MIDLANDS ELITE
Matt Bozeat watches Frankie Gavin bring through another champion for Hall Green
SOLIHULL MARCH 27
FRANKIE GAVIN, ABA lightweight champion in 2005 and 2007, was in the corner with Hall Green middleweight Will Smith as he claimed the Midlands title at the Land Rover Sports and Social Club on Sunday.
The southpaw outpointed Tatenda Mjanja (Hi Tech) in the pick of the seven bouts. For two rounds, Smith walked Mjanja onto combinations and body shots. Mjanja had his first success of note towards the end of the second when they exchanged punches – and landed his best punch of the fight early in the third. Smith shrugged off the right hand, got to the centre of the ring and repeatedly beat Mjanja to the punch with back hands.
Former top Junior Hamza Uddin (Fearless) went through at 51kgs. The 18-year-old unanimously outpointed the lofty and awkward Aman Ali Rehan (Eastside). Uddin landed an eye-catching lead left hand in the opening seconds and though Rehan made it harder for him after that, Uddin still landed most of the scoring blows.
Fearless clubmate Hamzah Ahmed was also crowned Midlands champion at 63.5kgs, outpointing Dylan Clift (Acocks Green). Ahmed was sharper for two rounds and Clift went for broke at the start of the third. Ahmed slowed him with body punches and finished on top.
Triumph southpaw Amara Kabba caused an upset in the Midlands semi-finals. He outpointed Tyrell Cummins (Box Smart Elite), beaten on a split by Owen Rees (Birtley) in last year’s semi-finals, but lost on a split to Priory Park’s strong Zach Evans in the Midlands final at 71kgs. Evans got his head on Kabba’s chest in the first before Kabba started to find more room. Evans closed the gap better towards the end of the second and finished strongly in the last.
Up at super-heavyweight, Daniel James (Bakehouse) edged out Boma Brown (Pat Benson’s). Brown had outpointed James in the Midlands Development final in 2018, but the result went the other way in Solihull.
The opening two rounds were messy. James possibly landed more scuffing shots and Brown suffered a setback when he was warned in the second for holding.
Brown had a better last when he used the ring and landed some clean rights that brought gasps from the crowd.
Wolverhampton’s all-action Gulraj Power kept Mohammed Zubair (Wellington) under fire throughout their 60kgs final and won on points.