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03/07/2008
Team Manager's Report from Bulgaria
Friday 20 June
Team assembled at Gatwick Premier Inn Airport Hotel
Full team consisted of 14 personnel broken down as:
Team Manager - Darren Chapple
Referee - Danny McFarlane
National Coach - Mick Gannon
Advanced Coaches - Graham Alderson and Mark Kinney
Boxers -
George Veness
Jake Beer
Henry Thomas
Ben Jones
Callum Winton
James Kelly
Johnny Saunders
Lerrone Richards
Sam Smith
On arrival at the airport, hotel rooms were delegated out to all. Full pre-trip arrangements were carried out and passports for all were taken and checked. The team were given monies for an evening meal and then an early night was taken for a 3am alarm call to make pre-flight check-in times.
Saturday 21 Jun - Day one
3am - Team raised early for travel to airport, found the book in desk and booked all personnel in. At 11.30 local time arrived at Sofia airport where we were collected by the Bulgarian boxing authority and then travelled with the Russian and Polish boxing teams to Plovdiv to book into the Novotel. On arrival rooms were allocated and a full team briefing given was given out. There then followed a management/coaching meeting.
Following the evening meal a coach trip to the magnificent amphitheatre (which dates back to Roman times) was made for the opening ceremony. Team captain Jimmy Kelly carried the national flag supported by George Veness, Lerrone Richards and Johnny Saunders. This was a great experience for all the new boxers and coaches within the team. The delegate members of the European Amateur Boxing Association and the Bulgarian Boxing Association officially opened the championships, followed by a firework finale. The team travelled back to the hotel, carried out a final check weigh-in and prepared to rise early for the following morning's weigh-in.
The team: Danny McFarland (official) Darren Chapple (team manager) Graham Alderson (coach)
Callum Winton, Ben Jones, Johnny Saunders, Lerrone Richards, Henry Thomas, Sam Smith,
George Veness, Jimmy Kelly, Jake Beer, Mick Gannon (national coach) and Mark Kinney (coach)
Sunday 22 Jun - Day two
A relaxing morning for the boxers; where the team manager and coaches headed off to the technical conference and draw. There were a total of 35 countries and 215 competitors competing for medals at these prestigious championships. Having completed lunch the team set off on the short walk to the venue at the International Fair, Plovdiv, Bulgaria for the first of the boxing sessions.
Prelim round one.
Bout one - Henry Thomas (Darlington ABC) competing against Artur Tomczyk (Poland) at 52kg
Henry Thomas started the first round in his usual fast, aggressive manner - looking for the openings, working from the body and catching the Polish boxer with some great fast shots over the top of the guard. With this level of boxing, Thomas needed to quickly change tact and his angle of attacks as he was starting to be caught unnecessarily by the counter attacks of Tomczyk; a good even round ending 4-4. In the second, Thomas continued the fast pace and started to force the Polish boxer on the back foot. Switching between orthodox/southpaw Thomas was able to pick a good lead going into the last 9-5 up.
During the interval, the corner was told by outside sources that he MUST remove the Green Hill head guard of Henry Thomas as they were not to be used at all. (AIBA ruled that morning that only Top Ten, Adidas or Everlast could be used - No teams were informed of this at the delegate's conference) During all the confusion that took place Henry Thomas maintained his cool going straight back into the bout, crisp light hands shots had the Polish on the retreat early. Working off the lead hand, some aggressive strong 2/3 shot combinations brought home a comfortable 18-6 win for Henry Thomas.
Bout two - Lerrone Richards (Repton ABC) competing against Birkas Yahen (Belerus) at 70kg
Both boxers went out early in the round, looking to find the range with leading hands. Yahen found his quickly and was soon leading with some good counter shots as Richards was reaching for the target area instead of feeling his way into the bout. A couple of late combinations brought the score more even to 4-3 at the close of the first. Yarhen forced the pace in the early parts of the second with some rangy shots building a comfortable lead. Again Richards found it hard to feel his way into the bout and was getting tagged leaning in.
Coming out for the third round, Richards needed to up the pace and get into the contest quick. A good back hand caught the more experienced Belerus boxer but some crisp counter shots made the contest out of reach and Yarhen came home with a good 17-8 win. This was a great effort by Lerrone Richards in his first international match and against a more experienced international.
Bout three -Ben Jones (Batesons ABC) competing against Jomano Westhiner (Holland) at 57kg
Jones had a good height advantage but did not really use this at the early stage of the round. Some good crisp early right hands should have got him into his stride, but the tenacious Dutch boxer was extremely determined, countering quickly with straight shots to stay in the points. The round ended 3-3. In the second the Dutch boxer stepped up the pace and forced an aggressive lead with some good countering attacks moving well off the back foot. Jones found it difficult to get into the fight and settle into a plan... this more to the Dutch boxers' quick movement and ability to counter quickly and end the round 6-4 up.
In the third, Ben came into the fight and really started to use his height advantage, forcing the Dutch boxer back gaining some good points. Switching the attach phase he started to build up a good score and bring himself back into the contest. At the closing stages of the bout both boxers were out to win the contest when Jones was thrown onto the floor by the Dutchman and hit twice whilst down. With the scores at 10-11 the Dutch boxer received a two points warning giving Ben the lead. To the disbelief of all, Ben then also received a two point warning for what can only be described at self defence being mistaken for hitting back! With seconds to go both boxers tried to get those winning shots, but it was the Dutch boxer Westhiner who went through 12-14 to the next round. A great performance by Jones, sadly a win somewhat taken away due to an indifferent referee decision.
Bout Four - Johnny Saunders (St Marys ABC) competing against Igor Jakubowski (Poland) at 66kg
An awesome start by Saunders, It was fast, furious and straight in the face of the Polish boxer. Working hard with body shots the Polish boxer was slowing up fast. Saunders continued to build up a comfortable lead with some fast countering returns with both hands. Switching off for a 20 sec period at the end of the round allowed the Polish boxer back in with some good strong scoring blows, but Saunders closed the first round 9-2 up. The second started in the same format, the fast pace, ferocious body punching and some great movement had Jakubowski back on the retreat, this was a great international debut, polished, effective and a well earned RSCO at 17-5 less than a minute into the second round.
Bout Five - Callum Winton (Hartlepool Catholic) competing against Tyron Zenge (Germany) at 60kg
This bout ended up as a rematch from a previous international contest where Callum Winton went down on a points decision; determined to make avenge the previous defeat. The tall rangy German used his reach well but great covering with his tight guard, Winton scored early in the bout and pressurised the German into mistakes. Both boxers scored well when the openings were available. The first round ended in favour of Winton 6-5. The second continued at a fast pace with both boxers determined to get ahead and gain the advantage early the German became frustrated at being unable to break down the tight guard of Winton and switched to body shots for an opening but it turned to be Winton's fortune, collecting good countering shots to the head ending the round 17-7 up and in a demanding lead going into the last.
The final round saw both boxers working body and head shots, Zenge had to force the pace and get some early scoring blows in but Winton's tight guard held out managing to bring home a comfortable polished performance winning 17-10.
Monday 23 Jun - Day three
Prelim round two
Bout one - George Veness (Newham ABC) competing against Narek Abgarman (Armenia)
A good start by Veness, where he tried hard to find his range quickly forcing the rangy Armenian to think, but attempting to get in close enough to score was proving very difficult being caught with some good countering back hands. The Armenian was very experienced and looked comfortable throughout the first round building a strong 6-2 lead. In the second the same format followed with Veness trying to get inside the long arms and work close with some short fast combinations. Veness continued to pressure his opponent and clawed some points back with great fast combination shots, but a lack of discipline at the end of the round allowed the Armenian boxer to quickly grab 2/3 scoring shots to complete the round 12-6 up. Veness had to chase the bout in the final round and the Armenian simply stayed out of trouble and countered his way into the next round with a positive 18-9 win. This was no simple contest for Veness on his debut outing. The Armenian boxer was very experienced at International level already and Veness should be justifiably proud of his hard work against a formidable boxer.
Bout two - Jake Beer (Newham ABC) competing against Maxim Romtse (Latvia) at 50kg
A great start by both boxers looking to gain the initiative early. Both boxers working hard to look for the opening and collecting a few scoring blows on the way. It was an awesome right uppercut right on the chin by Beer that found the opening at the end of the first followed by a sharp left that secured a good 4-2 for the first round. The second was another positive start; Beer settled early and started to pick up a strong commanding lead with some great combination work forcing his opponent back. The end of the second was strong and a very polished performance, Beer had the beating of the Latvian and closed the round with a superb 15-4 lead.
The third was simply to stay out of trouble moving off his jab. A peach of a right hand should have been counted by the referee, only for Beer to punish the Latvian with an even better right over the top which forced the referee into a standing eight; an outstanding performance at International level gaining a comfortable 22-5 win.
Bout three - Johnny Saunders (St Marys ABC) competing against Marsel Sermmi (Albania) at 66kg
This was second out time in two days for Saunders and he quickly got into his stride picking up a good lead. Forcing the Albanian to move and think hard, Saunders produced some great counter shots that scored well, but at this level you cannot sit back and allow your opponent to dominate or come back into a contest whatsoever, a great 7-2 lead was closed unnecessarily at the end of the round by the Albanian scoring two cheap shots/points. This allowed the Albanian to take an early initiative in the second closing the scores quickly when Saunders moved in with his hands down. Both boxers' styles were similar and it was a great battle of two southpaws working each other out forcing mistakes where necessary. It was Saunders this time that ended the round well forcing two points at the close of the round to go into the final round with a good 10-8 lead.
The final round saw Saunders thinking and working hard. He had the lead and worked well to stay out of trouble countering the Albanian collecting some good points to a well deserved 14-8 win. This was a great win for Saunders but his discipline at international level to referees' decisions must be curbed early so not to alienate himself at the highest level.
Bout Four-Callum Winton (Hartlepool Catholic) competing against Conor McCallum (Scotland) at 60kg
Straight into a fast pace, Winton took the initiative to the Scottish boxer. A good tight guard forced the scot to think hard, but a couple of early mistakes by Winton being caught with some straight counter shots saw McCallum end the round 4-1 up. Winton needed to up the pace in the second to be effective with his game plan. McCallum started the second in the same fashion, fast moving well, and forcing mistakes, but the quick thinking Winton soon got back into his stride switching his attack to the body and hitting with tremendous force and accuracy. The Scot seemed to be in some discomfort with the work rate and amount of body blows taken, a great round for Winton taking a determined lead into the final round 8-5.
The final round was very fast with McCallum trying to work combinations to body and head looking for some openings, the determined tenacious Winton forced error after error and went on to win the bout impressively 13-7.
Bout Five- James Kelly competing against Sergi Szabo (Hungary) at 63kg
Last year's Semi Finalist Jimmy Kelly worked hard from the start against an awkward Hungarian boxer. Both competitors worked the ring well trying to find the initial opening. Switching styles and controlling the ring it was Kelly who took the early point with some good countering shots. Comfortable first round gaining a 4-2 lead. The second round was very cagy and both boxers worked hard off the leading hand, forcing the pace Jimmy Kelly continued to pick up points but some shots where clearly not counting whatsoever. A couple of late sloppy shots from the Hungarian allowed him to end the round all even at 6-6.
The third round was fast and both boxers knew that everything was up for grabs. Kelly continued to look for openings and a peach of a right hand enabled him to take the lead and gain the advantage. Pressing forward, Kelly was caught by Szabo and it continued to be a tight affair right to the end. Forcing the pace to the final bell, Kelly got the punch he needed to secure the win (Even if the round went well past two and half minutes!) This turned out to be another bout where great scoring blows were not being registered with the Judges. The 8-7 win flatters the Hungarian; this should have been a far greater score for Kelly.
Bout Six- Henry Thomas competing against Christopher Joyce (Ireland) at 52kg
Both boxers started the bout extremely fast with the early advantage being taken by Thomas. The inside work was intense and both boxers had lost their head guards with the close work being carried out. Some outstanding Head/Body combination shots had Henry Thomas in a good demanding lead finishing the first round well ahead on 12-4. The second start in the same fashion and against it was Thomas that was the more powerful. The Irish boxer was being outclassed and starting to show the signs of being hurt. The Irish corner noticed this too and the boxer was retired with Thomas coming out a deserved winner.
Tuesday 24 Jun - Day four
Initial checks on Callum Winton proved that the team's decision to remove him from the Championships was the correct one. Extremely week, and unable to do anything, Callum remained at the hotel to recover with family members for the day. Following another free-for-all breakfast, boxers headed to the arena for the second day of quarter finals where we had one boxer competing today and the other four drawn to compete tomorrow.
Quarter finals - Part one
This turned out to be a bit of a sad day for the team, at the weight in it was clear that Callum Winton was in some distress with severe stomach pains and totally drained of all energy. Having taken the advice from the doctor the team decision was to withdraw Winton from the Championships due to illness being unfit to box.
Bout one - Johnny Saunders competing against Bogdan Symonenkov (Ukraine) at 66kg
If ever there needed to be a huge performance in an England vest it was here for Saunders. Up against a much fancied medal hope in Symonenkov from the Ukraine, Saunders knew he had to produce something special. A great start by Saunders, working the tactics he forced errors from the tough Ukrainian boxer producing some great combination counter attacks. Scoring well also from some extremely hard rights over the top and even harder back hands drilled into the body. Saunders closed the first round 7-3. The second round was a more close even affair with the durable Symonenkov working hard inside trying to rough up the bout and force Saunders into errors himself. Undeterred Saunders maintained his composure and settled into his rhythm and closed the even round out 10-6 up.
In the third Saunders only had one thing on his mind and that was to secure a medal... A superb performance working hard off the lead hand, Saunders scored well even having time to raise his hand to the crowd acknowledging their close support in this tough bout. The 18-9 score was nowhere near as good as the performance of Saunders, if a boy became a man overnight in the ring then this was the place for Saunders; an outstanding execution of skill and something that he will look back upon for a long, long time.
Wednesday 25 Jun - Day five
Quarter Finals - Part two
Bout two - Jake Beer competing against Ruslan Struk (Ukraine) at 50kg
A good start by Beer with some early shots again not scoring. The Ukraine boxer got the early lead with some punishing counter punches. A slip on the canvas was then mistaken by the referee where he gave an unnecessary standing eight count. This disrupted Beers style a little the Ukraine added insult to the injury with three quick shots to close the round 4-7 up. Starting strong again for the second it was Struk with his nose bloodied who was managing to produce the good counter shots as Beer forced his way into the attacks. Picking up the odd point on the retreat the Ukrainian ended the round in a demanding position 6-13 up.
This had to be a very strong round for Beer, but the slippery footwork and the fast movement of Struk was always going to be a difficult task. Staying out of trouble was a must for Struk has his nose was starting to get damaged. Pressuring to force mistakes, Beer succumb to some clever counter shots near the end of the round were it ended 7-17 to the Ukrainian boxer. This was a great tenacious performance by Jake Beer and should be proud of what he has achieved during these championships.
Bout three - Henry Thomas competing against Pavlo Ishchenko (Ukraine) at 52kg
Up against a really good tough Ukrainian, Henry Thomas had to stick to a game plan that was to wear down his opponent quickly and force him into errors. Ishchenko was a cleaver mover and his fast hands would definitely have caused him some trouble. A scrappy start, Thomas pressurised and picked up some good scoring counter shots whilst moving in. The Ukraine boxer was moving well and picking up the odd shot has Thomas forced the contest. A good round ending 4-3 to Ishchenko. The second started in a fast and furious manner with both boxers working hard and throwing a huge amount of punches. Caught with two slaps, Henry Thomas continued to pressurise the Ukraine's impeccable footwork that enabled him to score well and pick up a demanding 11-6 score going into the last.
Looking for some quick scoring blows in the third, Thomas continued to pressurise but the Ukraine slowly build his lead and just stayed out of trouble. Working extremely hard to the final bell, Henry Thomas must be extremely proud of this performance. The Ukrainian boxer eventually winning 17-8
Bout four - James Kelly (competing against Mher Hakobyan (Armenia) at 63kg
A good height advantage over the Armenian, Jimmy was caught with three quick successive shots and soon found himself having to get into the fight a lot quicker. Settling well, forcing the pace, and getting into a good rhythm Kelly (Last year's silver medallist) knew what sort of performance was required to get the result. Some great left/right straight simple combo shots brought him back into the lead where he forced the Armenian onto the back foot finishing the round 9-7 ahead. It was the Armenian who again started the faster of the two boxers in the second forcing Kelly onto the back foot. Countering extremely well, Kelly was just not getting the rewards from the judges at all. Two combinations and a stinging right hand had Kelly well ahead at the end of the second with a commanding 14-9 lead.
The third turned into a polished performance, switching styles, staying out of trouble and confusing the Armenian Kelly was able to collect the points easily. (Even if the scores by the judges were attributed to what we see in the Eurovision song contest!) This was an outstanding accomplishment by Kelly where a 19-12 win guaranteed him a medal and a chance to avenge last year's result.
Bout five - Sam Smith (Pinewood star ABC) competing against Poghas Adibekyan (Armenia) at 75kg
Up against a strong stocky Armenian, Smith was immediately under the pressure from the fast approaching Adibekyan. Some great rear hand shots from Smith forced the head back of his opponent went totally un-scored. Adibekyan was strong, but also dirty, Holding, pushing and leaning on at all stages he certainly knew how to rough up his opponents to force errors where he closed the first round 6-3 up.
The second was a better start from Smith, catching the Armenian with some crisp right hands, but again they did not score. Forcing the pace Smith proved he had the heart of a lion, some good shots brought the scores closer but the English corner must have felt totally demoralised when Smith banged in the best left/right onto the chin of Adibekyan but nothing was given, the round ending 12-7 to the Armenian.
The third was a real tough last round by Smith, it was scrappy affair as the Armenian held on to his lead at whatever cost. This was turning out to be a huge gutsy performance by Smith and he surely should feel proud of this achievement against a really hard, durable fighter from Armenia. The result shows nothing in terms of pure determination, durability and tenaciousness by Smith who eventually lost 14-11
Thursday 26 Jun - Day six, rest day
The boxers rose for breakfast. Limited food was on offer and the team management was starting to make arrangements for the purchasing of additional items from other areas. To give a feel of relaxation the team headed into the main Plovdiv town on a cultural day. Dinner was at a recognised food establishment were all team members were given a good nutritional meal for strength!
Heading back into the hotel that night, the dreaded food bug was taking its toll on the older elements of the team when coaches were equally quick at the foxtrot to various washrooms scattered around the hotel complex! The team manager that evening called for a full team presentation evening and invited all parents that were in Plovdiv to attend also. England vests and pennants were presented to all boxers.
Friday 27 Jun - Day seven
Semi-Finals
Bout one - James Kelly competed against Dan Aharanov (Israel) at 63kg
A close start by both boxers looking for the initial opening scoring shot, the Israel boxer took the upper hand and seemed to score comfortably with some swinging shots over the top. Kelly caught Aharanov with a crisp right hand which had little effect on this tough boxer. Some good switching attacks to the body and head allowed Aharanov to build a handy lead and enough to take the bout away from Kelly leading the round at 8-1. The second started fast with Kelly determined to pressure the Israel boxer catching Aharanov with another good right hand shot but the counter right to the head that returned rocked Kelly hard and put him on the floor for a standing eight... Kelly looked very uncomfortable and in his lack of movement forced the national coach Mick Gannon to retire the boxer from further stress and punishment. A great performance for Kelly at these championships and the reward of a Bronze medal compliments his achievements this week.
Bout two - Johnny Saunders competed against Bekhan Shovkhalov (Russia) at 66kg
This was to be the test of all tests for Saunders...Up against the strong, hugely experienced Russian Shovkhalov, whose 80 wins and only 4 defeats only highlighted the huge mountain Saunders had to climb against the favourite for the gold medal and possibly the best boxer in the world at this weight.
Having already taken out the Polish, Albanian, and the Ukraine boxers, this was a tough draw. In the first round the Russian was extremely fast, quick to the first shots and moved around the ring with such ease. Both boxers were able to switch between styles with comfort. A couple of early stinging straight shots from Shovkhalov rocked Saunders but dropping behind on points early into the round it seemed to inspire Saunders to really think and work hard as he forced errors from the Russian. Working the body and head Saunders caught Shovkhalov with some good shots, that did not score allow he continued the initial; first round pressure to close the gap at 6-3 at the end of the first.
Early into the second a great stinging right hand from Shovkhalov rocked Saunders to the canvas... Saunders picked himself up and went straight back at the Russian himself with a stunning left/right combo scoring two quick shots which raised the roof with those watching... Shovkhalov up the pace and caught Saunders with some good counter shots. This tall strong Russian boxer was looking comfortable and he continued to pressure and maul Saunders into mistakes has he forced the bout into the closing stages. The round ended 11-5 to Shovkhalov and Saunders had a mammoth task to get back into this contest.
The third round was explosive by both boxers, some strong scoring right hands from both kept the scores ticking on, chasing the win. Saunders had to continuously work hard to get the points; pushing forward and switching attacks Saunders caught Shovkhalov with some great shots at the closing stages of the round but it was the Russian who managed to take the 15-10 win at the final bell. This is a great bronze medal performance from Saunders, who grew up enormously this week as the tournament progressed. Saunders must feel proud and certainly more respected in the domestic scene in the UK. To be beaten by an international of this calibre and having previously beaten top five opponents in the World, Saunders destiny is clearly in his own hands; how he manages that only time will tell!
Saturday 28 Jun - day eight
FINALS
Although the team had no boxers competing within the finals, some impeccable judging during the build up to the main event turned to be a proud moment for the England team as Danny McFarlane (Birtley Boys ABC) was selected to both judge and referee within the main finals.
The final part of the week's tournament saw both England boxers Jimmy Kelly and Johnny Saunders receive their bronze medals.
Johnny Saunders receiving his bronze medal 66kg
Jimmy Kelly receiving his bronze medal at 63kg
Following the closing ceremony a full team brief was given in preparation for final departures from Plovdiv. All rooms were cleaned and bags/suitcases packed.
Sunday 29 June
The team rose early and cleared the rooms prior to attending a full breakfast together. Boarding the coach at 08.15 hrs the trip back to Sofia Airport was pleasant and smooth. Arriving in the United Kingdom at Gatwick Airport the team manager then presented all boxers with their European representation certificates given from the European Amateur Boxing Association.
In summary, this was to be a huge learning curve for some of the team having their initial International bout at the highest of levels. The England boxers were a young team and relatively inexperienced at international level. There was also a lot of life skills gained where they learnt an awful lot in regards to routine over a long championship tournament. All boxers showed a great deal of maturity when it came to making the weight giving some huge performances in the ring.
The team of boxers need to take back what they have learnt over the build up to this tournament and gain the advantages that International boxing gives young men at this level over others within the general domestic scene. My thanks must go to the national coach Mick Gannon for assisting me in my first team manager's appointment that enabled me to grasp the core fundamentals quickly and with ease. His huge experience and understanding of his teams is an inspiration to those others that assisted him, Graham Alderson (Royal Navy) and Mark Kinney (North West Counties) whom worked tirelessly throughout the whole tournament to make it such a team success. This was a well organised tournament by the Bulgarian Boxing Association sadly I do feel somewhat let down by some of the officiating regarding their scoring.
Darren Chapple
Team Manager