Taking their place
BARNSLEY
APRIL 1
HE pre quarterfinals of the NAC Championships were held at the Metrodome in Barnsley on April 1, and pick of the bouts was a middleweight rematch.
Aziz Ben Rouha, born in Tunisia and boxing out of Islington ABC, outpointed Altair Gomes in the Development final in Banbury last October. The outcome was different when they met again in Barnsley with a match against No. 1 seed Jimmy Sains in the last eight at stake.
Gomes (Smokey’s) went through on a 4-1 decision after both took counts in an absorbing, back-and-forth fight. Rouha
TThe NACS gather momentum as last 16 bouts take place in Barnsley
The very best action, previews and news from Olympic-style boxing
bn.ed@kelsey.co.uk
was disappointed with a verdict that, on another day, may have gone his way. There wasn’t much between them in any of the rounds.
The taller boxer by a couple of inches, Gomes wanted to keep it long, Rouha tried to get close. Gomes showed he could fight on the inside when Rouha got his chest on his chest in the opener. Gomes shortened his punches to score to the body and then shipped a couple as he was pulling out.
Rouha got Gomes on the ropes in the second and let his hands go. He rattled his ribs with a couple of heavy shots and then slammed a right off his jaw to force an ‘eight’ count.
Gomes landed the next punch after the fight resumed before finding himself under pressure again in the last.
Midway through the round, Gomes waited for Rouha to step into range and
01959 541 444
pulled the trigger on his right hand at the right moment. The force of the punch knocked Rouha off-balance and, when Gomes landed a similar blow seconds later, Rouha’s legs stiffened. The referee gave him an ‘eight’ count that possibly edged Gomes the round and the verdict.
There was more exciting give-and-take action when Declan Bridge ( Jennings) faced Luke Foster (Birtley) at 75kgs.
They spent most of the fight right in front of each other exchanging, Bridge doing enough to edge it on a 4-1 split after taking an ‘eight’ count in the opening round from a clean left hook.
Frank Wood, a multi-titled lightweight from Ropes and Glory, went through after a unanimous points win over Danny Lynch (Sherringtons) after an all-southpaw duel and clubmate Jimmy Dean Wood (Ropes and Glory) also went through, at welterweight.
Wood will meet No. 1 seed Huey Malone (Christ The King) in the quarters in Rotherham next Saturday.
Baker Street’s strong Anton Esson is also through at 67kgs, after a 4-1 verdict over fellow left-hander William Tyers
(Billingham).
Tyers was long and mobile, but from the second, Esson started to get to him and every shot he landed was hard. Esson used his strong lead hand to knock Tyers’ head back with corkscrew shots he didn’t see coming.
Esson is joined in Rotherham by clubmate Amali Davis, at 63.5kgs. Davis was a unanimous points winner over
Innocent Moyo (2nd City), a decision that was baffling.
After a close opener, Moyo appeared to take over with his non-stop aggression. Davis was cut over his right eye from a punch in the second and took a count in the last after Moyo pinned him on the ropes and cracked him on the chin with a right. Davis tried to rally after the fight resumed, but Moyo was too strong and pushed him back.
Also at 63.5kgs, Oliver Jones
(Croxteth) outpointed fellow southpaw
Kacper Ciureja (Fenland Sparta) unanimously.
Ciureja moved well in the opening round before Jones got his feet closer and started to land hard singles. He made sure by handing Ciureja a count in the last, the referee stepping in after a solid left found his chin.
Giorgi Visioli, last year’s champion at 60kgs, is the No. 1 seed at 63.5kgs and will face Shehzad Asam (The Ring) in the last eight.
Asam booked his quarter-final place by stopping Callum Green (Bracebridge) inside a round, dropping him twice with rights. The first shot that floored Green landed on the top of his head and he didn’t get the chance to recover. Asam found his chin with the next right he let go, dumping Green on the seat of his trunks in a neutral corner. The referee waved the bout off.
There was another early finish up at 80kgs, when Tommy Ledwidge,
crowned Development champion earlier this season, made short work of southpaw
Muhammad Anees Iqbal (Pound 4 Pound).
The fight was all over after around a minute. Ledwidge started positively, firing straight rights to Iqbal’s body, and when Iqbal looked to find a response he ran onto a sweeping right that left him on his back. There was no rush from the smooth Ledwidge after the fight resumed. He kept pecking away with straight rights down the middle before turning his back hand into an uppercut, with dramatic results. The pinpoint punch rocked Iqbal onto his heels and left his hands hanging by his sides. The referee looked at him for a second and waved it off.
Taiwo Musuro (Don Davis Boxing Academy) also went through at 80kgs, unanimously outpointing Shay Johnston
(Orme).
Johnstone was the more polished boxer, but Musuro was too strong. Coach Richard Davis told Boxing News that Musuro has a touch of Dennis Andries about him and watching him maul Johnston in the second and third rounds, the reference made perfect sense.
Up at super-heavyweight, Daniel James (Bakehouse) set up a quarter-final against No. 1 seed Gideon Antwi with a 4-1 decision over Josh Woods (Army).
The robust Woods took the fight to James at the opening bell. James, the 2019 Development champion, picked neat shots on the inside and, once he was able to find the centre of the ring and some of the steam left Wood’s attacks, James started to land his jab. James did have a spell in the last when he was pinned in a neutral corner, but emerged clear eyed and undamaged.
The towering Mark Adhondjo,
narrowly outpointed by Tobe Lawal in the final of the Development Championships earlier this season, won unanimously, outworking Max Noppins (Epsom) from first bell until last at super-heavyweight.
Adhondjo (Leicester Unity) used his size and jab to dominate and when Noppins did land a punch, he soon took three or four in reply. There was an exciting exchange of punches in the dying seconds, Adhondjo sending Noppins back to his stool at the final bell fuzzy headed after cracking him on the chin with a few clean shots.
Ring A: Male 57kg: Daniel Salmon (Paulsgrove) beat Reece Gannon (Tower Hill) by a 3-2 split decision. Male 57kg: Uzair Maqbool (ELBA) beat Jaydon Johnson (Collyhurst and Moston) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 60kg: Harry Winnard (Jennings) beat Lewis Harvey (British Army) by a 3-2 split decision. Male 60kg: Cameron Vuong (Birtley) beat Richard Smith (Fenland Sparta) by a unanimous decision. Male 63.5kg: Amali Davis (Baker Street) beat Inoncent Moyo (Second City) by a unanimous decision. Male 63.5kg: Oliver Jones (Croxteth) beat Kacper Ciureja (Fenland Sparta) by a unanimous decision. Male 63.5kg: Brandon Morrison (Birtley) beat Rob Jones (British Army) by a 3-2 split decision. Male 63.5kg: Shehzad Asam (The Ring) beat Callum Green (Bracebridge) by a RSC. Male U67kg: Anton Esson (Baker Street) beat William Tyers (Billingham) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 75kg: Chris Mulunda (Steel City) beat Richard Hughes (Barum) by a unanimous decision. Male 75kg: Aaron Doherty (The Ring) beat Luke Foster (Birtley) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 80kg: Declan Bridge (Jennings) beat Jack Power (British Army) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 86kg: Taiwo Musuro (Don Davis) beat Shay Johnstone (Orme) by a unanimous decision. Male 92kg: Daniel James (Bakehouse) beat Josh Woods (British Army) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 92kg: Mark Adhondjo (Leicester Unity) beat Max Noppins (Epsom) by a unanimous decision.
Ring B: Female 57kg: Frankie Lyall (RAF) beat Calli Bushell (Fox) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 60kg: Frank Wood (Ropes and Glory) beat Danny Lynch (Sherrington’s) by a unanimous decision. Male 67kg: Waqas Ali (Junction) beat Javid Ali (Halliwell) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 67kg: Ram Singh (Limehouse) beat Fabian Dema (Hockley) by a unanimous decision. Male 67kg: Jimmy Dean Wood (Ropes and Glory) beat Jack Lambert (Laisterdyke) by a unanimous decision. Male 71kg: Tyrese Ramsey (Islington) beat Antonio Dobson (St Paul’s) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 71kg: Callum Makin (Rotunda) beat Louis Bacon (King’s) by a unanimous decision (after an early stop to the bout due to an accidental clash of heads). Male 71kg: Mason Payne (Ropes and Glory) beat Lucas France (Royal Navy) by a unanimous decision. Male 71kg: Rio Gordon (Harwich) beat Jibrail Talukdar (Clifton) by a 3-2 split decision. Male 71kg: Beau Smith (Wearmouth) beat Alex Mcmillan (JR Gym) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 75kg: Altair Gomes (Smokey’s) beat Aziz Ben Rouha (Islington) by a 4-1 split decision. Male 75kg: Grant Brooks (Royal Navy) beat Qasim Khan (Total Boxing) by a unanimous decision. Male 75kg: Kieran Mcdaid (Jimmy Egan’s) beat Sunny Parkinson (Hillcrest) by a unanimous decision. Male 80kg: Tommy Ledwidge (Christ The King) beat Muhammad Anees Iqbal (Pound 4 Pound) by a KO. Male 80kg: Lucas Roehig (Dale Youth) beat Dion Eede (Ropes and Glory) by a 3-2 split decision. Male 86kg: – Joel Hassan (Royal Navy) beat Chad Thompson (Lord Mountbatten) by a unanimous decision.