Arnold School of Boxing hosted its last show of the season at the Arnold Liberal Club.
First up for Arnold SOB was 10-year-old Liam McPhilbin of Bulwell. Liam, who is the youngest registered boxer in the UK, competed in a skills bout where there’s no winner or loser. He went up against Micko Allcock who boxes for Scunthorpe ABC. Both McPhilbin and Allcock showed there ability and gave the Arnold crowd a great start to the show.
Zahraan Asif-Suleman, 15, from Radford, took part in his first skills bout against Geogijs Tedorade of One Nation ABC in Derby. Zahraan, who not been boxing for long, used his strength to great effect against the very game Derby boxer. Â Both lads pushed hard. Zahraan will now go on to make his competitive debut in September.
There was disappointment for Rohaan Asif Suleman after his opponent failed the medical check before the contest.
Conner Brown (10) of Arnold made his debut versus Charlie Harris of Epic Golden Gloves in Newark. Brown came out flying in the first round catching his opponent with some great shots. The second and third rounds were a lot closer, with the Newark boxer coming back at Brown. At the end of the contest Brown was declared the winner on a points decision.
Mario Charalambous,11, of Arnold put on a very dominant display of boxing using a great array of skills to win all three rounds. Charalambous can be even prouder as he had only returned from holiday just three hours before the contest.
13-year-old Josh Timson, of Arnold, made his debut versus Ben Shelton of Prospect ABC in Derby. Timson used his great feet and fast hands to keep the aggressive Shelton at bay. In the second round Shelton was given a point deduction for holding. Timson came away as the winner on a points decision.
Kory Harkin (15) of Arnold, who only started boxing six months ago, took on Ed Shaw, of Dronfield ABC, in Sheffield. Both Harkin and Shaw gave everything with Harkin slightly the stronger boxer. After three closely hard fought rounds, Harkin was declared the winner on a points decision.
Kai Jones, 14, of Arnold, put in a fantastic performance against Tom Conlan, of Brookland ABC, in Birmingham. Conlan, who had a big height advantage, tried to keep the Arnold boxer at bay, but Jones kept moving forward, catching his opponent with some strong body shots. After 3 hard fought rounds, Jones was declared the winner on a points decision, but this is a bout that could happen again in the future.
Last up was Kyle Birkett, 20, of Sherwood, made a challenge for the East Midlands middleweight belt versus local rival Sam Spooner of Bulwell Hall ABC. Birkett got of to a great start using his boxing ability to great effect, catching is opponent with the jab . The second round could have gone either way with both boxers trading eye-catching shots. In the third round, the belt-holder Spooner used his championship experience by coming forward with some good shots. Â At the end of a close contest Spooner kept hold of his belt by split decision. Birkett can take away a lot from this contest and will build on for next season.
Overall ASB coaches Clinton McPhilbin, Rob Butler and John Chadburn were very happy with the performance of their boxers.
