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03/12/2007

England v USA results

The England team continued their excellent 2007, sending another warning shot across the bows of world amateur boxing, as they dismantled a strong American team 9-2 at York Hall on Friday night.   

Sporting luminaries including recently crowned cruiserweight world champion David Haye, Barry McGuigan, Jim McDonald and Sir Clive Woodward were all present to watch the exciting young England team dominate and out-box their counterparts from across the Atlantic. The team was also supported by England's World Champion Frankie Gavin and World Bronze medallist Brad Saunders (both injured).   

In a fixture that represented one of the final opportunities to impress for the Beijing hopefuls, keen to join their four team mates (Murray, Gavin, Saunders and Jeffries) who have already booked their tickets to Beijing, the evening's bouts were both passionate and high quality.   

Paul Butler and Malcolm Franklin nervously wait for the decision

The England team was comprised of eight of the funded squad (Paul Butler 48kg, Khalid Yafai 51kg, Michael Maguire 54kg, Thomas Stalker 57kg, Billy-Joe Saunders 69kg, James DeGale 75kg, Obed Mbwakongo 81kg and Danny Price 91kg) and three late call-ups (Karl Place 60kg, Craig Dixon 64kg and Damian Campbell +91kg) following injuries to Frankie Gavin, Brad Saunders and David Price.   

The night saw impressive wins for Butler, Yafai, Maguire, Dixon, Saunders, DeGale, Mbwakongo, Price and Campbell whilst Stalker and Place suffered narrow defeats.   

GB Head Coach Terry Edwards: "Tonight represented an excellent performance from the whole England team. I was delighted with Karl, Craig and Damian who stepped in at very short notice and all performed really well. They did themselves proud on the big stage and are a credit to their clubs and coaches. The GB squad boxers all performed too and I am delighted to be able to give some of them a well-earned rest after a busy year. However, Butler, Yafai, Maguire, Stalker, Saunders, Mbwakongo and Price join George Groves and all go to Finland in ten days time to box in the prestigious Tammer tournament. This will be our final senior tournament of 2007 and is a great opportunity for some of our youngest talent to develop at senior international tournament level. It's been an historic year and we want to finish on a high!"     

BOUT REPORT

All contests 4 x 2 min rounds

48kg Lt flyweight

Paul Butler (Vauxhall Motors ABC, Ellesmere Port) v Malcolm Franklin (F.I.G.H.T.S. , Rialto)

Paul showed that he can have a future in international boxing with a cautious, controlled, performance to defeat the USA's 3^rd ranked lt flywt..

In fact Butler showed he has pep in his punches and hurt the American with a quality ripping left to the body. A little more confidence and Butler might have done a real job on the American

51kg flyweight

Khalid Yafi (Birmingham City Police) v Qa'id Muhammad (Atlantic City)

"Kool" Kal boxed superbly for two rounds against a strong and powerful opponent, who, for two rounds had no answer to Kal's speed and skill. By the 3^rd round the American was beginning to get to Yafi and the obvious power of the American was beginning to have an effect.

Yafi got dropped in the 4^th round for the first time in his stellar career. No question Kal was ruffled and hurt, but the knock down was as much caused by the, around ring, "toblerones", as it was by the powerful, body shots being thrown by Muhammad, i.e. Kal's right foot slipped on these loose, triangular, ring apron, advertising displays. This is becoming a regular problem in both amateur and professional boxing and is easy enough to solve by either having a bigger ring apron, or attaching the bottom rope lower than it is currently fitted.

Kal showed why he is known as "Kool", despite the power and pressure applied by Qu'id, Kal moved and countered, avoiding the KO shots being fired by the American.

54kg Bantamweight

Michael Maquire (Kettering School of Boxing) v David Clarke (NMU-USOEC, San Diego)

Maquire's first senior performance was a triumph, he displayed all the accuracy, power, poise and skill that won him the European Junior championship and made him the official, boxer of the tournament, our first such champion in 28 yrs. 

However a little caution is needed, whilst Mike hit the 5^th ranked, American with all his best shots, the American came through them and was always firing back. Points were not being scored for the American, as three of the five judges were not seeing the American's body shots land. Clarke was coming back into the contest when the 20 points lead gave Maquire a spectacular win in the 2nd round, with a score of 24 - 4. In fact the officials were 15 seconds late pressing the buzzer to let the ref and boxers know that the contest was over.

Maquire's future is assuredly very bright, as long as he does not stop learning. 

Will Mike attempt to get down to 51kg or go up to 57kg to try to force his way into a 2008 Olympic qualifier?

57kg Featherweight

Tom Stalker (St Aloysius Police Club, Liverpool) v Rico Ramos (Broadway, Los Angeles)

A contest of little action

60kg Lightweight 

Karl Place (Northside ABC)  v Miquel Gonzalez (Cleveland, Ohio)

Karl stepped in for Frankie Gavin who was injured, bravely taking on America's second-ranked Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the strongest of the US boxers, showed class, overpowering Place in the end.

64kg Lt welterweight

Craig Dixon (Birtley Boys PC club, Birtley) v Dan O'Connor (Worcester Boys and Girls Club)

A very close bout. The loser, which ever way it went, would have to feel disappointed. O'Connor is currently ranked 5 in the USA and will have felt he did enough in an entertaining contest. Dixon is ready for more international experience.

60kg Welterweight

Billy Joe Saunders (Hoddesdon ABC, Hoddesdon) v Greg Carter

Southpaw Saunders knew he had to put on a display, as he is pressing to be selected for the Olympic qualifiers, Billy Joe did not disappoint. A fine attacking performance saw Saunders press his point with a RSCO on the 20 point outscored in the 3^rd round. 

Saunders is a serious medal prospect for 2008, if he gets the chance to qualify. Standing in his way is the multi ABA champ and 2005 World bronze medallist, Kirkdale ABC, Liverpool's, Neil Perkins. It is good to see that England has depth in talent.

75kg Middleweight

James DeGale, (Dale Youth, London) v Shawn Porter (Porter Training Team, Ohio) 

A much anticipated clash that has been 3 yrs in the making. Porter, a short, thick set, power house has been on and off USA No1 for the past 3 yrs, he is currently ranked 2 in America. James "Chunky"DeGale, England No1, a loose limbed, hands low, southpaw who floats and places flashy shots, had no intention of letting Porter get a foothold in the bout. For two rounds James was superb getting to within 2 points of the 20 point lead he needed for a 2^nd round stoppage. James was completely outclassing his vaunted opponent and was giving a master class in international amateur boxing.

Come round 3, knowing his lead and in his mind having proved a point, DeGale, switched off, only a tad, but that was enough to allow the ever willing and frustrated Porter that split second between success and failure, whereby Porter's forward surges that were being slickly countered by DeGale in the first two rounds, now became effective. Porter shared the 3^rd round with James, the first time in the bout that the American had had any success.

A scruffy 4^th round saw DeGale run out a clear winner with yet another world rated scalp on his record. So, 2007 finishes with DeGale's 17th international contest, 14 wins 3 losses, those losses being to the World's No 2, 3 and 4 with the loss to the 4^th ranked hotly disputed. 

81kg Lt Heavyweight

Obed Mbwakongo (Fisher & Downside ABC, Bermondsey) v Siju Shabazz (LC PAL, New Mexico)

Obed was too smooth for the ever willing 4^th ranked American, running out a clear points winner. After a watchful 1^st round, Obed, moved around Shabazz, just as he fancied, picking punches with both hands, the American at no time knowing how to get to the Englishman. 

91kg Heavyweight

Danny Price (Westway ABC, Scarborough) v Quantas Graves (Larose boxing club, New Orleans)

"Priceless" Danny has always been a serious talent, now that talent is reaping rewards on the international amateur boxing stage, having won the Olympic test event, in Beijing, last week. Is this an omen? 

From round 1 Danny took it to America's 4^th ranked heavyweight who had no answer to Price's precision or power. Danny bullied the American at will to win

91+ Super Heavyweight

Damian Campbell, (Repton Boys ABC, Bethnal Green ) v Michael Wilson (Bulldog Boxing, Oregan)

A close contest between two big men who tried very hard, Wilson showed a big heart and plenty of determination. Campbell stuck to his guns to squeak home with a count back points win.