GOLD STANDARD
Among the champions at the victors, John Tom Varey wins in memory of his brother Frank, writes Matt Bozeat from ringside
ENGLAND Boxing took the Junior, Junior Development and Cadet Championships finals to the Sixth Form College with 181 bouts staged over two days in three rings.
One of the best was the Junior final at 70kgs, Emmanuel Buttgieg (Newham) surviving a last-round count to outpoint Roger Draper (Pinewood) unanimously.
Buttgieg won the opening two rounds and then took a count in the last after Draper smashed a right off his jaw. Buttgieg got through to the bell with no further alarms.
John Tom Varey (Box Smart Elite) was determined to win at 42kgs in his late brother Frank’s memory and after a whirlwind opening round he found a lovely rhythm to outbox Joe Padget (Sunderland).
Cousin Thomas Varey (Sharpstyle) came through a clash of European champions in the semi finals against Denaeo George (City of Leicester) and unanimously outpointed Chase Loveridge (Pinewood Starr) to take the title at 57kgs.
Loveridge was handed a warning in the last for holding. Varey kept him under pressure with his front foot and when the openings were there, he jumped through the gears to let go flurries of punches that Loveridge had no answer to.
Ellis Panter (Burton Park) was another 2019 European Schoolboy champion in action. He outpointed Westree southpaw
Tyrone Cross unanimously in the 66kgs final. Panter landed one of the best punches of the weekend, a lightning-fast right hand counter that buckled Cross’ knees in the last.
Sharpstyle southpaw Leighton Birchall shone at 46kgs. He kept hitting Danish Ahmed (True BC) with punches he didn’t see coming, on the way to a unanimous win, while Lewis Cocksey ( Jimmy Egan’s) relied on all-out aggression to outpoint Albert Collins (Scunthorpe) at 44kgs.
The fighting Furys have another champion after James Dean Fury edged out Dennis Whittingam (Moulscombe) on a razor-thin 3-2 split vote at 70kgs.
Newham southpaw Joby Smith looks one to watch. In the semis at 50kgs, he outpointed Lennie Soye (Lucky Gloves) in a meeting of quality left handers and then found the answers to the heavy-handed attacks of Aneeq Ghani (Purge) in the final.
At 54kgs, lofty jayden Hook (Billericay) boxed well from the centre of the ring to outpoint Anton Taylor-Dalmeida (Belvedere) and after four straight first-round stoppages, Ruth Huntley (Rainham) churned out combinations for three rounds to outpoint Sarah-Jane Sadler (Brookland) at 52kgs.