BLACKBIRD Leys ABC enjoyed a brilliant weekend at the Riviera Box Cup in Devon, returning with four gold medals and one silver to finish third overall despite entering only four boxers, writes Jack Hill.
Morris James was outstanding, winning two golds in style. He stopped Henry Stone (Birmingham, Second City Boxing Club) in the 2008 under-75kg final with heavy backhands, before moving up an age group to defeat Ollie Lee (Barum), who was disqualified in the third round.
James was also awarded the prestigious Jude Moore Memorial Belt for best youth boxer.
Jonny Noka took gold in the novice 2008 under-60kg final, outclassing Lucas Holman (Sydenham) with superior movement to win a unanimous decision.
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Rio Coates impressed in the novice senior under-80kg semi-finals, pushing unbeaten Bognor Regis fighter Josh Morrison all the way before losing on points. With Morrison’s final opponent failing to show, Coates was upgraded to a silver medal.
Jamal Franklin closed the tournament in explosive fashion, stopping Henry Murray (Wolverhampton) in the senior open under-75kg final after a third round knockdown. His bout has since been featured on the Sky Sports Boxing YouTube channel.
Blackbird Leys ABC coach Keith Perisi said: “Four golds, a silver and a top three finish with just four boxers is an incredible result. The team did Blackbird Leys proud.”
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