Straw shines in Salford bout
TWO fighters from Macclesfield Boys’ Boxing Club were in action recently as they competed on a show put together by Salford City ABC.
Joe Straw was taking on home fighter Matt Calderwood, and both kids set about trying to make a mark.
The pace was fast as both threw shot after shot but Straw looked to be landing the cleaner of the two as Calderwood was on the back foot.
This was pretty much the same through the second and third with Straw showing his will to win, never letting up in his work rate and catching Calderwood constantly.
Calderwood was a strong kid and he stayed with Straw throughout but Straw took the decision in a very good contest.
Next up In his debut bout was Sam Mars, who was going up against Hubert Wich.
As the bell went they touched gloves and went about business.
Mars was nervous as this was his first contest and hesitated a bit in the first, while Wich had already boxed that evening so looked more confident. The round was fast paced and both kids were doing well.
In round two Mars stepped up and threw a combination catching Wich but then he’d step back and drop his hands, and that bit of extra expe- rience showed here as Wich picked up on it and after every time Mars threw he’d come back and catch Mars every time. The coaches were straight on it at the end off the round telling him to cover up when he stepped back.
In round three Mars was tiring and getting caught more but still catching Wich with good shots, but the Salford City lad had the edge throughout as he was awarded the victory at the end of the third round. It was great boxing with plenty to learn for Mars.
Meanwhile, MBBC were grateful to landlady Frances Cunningham of the Swettenham Arms, near Jodrell Bank, for the generous gift of a punch bag.
Frances’ late husband, Jim Cunningham, was a respected and useful former regional heavyweight champion in his day, trained by ex-fighter Dave “Ginger” Ward. A club spokesman said: “It will be put to a very good use, you can depend on that we promise!”