Shahruf wins on return from illness
AFTER a long illness away from boxing competition, 13-year-old Shahruf Ali travelled to Whitby Sports Club, Ellesmere Port, Liverpool on Friday 28 October when matched against local favourite Tyler Sutton of Wirral Boxing Club.
The bell rang for the first round and both boxers met in the middle of the ring looking to exchange blows.
The stand-off lasted around ten seconds before a punch was thrown.
The Hamer boxer came looking to step inside his opponent to unload body punches while the tall and slick looking Sutton hoped to work on counter-punching.
Sutton was the first to land and the roar from his supporters was thunderous, yet Shahruf took it into his stride.
He had felt his opponent’s power and was now warmed to the task that was ahead of him.
The Rochdale boxer began to find his range and as he backed his opponent onto the ropes he unloaded powerful punches to both the body and the head.
Sutton used impressive footwork to escape from the ropes but Shahruf was in hot pursuit now and he chased Sutton into his own corner before unloading more hurtful punches, followed by a vicious right hook to the solar plexus.
Sutton showed immediate distress and rushed across the ring towards the neutral corner and Shahruf followed to land two more shots before the referee stepped in to stop the action. The whole room became silent as the referee called the doctor to the ring as Sutton struggled to catch his breath.
The punch had taken its toll and rendered Sutton helpless so the doctor told the referee that the Wirral boxer was unable to continue and Shahruf was awarded the victory by technical knockout in the first round.
Hamer coach Steven Connellan said: “Shahruf’s illness was devastating to both him and the club. We had him ready to participate in the schoolboy championships last year but his illness took hold and defeated his hope of gaining the national title.
“He is back now and looking terrific in sparring and has already set his goals on this year’s championships and the title. It was a great end to the week which started with disappointment when 14-year-old Jude English and 16-year-old Luke Pickup Taylor travelled all the way up to Hartlepool the evening before only to come away with a defeat on their records.
“We’ve got a very busy time ahead with a lot of boxers matched in competition.”