Rowark’s path to Seniors final
HAVING won the previous week, this was to be Macclesfield boxer Ben Rowark’s biggest test to date as he competed in the North West SemiFinals of the England Boxing Senior Novice Championships.
His opponent in the semi-final was Ian Dee from Sale West Boxing Club, with round one seeing Rowark on top and looking comfortable by working off the front foot and leading with crisp accurate punches.
Dee was much taller and rangier, but the first round was for Rowark.
Round two saw Dee up his game and Rowark dropped onto the back foot much to the frustration of the coaches who were shouting for him to take the lead.
This inevitably ended up being a closer round.
Rowark asserted himself more in the third round and once again dominated proceedings.
It was much the same as the first round for Rowark, catching Dee with some power shots towards the final bell and earning him the decision, picking up an excellent win and a place in the final the following day.
His opponent in the final was Larry Lomotey from Ashley VIP.
The gym is the amateur side of Steve Wood’s professional VIP promotion and, having boxed his way to the final, it was cer- tainly not going to be a push over for Rowark.
Both boxers kicked off looking very comfortable as they exchanged punches, and it soon became clear that this was an extremely well matched bout as neither boxer was giving an inch and were matching each other punch for punch.
Round two was pretty much the same as both boxers gave a masterclass in the art of boxing, meaning it was a very close bout to call.
The third round saw Lomotey looking relaxed and fit as Rowark seemed to tire towards the end and although this was a very even bout, that could have been the only deciding factor as Lomotey was awarded the decision.
The fight between Rowark and Lomotey was one of the best of the day and one that most spectators couldn’t call, but despite the loss, Rowark immediately congratulated Lomotey and wished him the best.