A WRESTLER will make history tomorrow when he goes into the ring.

Taxi driver Barry Cooper, from Whitehawk, Brighton, will make his 291st appearance for the Premier Wrestling Federation (PWF), which is equal to the current record set by former world champion Steve Grey.

Barry will wrestle with Andy Boy Simmonz, from Portsmouth, at the Meridian Centre in Peacehaven tomorrow night.

The Sussex wrestler has competed all over the country, and is set on becoming the first to appear in 300 matches.

Barry said: “I’ve been wrestling for more than 40 years, but I’m part time. I can’t believe I’ve matched Steve’s record.”

As a PWF middleweight title-holder and the organisation’s longest reigning champion, Barry is one of the most respected figures in British wrestling.

His obsession with the sport began at an early age after his father started training at the Brighton Boys Club, which is now a youth centre in Edward Street.

He said: “Dad would come home and teach me what he’d learned.

“When I was 14 I had my first match in St Barnabas Hall in Hove, and I was hooked.

“It’s the best sport– the sport of kings.”

Although Barry does not wrestle as much as he used to, he still trains in jiu jitsu twice a week at Elements Martial Arts School in Hove.

He said: “Wrestling teaches you how to use the other person’s strength and weight to your advantage. Along with swimmers, wrestlers are usually the fittest, as it uses all the muscles in your body.”

Barry said he is looking forward to tomorrow’s match, and that all his grandchildren will be coming.

“They love it. I’m getting to the age now when I should retire, but I always want to do one more.”

The event starts at 7.30pm at the Meridian Centre.

For tickets, contact the centre on 01273 585493.