THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Despite late changes, an international team of Indian boxers competes in Cannock
A TEAM from India met a select side of English boxers at Bar Sport in Cannock on Saturday (March 19).
Hosted by the Box Smart Elite club, administrative problems meant several of India’s boxers couldn’t compete and bouts had to be hastily rearranged. The organisers saved the show at short notice and put good contests together.
Box Smart Elite’s Omarah Taylor unanimously outpointed India’s Astha Pathwa at 70kgs. “[Taylor] was fantastic. She did a real good bout,” said her coach Shiney Singh. “A lot of the Indian boxers were aggressive, strong, come forward [types], quite physical. So it was a cracking bout. Omarah used her feet and long shots. A really entertaining bout, it was fought at a cracking little pace.”
India’s Anju Devi edged out Box Smart Elite’s Tayla Rushton on a close split decision. “It was a good performance,” Rushton’s coach Singh added. “It was a really high quality show.”
Neha from the Indian team took a split decision over Priory Park’s Mia Holland.
Danielle Marshall, the Hartlepool middleweight, has just come up from Youth level to the seniors. She lost a split decision to
India’s Kushi. A national champion as a Youth, Marshall will be in the Elite championships this year.
Priory Park’s Kelsey Oakley took a good unanimous win over India’s tall Ragini Upadhyay in her first senior bout.
When their opponents couldn’t compete, some of the English boxers faced each other instead. Braunstone’s Dionne Burman beat St Ives’ Harli Whitwell on a unanimous decision, a good result for Burman who’s represented England before as a Youth. In a barnstorming bout Whitwell’s clubmate Megan Morris unanimously outscored Chesterfield’s Jade Ashmore.