A trio of Timaru boxers are looking to build experience and get back to winning ways in Gore this weekend.
Shannon Drake, George Cann and Cameron Clarke are set to represent the Timaru Boxing Association Gym at the Gore Boxing Club Tournament on Saturday.
In a 78kg bout, Drake will be aiming to tune up his skills and gain more in-ring experience when he takes on O ¯ tepoti Boxing Club’s Sam Hedges.
Cann, 15, will be hoping to build on a close split-decision loss at the recent South Island Novice Championships in his fight against Papanui’s Maxwell Ross at 63kg.
Clarke, 15, will also be looking to get back in the win column after losing a competitive contest via unanimous decision at the novice championships.
He will be facing Hurunui Boxing’s Ted Johnson in a bout at 72kg.
Timaru Boxing Association Gym coach Hannah Guthrie said it was always great to head to Gore and support the tournament.
‘‘We’re working hard at the moment to gain more experience in the leadup to the South Island Golden Gloves at the end of May in Kaiapoi.
‘‘[The fighters] have all been working pretty hard. Shannon is getting close to having had 20 fights and this will be George and Cameron’s fifth fight.’’
She said it was great to see the boxers wanting to stay active and get in the ring to compete.
‘‘These boys are showing that they can come back after a loss and are motivated to do the work outside of the gym and improve themselves.
‘‘These upcoming fights should be a good experience for them on their path to the golden gloves.’’
Guthrie said she was also preparing for her own in-ring return at the beginning of May.
‘‘I have a corporate fight on May 2 at an event called Punch With Purpose which is run by O ¯ tepoti Boxing Club in Dunedin.
‘‘The roles will be reversed for that one, Shannon will be my main coach and I’ll have George and Cherie [Crooks] in the corner with me.’’
It would be her second bout after making her amateur debut in 2020.
‘‘It will be good for me to remind myself how these boxers feel and to actually step into their shoes again, she said.
‘‘There’s a bit of anxiety around it and I’m definitely nervous but I just wanted to give it one more go before I get too old and can’t do the training any more.’’
The Timaru gym was in a very strong position at the moment, she said.
‘‘On some nights we’ve had up to 30 people training. For term one we actually had to shut our doors to new boxers.
‘‘If anyone is interested in coming along and having a go, they can get in contact with us via our Facebook page to sign up for the next term.
‘‘It’s a tough sport which involves a lot of discipline, so not everyone hangs around for that long. It takes a special person to be able to hang in there and stick at it.’’
