Banbury boxers put on a performance at first show in town for over two years

A total of 15 boxers from the Banbury club climbed through the ropes in front of a packed-out crowd.

After two years of travelling to other clubs’ shows and uncertainty that left the club's volunteer coaches at full stretch, it was a triumphant return for the club.

Stepping into the ring first was Bradley Enterkin, who competed in a non-scoring skills bout in the 60kg class against a boxer from Slough. Next up were Hamza Mohammed, Cayden Wyatt, Aodhan O'Sullivan and Bilaal Yaqub who all showed great promise in their first scoring bouts.

Hamza and Aodhan both scored split decision victories in the 48kg and 72kg weight classes, while Bilaal’s opponent got disqualified and Cayden lost his contest in the second round.

Young prospects Leon Stone and Rui Hillman also took part in their first competitive bouts. Leon, unfortunately, lost to a boxer from Bordon, while Rui claimed a decision over a boxer from Newbury.

There were more mixed results from the experienced boxers who donned the club’s red and yellow kit on Saturday.

Jenson Elgar (51kg) and Yodah Dhaliwal (57kg) were unfortunate to take stoppage losses to boxers from Blackbird Leys and Aston respectively. Ethan MacGregor outpointed Hayder Hussain from Banbury’s Spit ‘N’ Sawdust club by a unanimous decision in the 54kg class.

Twin brothers Chris and Johnny Taylor also scored victories for the club. Senior boxers Nelson Ramos and Callum Timbrell also both came out on top after close split decision victories against boxers from Aston and Milton Keynes.

Banbury’s other boxing club, Spit ‘N’ Sawdust also saw Kascius Marren compete, who lost a close split decision to a boxer from Northampton.

To culminate the night, Banbury’s elite amateur George Lines represented the club for the last time after leaving the area to join the police. George who has been with the club since the age of ten, won his 36th fight by split decision against a boxer from Slough.

A spokesperson for Banbury Boxing Club said: “Even through some tough refereeing decisions that saw some distraught young home boxers’ bouts cut short, attitudes in neither the crowd nor the club dipped, and it was paid back in Banbury Boxing Club (BBC) performances that showed an overwhelming will to win, which the judges reflected in their scorecards.

“Stories of the night came from friends George, Callum, Aodhan and Nelson. They shared a playground in primary and secondary school, and for the first time, they all shared the boxing ring on the same card in front of their home town. All bagged hard-fought victories, which they and the club will no doubt remember for a long time.

“And, while the end of the night saw the lights go up, the Reynolds Cup was also raised after being presented by club co-founder Ben Malcher and head coach Dave Hughes to 16-year-old twins Johnny and Chris Taylor for their outstanding dedication to the club and sport, which, considering their company at the club, must have been very hard earned.”

For help sponsoring the night, the club would like to thank MKM Banbury, Ingleton Wood, and Al Medina 313. It would also like to thank Amplified Entertainment for providing sound and Conor Davies for photography.