Turner clinches hat-trick of English national titles
Rising star Joe Turner won three fights in three days to claim his third consecutive English national title.
The 17-year-old boxer from Halifax, who fights out of Jennings Gym, in Chorley, qualified for the national championships after winning the northwest regional title.
And after making the trip to Liverpool, Turner’s first challenge was Louis Zseto, a two-time national champion and GB Tri-Nations gold medallist, representing the Everton Red Triangle club.
The Halifax fighter controlled the fight from the start and his disciplined and clinical display saw him win all three rounds in a unanimous verdict.
That win set-up Turner perfectly for the trip to Rotherham, for the latter rounds of the championships, and he faced England international Zain Ahmed in the quarter-finals.
The contest was a replay of last year’s final and it was a thriller, with Turner edging out his opponent on a split decision.
A day later, Turner was in action in the semi-finals, where East Midland champion Albert Collins, from Scunthorpe ABC, lay in wait.
Turner was in no mood to hang around in this fight and a blistering start from the youngster put Collins onto the back foot and forced the referee to administer a standing count to the Scunthorpe fighter in the first round.
The onslaught continued in the second round, with Collins receiving two more standing counts. The referee eventually stepped in to stop the fight as Collins suffered his first stoppage in more than 40 contests.
Following a brief rest, Turner was in action again the following day, facing Tom Jones, from Lions ABC, in the final.
The superb form shown by Turner in the semi-finals continued as he picked off his opponent and landed shots that again forced a standing count in the first round.
And the fine work continued into the second round where Jones, who had never been stopped before, received three more standing counts before the referee called an end to the fight.
Turner will be going for another hat-trick in May when the two-time GB TriNations champion will be chasing a third Tri-Nations win.