Jon, doyen of boxers, hangs up his gloves

SOUTHPORT oldest boxer, Jon Lund, has bowed out with a final fight against former European champion Ryan Rhodes.

Rhodes, who famously fought Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez in 2011, kindly agreed to be Jon’s final opponent.

The two men squared up in the Bold Hotel for an exhibition match. Once the bell rang the Sheffield man, who retired from professional boxing after his loss to Alvarez, naturally dazzled with his ring craft and fluid movement.

Jon said to the Visiter: “He was very, very good. He was definitely in a different class to me, and it showed. I thought I had my moments but Ryan was a class act.”

Footage from the fight showed Jon struggling to land any meaningful shots on his opponent, who shimmied gracefully out of range.

Jon, who is 50, will not fight competitively again. The Southport dad had promised his family that he would hang up his gloves once he passed his half century.

He said: “I might still have the odd exhibition or white collar fight, but I will not face another boxer again.

“I have been used to training over five days a week, so I can relax a little now. I might cut the runs down to three a week, and I can not stop worrying about my diet. But I will be helping out at Southport Jab Club.

“The night was one of the best shows I have ever seen.”

The event at the Bold Hotel included a boxing competition called prizefighter, which offered the winner a £1,000 cash prize.

The overall winner on the night was Southport’s Lee Crossland, who edged out Nick Grady.

Jon added: “The prizefighter bouts were brilliant, and very competitive.”

Jon started boxing at Southport YMCA around 30 years ago. In more recent years he has been based at Southport Jab Fight Club in High Park, and has competed in 59 semi-professional fights over the last five years.

Jon has two sons, and works at Wilko in Southport. He also does a bit of part-time work on the door of a town centre bar.

In terms of the future the genial Southport man is now looking forward to passing on his boxing skills to the next generation of Southport lads.

Lee Crossland, Ryan Rhodes, Nick Grady and retiring Jon Lund, 50, at the Bold Hotel following an evening’s boxing. Lee Crossland won the Prizefighter competition, narrowly defeating Nick Grady. Jon Lund bowed out with an exhibition match with former...