RETURN OF THE HULL BOX CUP
The organisers report there have been around 400 entries as the tournament makes a comeback
THE Hull Box Cup returns this weekend for the first time since 2019.
Organiser Maria Maronitis says there have been “around 400” entries from schoolboy to senior level for a three-day tournament that gets underway at Hull University on Friday.
Previous winners include Caroline Dubois (2016) and Karol Itauma (2015) and clubs from across Britain are sending fighters to Yorkshire this weekend.
The Hull Box Cup was the idea of Stephen Smith, the former pro beaten by Ricky Hatton in his 32-3 career.
“We used to take boxers to the Monkstown Box Cup (in Ireland),” he said, “and it was such a good experience we thought: ‘There should be something like this for schoolboys and juniors in the UK.’
“Initially, the Hull Box Cup was only for the younger ones, but Haringey Box Cup kept filling up and we were being asked: ‘Are you doing seniors? Are you doing females?’
“That’s how it has grown.”
The first Hull Box Cup was in 2015 and Maronitis says all the places for this year’s event were snapped up “within 48 hours.”
She said: “We put a link on social media and we filled it virtually straightaway.”
Maronitis explained how the Hull Box Cup is run.
She said: “At Haringey, everyone weighs in on the Friday and then there’s a draw when they find out if they are boxing or if they have a bye.
“We do it differently.
“The coaches had until 10 o’clock on Monday night to let us know what weight their boxers are entering at.
“That information was fed into a computer and the draw was made.
“The next day the boxers knew if they were boxing or not and if they weren’t boxing on the Friday, they didn’t have to waste money on hotels and petrol.
“The other difference between us and Haringey is that if boxers don’t make the weight on the day, they can’t decide to move up.
“If they don’t make the weight they are entered at, they don’t box.”
Maronitis saw her son, Cameron Walker, win the Haringey Box Cup in 2016 and 2017.
He was representing Stevie Smith Boxing Academy.
Smith said: “I started working with Tommy Coyle on pro shows when I stopped boxing, but decided I wanted to give something back to the sport, so set up an amateur club.
“I won seven national titles as an amateur (Smith won 80 of 85 bouts) – and wanted my club to produce more than that.
“I wanted eight national champions – and I got 11.”
Smith says he “lost a lot of boxers after Covid” – but Codie Smith stayed and reached the NAC final at 64kgs, representing Hull Boxing Centre.
Smith lost a split to Giorgio Visioli (Repton), who he had beaten in the Youth final five months earlier.
He misses out on the Hull Box Cup after suffering a cut finger.
The ex-fighter said: “Codie and his dad stayed loyal to me and I’m glad.
“I see something special in him.
“I want to take a fighter from the amateurs all the way to the world title in the pros and Codie will be that fighter.”