Haringey gold for MBBC’s Karriss

MACCLESFIELD boxer Karriss Artingstall was celebrating recently after she picked up a gold medal at the Haringey Box Cup in London.

The competition is widely regarded as the best box cup of the year, with some top class boxers from around the world taking part.

Macclesfield girl Karriss Artingstall is a two-time national ABA champion and onetime national finalist, so she was no exception to the level of participation in this competition.

It was over two years since she’d stepped into the ring for competition so she was slightly apprehensive to say the least.

Now with the Royal artillery army team, she has the best training facilities, strength and conditioning coaches and proper dietary advise, so she need not have been concerned.

Her first opponent in the semi-final was Swedish boxer Zoe Koh from Basel boxing club in Switzerland. Koh looked very confident as they touched gloves for round one.

Karriss went straight to business taking the fight to Koh, drawing her in then countering with stinging shots that seemed to be unanswered.

Looking at ease and confident, Karriss fired at will and it was only inevitable that before long the eight count came for Koh.

The referee waved for the bout to continue, but Karriss went straight back to work and after sensing the end she landed with a beautiful back hand that forced the towel to come in as the corner decided Koh need not take anymore.

The cobwebs were well and truly gone for Kariss as she picked up the technical knockout and moved onto the next round.

Karriss watched the next fight as the winner was to meet her the next day in the final, with Bella Madden from Fitzpatrick ABC progressing after a close fight.

With the gold medal within reach on finals day, Karriss was ready to go and was feeling confident that she would win having seen her opponent.

Controversy then struck though as just as they were due to enter the ring, Madden had second thoughts and pulled out of the fight as they were due in the ring, expressing aches and pains from the previous day.

The Macclesfield camp felt that the real reason for Madden’s withdrawal was that she had witnessed Karriss’s explosive first round demolition of the Swedish girl and decided she didn’t want to risk the same conclusion, but nevertheless Karriss was awarded the gold by default.