BOXERS from around the country attended a tournament in memory of former Mangotsfield School pupil Jude Moore.
The 10th Bristol Box Cup, organised by Downend Boxing Club, took place on June 22-23 at Thornbury Leisure Centre.
This year the tournament was dedicated to the memory of 19-year-old national champion, England international and former Bristol Box Cup champion Jude, who died suddenly in March last year.
A total of 180 boxers, born in 2010, 2011 or 2012, from all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland attended the tournament, which saw 70 contests take place across the two days.
Representing Downend were Lacey Holloway, aged 12, Rudi Watts, 13, Miley Conors, 11, Finlay Haskins, 12, and Michael Knight and Rio Toomey, both 13.
Gold medals – bearing an image of Clifton Suspension Bridge – were won by Lacey Holloway, who was also voted female boxer of the tournament, Miley Conors and Michael Knight.
A well-deserved silver medal, after two hard bouts, went to Finlay Haskins, with bronze medals for Rudi Watts and Rio Toomey.
The winners of the Bristol Blue Glass boxing glove, for the best club, were Hoddesdon Boxing Club.
The best international boxer award went to Cole Pikulski, of Pantside ABC, and best male boxer went to Moken Mills, of Crewkerne ABC.
Glenn Catley, the former WBC super-middleweight champion, was in attendance.
He said: “The Box Cup is now firmly established in clubs’ calendars across Europe, and we are excited to have our city’s name associated with the celebration of school-age boxing.”
Downend Boxing Club has to thank all the wonderful volunteers of Downend boxing who worked so hard to make the event possible, also Kathryn James and her team at Sported, all of whom brought more top-level sport to the area.
Next up for the club’s youth and senior boxers is a trip to Torquay on the weekend of August 17-18 for the 2024 Riviera Box Cup.
Mackenzie Lawrence, 17, Ronnie Mills, 16, Seb Elliott, 16, Victor Griffiths, 21, Juwayn Keane, 22, and 21-year-old Nick Wilkinson will look to take some of the event’s prestigious titles.
Craig Turner