A group of Timaru boxers had the rare opportunity to take to the ring in front of a hometown crowd earlier this month.
Representing the Timaru Boxing Association at the annual Timaru Amateur Matched Tournament this year were William Crooks, 15, Desmond Dickinson, Parker Hanifin, 13, and George Cann, 15.
Hanifin went up against a strong opponent in Simon Lilley, 15, from Papuni Boxing Ōtautahi Academy, ultimately losing via split decision.
Cann put up a good fight against Papanui Boxing Club’s Noah Crossan, 15, picking up a unanimous decision win and Dickinson did enough to secure a split decision win over Ben Calder from Ōtepoti Boxing.
Despite fighting sickness leading up to his bout, a gutsy Crooks still stepped into the ring but took a hard body shot in the first round of the fight, leading to a referee stoppage loss against Israel Reece, 15, from Arapawa Boxing.
Timaru Boxing Association coach Hannah Guthrie was proud of her team’s performances and said it was always nice to be in front of a home crowd.
‘‘The boys had a lot of support from the crowd and their friends, which was cool. We had a good turnout, we had 11 bouts on the card, which isn’t as much as previous years but they were all really good quality.’’
In an effort to keep busy and get more bouts under their belts — Hanifin, Cann, and Crooks will be competing again on Saturday at the Riverside Boxing Club tournament in Christchurch,
They will be joined by 17-year-old Lewis Taylor, who will be making his competitive debut.
Guthrie said it was great to see another young Timaru boxer making their debut.
‘‘He’s been in the gym for a while now, and he’s been training hard, so he’s ready to give it a crack. It’s a good opportunity for him to put his hard work to use and represent Timaru.
‘‘The first fight is always telling . . . it’s a new challenge and a good way for them to learn and see if they can cope with the pressure.’’
She was very thankful to all the boxers, coaches, officials, committee members, sponsors and supporters that helped make the recent Timaru tournament a success.
