It was another weekend to remember for the Timaru Boxing Association Gym, as several boxers claimed top prizes at the South Island Golden Gloves.
Four boxers from the Timaru association fought on the card at the Kaiapoi Boxing Club at the end of May.
It was a busy weekend for Cameron Clarke, who fought twice in the 75kg junior novice division.
In his semi-final bout, he picked up a win via stoppage in round three before going on to the final, where he won by unanimous decision to become the South Island Golden Gloves 75kg junior novice champion.
Lewis Taylor ditched the headgear and made a big stepup to compete in the 70kg elite novice division for the first time.
In a very competitive division he put up a good fight in his semifinal bout, losing a close fight via unanimous decision.
In the 63kg junior novice division, George Cann entered a straight final, where through use of good ring control and strong combinations he picked up a unanimous decision victory and the 63kg junior novice title.
William Crooks competed in the 66kg junior open category and demonstrated immense composure and ring control to win a straight final by unanimous decision.
By competing and winning an open category, he picked up an official South Island Golden Gloves title and also walked away with the award for the most scientific junior/cadet of the tournament across all weight categories for his age group.
Coach Hannah Guthrie said she was very pleased with each boxer’s performance.
“Although Lewis didn’t win, it was still a great performance from him. He’s always improving. He was just a bit conservative as we were testing the waters without that headgear.
“Cameron fought twice in two days and to get two wins like that is pretty hearty. George has really been putting in the hard work and is showing great natural ability.
“William has been working hard over the last two years — he was really active last year but this was his first fight back this year. He’s actually started a fulltime building apprenticeship, so coming out with a strong win while working fulltime as a 15-year-old is a pretty amazing achievement.”
She said with his performance, Crooks had also qualified to compete at the New Zealand Golden Gloves in Christchurch on July 4.
“He’ll be competing against the best in New Zealand in his category. We’re really looking forward to it.
“We’re getting extra sparring outside of the gym happening and just stepping up the intensity of our trainings in the gym as well, to make sure he’s got that fitness because it will be a big step up for him.”
Guthrie said the other boxers would be targeting the Southland tournament on July 18 and then the Canterbury Championships on August 1.
“We’ll look to enter at least those four and hopefully some others as well by then.”
The gym was also holding several fundraisers to help with costs for the upcoming Timaru tournament in August, she said.
“We’ve got a raffle, all details for that are on our Facebook page, and we are also doing a corporate fundraiser where businesses can do a bit of team bonding and come to the gym to have a one-off session with me and the boxers.
“We’re looking to hopefully raise a lot to help cover the venue hire for the tournament and all the stuff that goes with it.”
As always, the team was very appreciative of Ranger Specialist Coatings for allowing them the use of their van to aid with travel costs, she said.
