Champ Allana is Top Banana!
ALLANA ‘Top Banana’ Shaw made history by becoming the first female boxer from Rochdale to win the England Boxing National School Championship Title.
The final was held at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre in Lincolnshire and stood in the opposite corner was her tall and lean opponent Lilly Deacon of Roukeys Gym, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
The bell rang for the first round and both boxers made their way to the in the centre of the ring, intent on securing victory for themselves and their respective clubs. As both girls circled around each other it was Allana who was the first to land a solid one-two combination to the chin. Deacon stormed in, looking to land a reply only to be met by another one-two combination to the head.
Again Deacon came into range to try and land a significant punch but the 11 year old Rochdale girl showed incredible use of her skills by landing a right uppercut to the body followed by a left hook to the head before finishing off with a cracking right hand to the chin. Deacon began to circle around the ring whilst using her long, rangy jab which caught Allana on occasion but it wasn’t long before the Hamer youngster began to step out of range before quickly stepping back into range after Deacon had missed and landing more fast one-two combinations in return. The Hamer boxer was in full flow by now and she landed yet another right uppercut to the body followed by a left hook to the head before using her jab to keep her distance and take the round.
Before the start of round two Allana was told by her coach Steven Connellan to expect Deacon to come out and press her and to take the fight to her a lot more. She was told to stick to the game plan rehearsed in the gym and step back before moving back into range to land punches of her own.
The bell rang for round two and Deacon stormed out to take the centre of the ring only to be met by a solid right hand to the chin from the Hamer female. Allana began using her jab to make the Yorkshire girl throw punches in return and when she did the Hamer youngster stepped out of range to make Deacon miss before stepping back to land shots of her own. The Yorkshire youngster continued to push forward whilst Allana was content on using her jab to probe and find her distance before landing telling combinations to the head. This went on throughout the round as both youngsters slowly began to tire from their exploits within the ring and from the stress, tension and the magnitude of the task before them.
In the third and final round Allana came out to land a jab to the body and then to the head before landing a solid one-two combination to the chin which forced Deacon onto the ropes. The Hamer girl landed another one-two combination to the head then Deacon landed two jabs to the face before missing with a right hook to the head, then she landed a solid right hand to the chin of the Hamer youngster. As the contest progressed Allana was warned by the referee to keep up her head as she tried to evade Deacon’s punches. Deacon pressed the action, hoping to land a significant punch and she threw two swinging hooks to the head which Allana ducked before coming back to land a terrific left hook to the side of the head which forced Deacon back into the corner. Allana rushed in to land more punches but both girls got tangled up and the referee split them up before allowing them to continue and as soon as he did the Rochdale girl landed yet another perfect one-two combination to the head before Deacon landed two swinging hooks in reply.
The round was slowly coming to an end, yet Deacon was still forcing the action as she tried to get back into the contest and just as the bell rang to end the round she landed another three punch combination to the Rochdale boxer’s head but it wasn’t enough to take victory and Allana’s hand was raised in triumph via a split-decision to take the in the 50kg Minors Category.
Hamer coach Alan Bacon said: “What a terrific performance by both girls and let’s remember they are both only eleven years old. Both girls have a terrific future in this sport.”
Hamer coach Steven Connellan added: “I cannot compliment this young lady enough. It is not just her boxing ability and her willingness to learn that has allowed Allana to progress in this sport. It’s also her attitude to authority and discipline which has changed dramatically since she first joined our boxing club.
“Allana was always in trouble at school and around the streets where she lived. We addressed this and she has become a different person. I am not saying she has become an angel but she has settled down in school more and she now helps out as volunteer at her local community centre.”
This is also a great achievement for our club, who have now gained three National Champions in just over one year.”
‘Her attitude to authority has changed dramatically since she first joined our club’