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| Britain’s boxing youth impress both in and out of the ring. |
At the beginning of last month, it was reported that former world heavyweight champion Nicolai Valuev had hung up his gloves in favour of Yeti hunting in Siberia. Turns out David Haye hit him quite hard after all, and its fairly safe to say there will be at least one confused Yeti wandering around southern Russia this Christmas. Meanwhile, while big Nick trudges through the snow in search of his non existent cousins, it turns out the rest of the world has gone barking mad as well.
I’m not sure at what point footballers wages became acceptable, America’s basketball players felt it appropriate to boycott the NBA, or when cricketers began betting on themselves to bowl a wide in the 17th over. Yet for all these money grabbers are worth, the economy, along with Wayne Rooney’s hairline, is apparently coming out of recession. Regardless of the mode by which it arrives, there is a distinct correlation that when money in a sport becomes excessive, those receiving the extra pennies begin to accumulate not only better suits, teeth and hair, but a distinct lack of respect for those around them, on and off the pitch, in and out of the ring. Gone are the days when footballers worked 9-5 jobs and played for their country at the weekends. Carlos Tevez refusal to play for City is inappropriate at any level, but it’s made immeasurably worse by the fact that he receives £35,000 a day. Likewise, I never remember 'Money' Mayweather speaking to an interviewer in his amateur days the way he spoke to 80 year old Larry Merchant last month. This cash phenomenon is spreading fast and it looks as if Russia could be the next infected; Samuel Eto’o certainly has enough spare to pay for Valuev's unicorn expedition, as well as the central heating bill for the whole of Makhachkala. I don't know where it is and I’m confident Mr Eto’o didn’t either until they offered him €25m a year.
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| Richie Woodhall (left) was joined by John Inverdale for the BBC Broadcast of all the days action |
The crowd were in good voice as the 2010 World Silver Medalist started aggressively, landing hooks and a couple of hard rights early on. There was clinching aplenty, but it was inevitable from the two aggressive inside fighters. Strohmaier came off well in a couple of exchanges in the first round, but that was the extent of the challenge mounted by the German.
Marshall was patient in the second, reading her opponent well and countering with solid rights; by the end of the round Strohmaier was being caught at will. Points wise, both fighters knew the Brit was in the lead, and as the German tried to force the fight in the third, Marshall kept her distance with the jab; a mature decision from a fighter who could have easily been sucked into the brawl. This continued into the final round but Marshall, keen to show the judges and selectors a strong finish, put all 75kgs behind a couple of big right hands which put the German on the first flight home.
I caught up with the young lady from Hartlepool after the fight: ‘I’m very happy' said Marshall, 'I’ve had a few months out with injury to my elbow, a bit of bruising on the bone which was troubling me when I threw hooks, so I took a bit of time out to recoup and I’m really pleased to have come back and made a good impression on selectors.’ A tired Marshall added ‘I really wanted to fight, but there was no one else for me to box so they arranged an international opponent – It’s given me a lot of confidence before the test event at the end of the month’. A huge win for Marshall saw her the victor 20-3.
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| A tired but Happy Marshall (right) picks up her gold medal in the women's 75kgs |
An Unlikely start to Saturdays action saw Andrew Selby progress to an easy second win in his 'best of three box-off' with Khalid Yafai. So easy was it that Selby, who won yesterdays encounter 26-12, didn't have to throw a single punch. Upon the 9.30am close of the weigh in, Yafai, who sustained a hand injury in Fridays encounter with Selby, was unable to train as he'd wished and the 22 year old from Birmingham could not shift the final 300g. An extremely dissapointing end to a much anticipated second fight.
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| A dejected Khalid Yafai moments after failing to make the weight |
Of the many personalities in the crowd, one man arrived fashionably late, dressed in a suit, braces, dark sunglasses and a 1920’s bowler hat. Approached by autograph hunters every minute or so, I was struggling to recognise the man under the mock gangster disguise. However I had an inkling and i knew i'd watched this old champion on video before. Upon removing his sunglasses to pose for a fan photo, 51 year old Lloyd Honeyghan, former WBC/WBA and IBF Welterweight champion quietly took his seat at the back of the arena. It says much about the man that he still keeps a keen eye on Britain's amateur proceedings; he commented on Andrew Selby ‘I like the kid, i read something a couple of weeks ago about the way he trains and it reminded me of myself when i was a youngster’. When probed on how the young men and women would be feeling ahead of competition, Honeyghan replied ‘The way I see it, it’s just another fight, I’m ready and if you’re not ready you’re in trouble’ - Johnny Bumphus certainly wasn’t ready when he hit the canvas seconds into round 2 of Honeyghan's first title defense in 1987. Steve Collins, a good friend and boxing enthusiast, grew up in Honeyghan's era and remarked 'Honeyghan was class...when he beat Don Curry in '86 I think it was the biggest shock in boxing for years'. For all his success and obvious fanbase, there are no airs and graces about the Jamaican born legend; he remains a sincere and polite character to all around him: ‘Everyman is different...some will be nervous, some will be confident, I think most will just be looking forward to (competing)’ and with regards to Andrew Selby, Honeyghan replied ‘He’ll be pleased to get through, he won’t care if (Yafai) made the weight or didn’t make the weight and it’s his (Yafai’s) business.’
Honeyghan on Britains new generation of boxing talent
A tall, muscular frame stood between me and my seat. The man in question was a young Joe Joyce, who was in particularly good form in his heavyweight clash with Scotland's Ross Henderson on Friday. After congratulating him on his win he commented 'Thanks, I feel great, it was nice to loosen up yesterday and I fought well.' A solid first round saw Joyce backing up his larger opponent with several stiff jabs and causing blood from the nose early on. 'It was good to fight well yesterday, nice to get the knockdown' remarked Joyce after he floored Henderson on the bell of the first. Henderson got up, and while his head fought on, his legs took another round to gather their thoughts. By this time Joyce had taken full advantage, comprehensively out boxing the Scotsman 25 -16. A popular lad it seems, Joyce received a big welcome ahead of his final clash on Saturday against Frazer Clarke: ‘It was a good win yesterday and gave me confidence in moving towards Olympic qualification.' When asked if today was a must win for Joyce, he replied 'Without a doubt'. Indeed it was a must win and after the first round of action, Joyce had done some damage. Slipping jabs with nimble confidence for such a big man, the 6ft 6 lad harbors encouraging power, closing Clarke's left eye completely shut after just 3 minutes. As the fighters sat in their respective corners, the doctors were called to Clarke's assistance. The decision was imminent and Joyce raised his hand to the applauding crowd. Frazer Clarke was judged to be unable to continue, much against his will. However, and it was clear to see how bitterly dissapointed the Burton ABC athlete was, he stood and applauded the crowd, walked over to his opponents corner and held Joyce's hand aloft. Here were two men, win or lose, that exemplified the Olympic ethos of sportsmanship; On this merit alone, either are worthy of a squad place.
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| Joyce (right) has his gloves checked before the first of two wins this weekend |
In the final of the mens 81kg category, Newcastle lad Lawrence Osueke lined up against Scottish international James Cunningham. Osueke was pressed hard in the early goings by an aggressive Cunningham, with the two exchanging blows; Cunningham effective when he got on the inside. It seems to have been a pattern over the last two days that some of the taller fighters have taken much of the first round to establish their range, not for want of trying, but many of the shorter, inside fighters had a tendency to walk forward and work the body early on, unsettling the rhythm of fighters like Baister, Joyce and Osueke. Most seemed to find the jab and establish their range by the end of the opener and Osueke was no exception. Patiently sounding each other out, Osueke finished the first round with a good left hook, moving off to the side, ducking underneath and landing a solid uppercut to the body. In the second and third rounds, Cunningham had fewer and fewer answers, but in true Scottish style, walked his man down. Osueke had to keep on the move to avoid the marching Scotsman, picking his jabs and avoiding the counters from his rival. As Cunningham slowed, Osueke launched a counter flurry of his own. The Scotsman's intention was clearly to get on the inside, but every time he tried to do so, Osueke calmly locked him up until the referee separated them, whereby he instantly re-established range with the jab. On the bell the two fighters hugged in the middle of the ring and the referee announced a 20 point margin of victory for the North East Light Heavyweight Champion, who can now add the national title to his 2011 spoils. Cunningham, gracious in defeat, held his opponents hand aloft in a day of great competition matched by even greater sportsmanship.
I caught up with Osueke after the fight. When asked about his slightly rusty start to the first round, he informed me that he'd sustained a hand injury and had been unable to compete for six months. Disappointed that he couldn't defend his ABA national title, Osueke said that it felt good to shake out the cobwebs before the Tammer International tournament in Finland next week. The Newcastle born lad is certainly one to watch in the coming months; Provided he stays injury free, it will take someone special to beat him in the qualifiers early next year.
Lawrence Osueke on his chances of Olympic qualification next year
So there you have it, a weekend full of superb action and mature performances from many of the Great Britain youngsters; there is more than enough to be encouraged about. It seems that the work being done at the GB boxing HQ in Sheffield is sharpening up the team nicely; be assured that they are on course for a very good performance in London next year. Upon leaving the arena early Saturday evening, I felt most impressed about the athletes I observed this weekend. Not least by the embarrassment of boxing riches that have bestowed themselves upon us at this crucial time, but above all, by those boxers attitudes towards each other. Yafai's comments to Selby on BBC1 in wishing the Welshman the best of luck next year and willing him to claim the gold epitomises the spirit in which these trials took place. It is not easy to come by words like that when you've missed out on Olympic selection by 300g and it says a lot about the maturity of these young boxers that they value team success on an equal platform to individual achievement; I believe the world of professional sport could learn more than a thing or two from GB's young amateurs. The future is bright for British boxing.
Follow boxing legend Lloyd Honeyghan on Twitter @LloydHoneyghan or go to www.lloydhoneyghan.com
Below are the results from all the weekends action, winners on the left:
Friday 11th November: Semi Finals
52Kg - Andrew Selby beat Khalid Yafai (Eng) (Wales) 26-12
56Kg - Joe Ham (Scot) beat Alimaan Hussain (Eng) 22 -13
56Kg - Sean McGoldrick (Wales) beat Gamal Yafai (GB) 13-13 (countback 29-25)
60Kg - Joe Cordina (Wales) beat Ian Weaver (GB) 22 -13
60Kg - Sam Maxwell (Eng) beat Sean Dick (Scot) - Referee stopped contest
64Kg - Louis Adolphe (Eng) beat Mano Lee (Wales) 8-4
64Kg - Josh Taylor (Scot) beat Danny Phillips (GB) 10-7
69Kg - Kieron Smith (Scot) beat Jamie Evans (Wales) 11-8
69Kg - Anthony Fowler (GB) beatThomas Langford (Eng) 19-14
75Kg - Callum Smith (GB) beat Danny Dignum (Eng)19-8
91Kg - Warren Baister (GB) beat Lloyd Davies (Wal) 29 - 10
91Kg+ - Joe Joyce (Eng) beat Ross Henderson (Scot) 25 - 16
Saturday 12th: Finals
49Kg - Charlie Edwards (GB) beat Ben Baker (Wal) Referee stopped contest rd 3
52Kg - Nina Smith (GB) beat Katie Rowland (IRE) 19-9
56Kg - Joe Ham (Scot) beat Sean McGoldrick (Wal) 25-14
60Kg - Amanda Coulson (Eng) beat Chantelle Cameron (GB) 22-17
60Kg - Sam Maxwell (Eng) beat Joe Cordina (Wal) 16-14
64Kg - Louis Adolphe (Eng) beat Josh Taylor (Scot) - 9-9 (Countback 3-2) Judges decision
69Kg - Anthony Fowler (GB) beat Kieron Smith (Scot) 15 - 9
75Kg - Savannah Marshall (GB) beat Andrea Strohmaier (Germany) 20-3
75Kg - Callum Smith (GB) beat Tommy Philbin (Scot) 13-7
81Kg - Lawrence Osueke (GB) beat James Cunningham (Scot) 26-6
91Kg - Warren Baister (GB) beat Ben Ilyemi (Eng) 23-9
91Kg+ - Joe Joyce (Eng) beat Frazer Clarke (GB) Referee stopped contest
The Olympic Test Event will take place at the ExCeL Arena, London from the 23rd - 27th November.
You can re-live all the action from this weekend on BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01772jz/Boxing_British_Championships/
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