of anxiety and stress for Jolly as he fretted over his immediate health and, longer term, what this might mean for a boxing journey full of potential but which had yet to get fully going.
More scans followed, Jolly soon discovering the love and support he enjoys from his extended network, including girlfriend Natalie and trainer Ricky Burns, as each dug deep to help pay for the costly medical treatment.
It has, mercifully, all proved to be worthwhile. Detailed examinations uncovered that the unusual activity that appeared in the initial scan is a legacy from birth and not something likely to trouble Jolly going forward. That served as a huge dose of relief given all he had been through.
“It’s been a really rough year,” he confirms. “I went for my medical and something flagged up on a brain scan and the doctors weren’t sure what it was at first. I ended up having to pay for a further four or five extra scans to try to get to the bottom of it.
“I had to go and see two different neurologists who determined that, whatever it was that came up in the brain scan, it’s been there since birth. So, it’s no longer an issue thankfully.
“But for three or four months earlier in the year there were no guarantees I was ever going to box again. That news was hard to take. It knocked me right back for a while.
“Your mind starts to wonder about whether I should just chuck boxing and go back to labouring again which was a scary thought as I didn’t want to get into that mindset. It was hard to stay positive and focused all the time, being honest.
“But I’ve got a really good team behind me, and also really good pals and family. My girlfriend has been my rock as it’s been really tough at times and I’m really grateful for all that support, including from my sponsors as well.
“I owe so much to so many people. I’ve been doing this at a high level since I was 11 or 12 years old and my mum has given up so much in her own life to support me and take me all around the country.
“Ricky, my girlfriend and various other folk all helped me pay for the scans out of the goodness of their hearts and because they believe in me. I’m doing it for all of them when I get back. It’s a real team effort now.”
With a view to helping get his career back on track, the 25-year-old has now signed with Iain Wilson at St Andrew’s Sporting Club, who will co-manage him alongside Jason Quigley, and will make his return to the ring on the Gladiators II show in East Kilbride in February.
“It’s a co-manager deal with my current manager Jason who’s been brilliant with me,” adds Jolly. “But being with St Andrews is just going to help me get busy again. Iain has a lot of shows and a really good roster so it gives me a lot of opportunity to get active.
“He’s putting on another Gladiator show after the success of the first one and I’m excited to be a part of that. Hopefully it will just be the start of things again and I can push towards being on the bigger shows more often.
"But my goal for 2025 is just to be busy again, whether that’s in front of a packed venue or just a dozen folk. I think it will be a bit more emotional than normal ahead of my first fight back but I can’t wait for it.”
Throughout all the concerns over his health, Kilmarnock-based Jolly continued to train most days with Burns. The former three-weight world champion is a quiet, unassuming character for the most part but Jolly, originally from the village of Whithorn, is grateful for Burns’ encouragement, always choosing the right words at the right time.
“I’ve stayed in the gym all the way through this, just to keep my mind busy as much as anything,” he adds. “I wanted to keep some routine in my life and working with Ricky helped with that.
“He said if this had to happen it was better it was now so that the next time I’m due my medical and something comes up on the brain scan they can just say that it’s been checked out. Better now than before a world title fight when the stakes will be a lot higher.
“Ricky is a quiet man but he kens what to say and when to say it and that means a lot.”
