British boxing’s biggest social media star, Dan Morley, is back with a bang.
The 28-year-old Epsom welterweight compiled a modest 8-0 record on the small hall circuit between 2018 and 2022 but attracted little publicity.
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And disillusionment with a frustrating sport, crippled by the Covid pandemic, forced him to spend two years away from the game and confined to bed at his mother’s home.
In that time, however, the self-taught video expert began creating spectacular boxing clips and biographies on some of the greatest boxers in history.
It has earned followers and friendships from superstars ranging from Sugar Ray Leonard to Carl Froch and even Jackass legend Johnny Knoxville and music legend Snoop Dogg.
Morley’s TikTok and Instagram accounts have grown to over 500,000 followers and he has been invited to teach his favourite sport at paradise hotels in Switzerland and the Maldives.
And on July 6 the newly-energised puncher hit back with a beautiful body shot in the first round and has also secured another date in September as promoters who previously overlooked him are now looking for his signature.
The entrepreneur spoke to SunSport about how he rose rapidly from a barber’s chair to his mother’s empty bed and then to a star-studded profile.
“I started it during Covid when my hairdresser asked me to start a TikTok account,” he told SunSport.
“Initially I didn’t agree with it, but then I started doing things about myself and my training, but it didn’t work out and nothing happened.
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“But then I got Covid and I was in bed beside my mom and I asked her if she thought people would be interested in the Cuban style of boxing.
“She said ‘probably not’ but I did it anyway and it got about 250,000 views and then TikTok grew.
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“Since then some crazy things have happened, like becoming friends with Johnny Knoxville, which is crazy, Sugar Ray Leonard following the account and Carl Froch sending me messages. It’s amazing and a huge confidence booster.”
“When I was first boxing these big names weren’t paying attention to me and now they’re paying attention to my boxing knowledge.”
The start of the digital craze saw a number of boxing promoters and broadcasters launch themselves into the social media-influencer world and we have seen some very disappointing performances and ‘fights’.
Thankfully, the sport now appears to be moving away from the fame-crazed circus that began in 2018 when Watford showman KSI danced with American entertainer Logan Paul in Manchester.
But this does mean that true boxers and boxing fans like Morley have been cautious about using these platforms to boost their popularity.
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He explained: “I was cautious because it’s not in my nature to sell out or make a spectacle of myself.
“I had a plan to increase my follower count but I had to do it the right way, in a way that would benefit me and also help people.”
“I’m not very good on the phone, my friends get annoyed when I take two days to respond to a message.
“I’m not good at technology, but I taught myself all about it and learned how to edit four good videos a day.
“I probably had to learn how to clip things, how to mix things together, but also how not to steal someone else’s footage.
“I made over 2,000 posts in my 18 months there, so I worked hard and hopefully I deserve the following.”
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Morley’s articles are must-reads for boxing enthusiasts, sports fans, and even history buffs.
And he hopes the modern tools at his disposal will help him teach Generation Z about the incredible and hugely underrated men who paved the way for the glitz and glamour version of the sport we see today.
“I’ve read every book I can get my hands on and I’m a real buff about it,” he said, laughing.
“I like to tell people that Harry Greb lost only once in 100 fights and went 45-0 in one year – and that was while he was blind in one eye.
“Some of these accomplishments are just amazing.
“Henry Armstrong won 59 of 61 bouts in seven weight classes over three years.
“People admire Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson – and rightfully so, because they are amazing boxers – but it’s wrong that people think they are the only boxers who have ever walked the Earth.”
I was cautious because it is not in my nature to sell myself or make a spectacle of myself.
Dan Morley
Morley now has so many fans that some of the British world champions would be proud of it – or even have their PR people pay for it.
This pioneer of boxing media has podcast and book ideas and Wasserman has wisely used this to present a couple of Channel 5 shows.
So why is he back in the gym, punishing himself, starving himself, practicing hundreds of rounds and putting his life at risk?
“I took a break from it and it made me realise how much I love it.
“I have goals I want to achieve, the social media stuff is fine but I haven’t fulfil my potential.
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“I’ve built my social media in a way that I can do it as a passion, it doesn’t feel like a weird way to work.
“I have the followers I needed and I love it now.”
morley and maldives
by Kellan Hughes
The Brit boxer also chatted with former England rugby stars Jason Robinson and Ben Cohen, as well as fitness guru Joe Wicks.
Morley trained members of the Qatari royal family and Millie Bobby Brown, 15, of Stranger Things fame, on the island of Huvafen Fushi in the Maldives, where they stayed in hotel rooms costing £60,000 a night.
Time away from the spotlight gave Morley a much-needed physical and mental rest and he regained his love for boxing, sharing his knowledge live and online.
He quickly began building a fan base and now has 400,000 fans across his social media platforms, including Snoop Dogg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Johnny Knoxville, who recently appeared on his podcast.
