DOWNEND Boxing Club came back with two medals from this year’s Riviera Box Cup.
The tournament took place on the weekend of August 8-9 at Torbay Leisure Centre in Devon.
Representing Downend Boxing were 15-year-old Rocco Parker, Alex Richardson, 20, Ben Carpenter, 24 and, also representing the Royal Air Force, 22-year-old Drew Cutting.
First up was Rocco Parker, who competed in a semi-final against the strong and determined Jack McCusker of Gilford Boxing Club, of Northern Ireland.
Rocco boxed intelligently throughout, using his superior technique to avoid the shorter opponent’s attacks and score consistently.
His performance earned him a unanimous points victory and a place in the next day’s final.
In the final, Rocco faced Jimmy Price of Torfaen Warriors.
The contest was fiercely competitive, with both boxers giving everything over three hard-fought rounds.
At the final bell, a very narrow split decision went in favour of the Cwmbran boxer, leaving Rocco with a well-deserved silver medal.
Bristol University student Alex Richardson took on Alex Forde, of Gilford, in his semi-final bout.
A nervous start saw Richardson fall behind early, but he settled into the contest and edged ahead by the end of the first round.
Forde responded strongly and the bout remained too close to call at the final bell. Ultimately, a split decision went to the Irish boxer.
Ben Carpenter faced Shay Gallagher of Odyssey Boxing Club, London. It was exactly one year since Ben’s last contest at the same competition, having been sidelined through injury.
The opening round was a case of shaking off the ring rust, and appeared evenly-contested. Gallagher’s greater work rate gave him the edge in the second round, while the third proved impossible to separate. In another close contest, the split decision went to the Odyssey boxer.
Drew Cutting entered the ring for a straight final against Fin Hodder of Blue Flames, Taunton.
A fast start and a series of heavy shots forced two standing counts in the second round.
Further sustained pressure in the third prompted the referee to stop the contest, handing Drew an excellent victory.
Everyone at the club was pleased with the guys’ performances.
Amateur boxing is a sport of very narrow margins, and in a good contest it can simply come down to one punch making the difference.
Whether they win or lose, the lads conduct themselves superbly, and we are very proud of them. Craig Turner