Chance for boxers to strike
Young fighters from around Townsville and the region are prepared for the North Queensland Championships held this Saturday at the PCYC Aitkenvale.
Over 30 fights are on the cards, with 10 fighters from the Northern Territory joining boxers from North Queensland, Brisbane and New South Wales for the event.
Local boxing coach Derek Webber has been tasked with talent identification in North Queensland for the You For 2032 Brisbane Olympics initiative, and he believed the titles would serve as a great opportunity for young talent to catch the eye of selectors.
“This North Queensland Championships is to get kids from rural and regional areas to compete, because we’ve always had a reason why we can’t do things, not a reason why we can,” Webber said.
“It’s to identify talent and let them know they’re on the radar and to keep working, so they can have a goal not just to become the Queensland or Australian Golden Gloves champion, but also to get into the Boxing Queensland futures program.”
Webber insisted the NQ Championships be an alcohol-free event to show the kids it’s all about them, and he also wanted to instil the belief that losing is OK.
“I believe the kids need to be in an environment where there’s not people getting drunk and carrying on – some kids come from backgrounds where they’re trying to get out of that lifestyle,” Webber said.
“You see a lot of kids have a loss and they go away and it’s the end of the world, so what we’re trying to ingrain in them is, like the Cowboys or the Broncos, they don’t win every weekend.
“We are allowed to lose and learn from that, because losses can teach us important lessons.”