Garan Croft has one minute on his identical twin brother Ioan. One minute that's shaped everything between them.

The Croft twins, now 24 and hailing from Crymych in Pembrokeshire, have spent their lives locked in a quiet, constant competition—on morning runs, on assault bikes, in the ring. "We've always wanted to do better than each other," Garan says. Their parents can confirm this wasn't a recent development.

They won't fight each other professionally—Ioan competes at middleweight, Garan at super-welterweight. But their rivalry fuels them. When Matchroom Sport's Eddie Hearn signed them in February, he called them "two very talented young fighters." They validated that assessment in April: Ioan defeated Serbia's Novak Radulovic while Garan overcame Marco Simonns of England, both on debut.

The path to this moment wasn't straightforward. The brothers left the Great Britain squad five months before the Paris Olympics, citing a loss of trust in GB Boxing. They turned professional and found a new home at the Fox ABC gym in Oldham, training under Anthony Crolla—a former WBA lightweight champion now proving himself as one of the country's most promising coaches. "I really believe Ant's one of the best coaches in the country at the minute," Garan says. "When we walk into the ring on fight night, it's that little bit of extra confidence having someone who's been there, done it himself, walking beside you."

Their roots run deep in rural west Wales, and they've brought that village spirit with them to Manchester. When they fight, two to three hundred supporters make the 10-hour round trip from Pembrokeshire to cheer them on. "They made noise all night," Garan says, still grateful. "We are so grateful to have backing like that because not everyone has it."

Their amateur achievements laid the foundation: at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Ioan beat Stephen Zimba of Zambia to win welterweight gold, while Garan took light-middleweight bronze. "Winning the Commonwealth Games will always be up there with one of my biggest achievements," Ioan reflects.

Now, with Matchroom's backing, both have their sights set on British titles. Garan believes they can bring major fight nights back to Wales. "That would be amazing and a dream come true," he says. "That's the aim."