Bravo Victor as young boxer secures fine victory in his first full fight
RUNCORN Amateur Boxing Club took to the road last Thursday to partake in an event hosted by Queensberry Police Boxing Club in Stokeon-Trent.
Runcorn boxer Victor Zhao, who in recent weeks has competed in skills bouts (no winner or loser), made the step up to competitive action.
Now that he has made the move into competitive action, this means he can no longer partake in any skills bouts – so from here on in every performance counts.
Zhao took on fellow youngster L Maghin from the Staffordshire-based club.
The bout was three 90-second rounds which Zhao had prepared intensively for during his training regime.
The occasion did not faze Zhao in the slightest – the experience of the previous skills bouts had set him up nicely.
The first round saw Zhao dominate straight from the first bell, landing the cleaner punches.
During the second round, Maghin came back into the bout making it a much more even contest. Towards the latter stages of the round, Zhao took a head-butt to the ribs from Maghin.
Going into the third and final round, still winded from the blow to his ribcage, Zhao had to dig in deep.
Words from coach Darren O’Sullivan in the corner made him more determined to bring home a win.
Stood centre ring alongside the referee awaiting the result, ● it was an anxious moment but then the referee raised the hand of Zhao in victory.
So its 1-0 for Zhao and club coaches are delighted with his progress over these past few months.
Following the bout O’Sullivan gave his view on the performance.
He said: “This was Victor’s first full fight which meant longer rounds also.
“He did a great job demonstrating real grit and determination to take home the win against a decent opponent.
“Maghin was the ‘home’ boxer too, which of course brings along home advantage with a big crowd, so Vic really did have to pull out all the stops.
“He took on a very tough boxer, I am really proud of him and he can be pleased with his performance.”
Zhao took time to reflect upon his performance stating: “I was excited to go and fight in my first competitive bout. That’s one fight, one win!
“I felt I did well. I landed some good body shots but I admit I was nervous during the build-up.
“Nerves are good though, they keep me sharp and focused. Hopefully this is the first win of many!” ● RUNCORN ABC will also be hosting their own event where local talent get to showcase their skills in front of their home crowd. The event will take place on April 27 at The Pavilions, Weston.
The club would benefit from the support of local business so if anybody would like to sponsor the event and/or advertise in the fight programme then contact Darren on 07470-499245 or via the facebook page Runcorn ABC.