Young Horsham boxers shine in Eastbourne

Southern Counties champion Charlie Perry faced off against Eastbourne Boxing Club’s Shayden Kelley.

Charlie, from the very first bell, put Kelley under pressure, using his long-range shots with speed and accuracy.

In the first round, he forced the referee into giving Kelley a standing count and it looked like the bout may come to an end early. Kelley was strong, however, and wasn’t going to be stopped so easy.

Boxers show why club is a force.

The second round saw Charlie start very quickly. Kelley, not used to the pressure, was on the back foot for the majority of the round.

By the third and final round, Charlie was comfortably in front, and the judges saw it this way, awarding him a unanimous decision.

Noah Jolly had a rematch against Evan Cope of Bognor ABC. Jolly had previously beaten Evan by stoppage, but the Bognor boxer has since joined the DISE Boxing College and looked to have bulked up a bit in size.

Remembering Horsham Boxing Club in the 1990s.

Like Charlie, Noah started the contest at lightening pace, forcing Evan straight on to the back foot, whilst being peppered by Noah’s jab.

Under pressure by a relentless Noah, Evan seemed to be running out of ideas.

Throughout all three rounds, Noah was clearly in control and seemed to be looking for a repeat stoppage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Noah this time around, but he did however win convincingly, although only awarded a split decision.

Coach Libby Baker said: “Both the lads did themselves and club absolutely proud. They were both eager to get the wins and knew it was going to be tough in good opposition in Shayden and Evan, but they both stuck to the game plan and forced the pace right from the beginning. The fitness of some of our boys at the moment is second to none and it is showing in the pace that they box at.”

Zack Rhioui travelled to Tenterden in Kent but his opponent weighed in too light, so the contest was unable to go ahead. Zack is, however, boxing on May7 in the quarter finals of the National Schoolboy Championships and is eager to get the win and move on to the next stage.

Coach John Essex had other news about the club. He said: “Having been granted planning permission last year, we will be looking to start on our extension in the next couple of weeks.

“The boxing club is catering for individuals from five years old up into their 60s and is getting a real reputation for having some great boxers in the gym. Having two Southern Counties champions in the first season back after Covid was a great start to the season and we’re confident Zack will do well in the schoolboys too.

“We are in serious need of a sponsor to help with build costs and help kit out the gym and boxers. We’d urge any companies who may be interested in helping out our small club to please get in contact.”