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10/06/2008
England v Hungary
Training camp 30 May-June 1 2008
Competition 5-9 June 2008
Budapest
Friday 30th May 2008
Arrived at the Salisbury ABC gym, Salisbury Street, Liverpool. A training session was held, following introductions and a short briefing. At the conclusion of the session the team was transported to the hotel following an evening meal.
Saturday 31st May 2008
Following breakfast the team was taken to Everton Park in order to have their international medicals completed. Following lunch the boxers watched the ABAE junior finals; this was followed by an evening meal and a training session at the Salisbury ABC. At 8.45pm the team were transported to the hotel where they retired for the evening.
Sunday 1st June 2008
The whole team was woken at 7.15am and taken to the Salisbury ABC for a training session. At the end of the training session a final briefing was given.
Thursday 5th June 2008
Arrival at Luton airport at 1.45pm. On arrival at Budapest we were met by the general secretary of boxing, Valena and the Hungarian coach, who took us to the transport. We were then taken 80 kilometres to the hostel in Gyongyos.
Friday 6th June 2008
The team woke at 8am and we had a brief stroll of the local area, until lunch at 1pm. The after noon was theirs to rest. At 5pm we had another team meeting and strips were issued. At 5.30pm we were transported the short distance to the venue ready for the competition. The ceremony took place at 7pm, where both anthems were played and respected by the teams. Immediately after the ceremony the boxing started.
48Kgs TiborNadori V Thomas Stubbs - Northside ABC
Thomas started the bout full of confidence, slipping the Hungarian's punches with ease whilst landing his own scoring shots. As the bout went on Thomas became more accurate with his straight right hand over the top of his opponents guard. In the later stages the Hungarian came on strong in a bid to change the bout around, Thomas stepped up a gear and boxed in a higher tempo, which was evident and a real crowd pleaser. Thomas gave the England team a good win to start the competition off.
54Kgs Robert Konnyu V John Quigley - Tower Hill ABC
John and Konnyu started the bout in a very cagey style, both waiting for each other to throw first. John countered the attacks of his opponent with superb style scoring with both hands. The further the bout went the more relaxed John became, doubling up his back hand caught his opponent time after time. The Hungarian sustained a bad nosebleed during the later stages of the bout. The Hungarian had some success in the last round; however the skill of John came through as he caught his opponent with 3-4 punch combinations, giving England another good win.
48Kgs Pal Bedak V Ben Fowl - Hoddesden ABC
This bout saw Olympic qualifier Bedak come out strong, looking to finish the bout early. Ben managed to slip the lead of the his opponent with some ease, enabling him to counter to the head and body. In the later stages of the first round Ben was caught with a straight right hand, which briefly staggered him. As the bout went on the Hungarian became stronger, this was matched with Ben's resilience, switching from orthodox to southpaw at times both boxers stood 'toe to toe' whilst exchanging telling blows. Although Ben did not win the bout, he gave a very good performance.
51Kgs Gergely Szalai V Adam Whitfield - Army BA
The first round saw Adam close the ring off well, however it appeared that the Hungarian was able to get his punches off first. As the bout progressed Adam kept the pressure on and was able to get his punches off before his opponent. Adam had good success with his straight back hand to the chin of the Hungarian. In a bid to prevent Adam scoring well the Hungarian tied up Adam every time he came in. The selective accuracy of the Hungarian swayed the judges to awarding a very close fought contest to the Hungarian.
54Kgs Laszlo Provics V Gareth Smith Royal Navy BA
From the outset both boxers trying gain the center of the ring early on, Gareth was connecting well with some good hooks to the body. Whenever he tried to throw his right hand he appeared to lose his footing on the plastic canvas. This was affecting Gareth's work rate the most. In the second round he was caught with a good right hand by the Hungarian, which accompanied with a slip saw him hit the canvas. Gareth came back hard in a bid to thwart the attacks of his opponent. The Hungarian pressed all the way to the bell and got the decision over Gareth
57Kgs Miklos Rath V Martin Ward Birtley Boys ABC
The first round was a very cagey affair by both boxers, in a bid to work the other out. After a fairly even round Martin stepped up a gear, applying constant pressure to the Hungarian. Connecting with some good combinations and switching from body to head. In the later rounds the Hungarian tried to pressure Martin, who covered up well before picking his opponent off with both hands. This was a good solid winning performance by Martin, which was well received by the home crowd and at the end of the night earned him the trophy for the best English boxer
60Kgs Laszlo Paczok V Martin Stead Army BA
This performance by Martin was very pleasing on the eye for all in the arena. Martin relaxed early in the bout, throwing punches with both hands from all angles and ranges. The Hungarian tried different techniques to overcome Martins skills, but was unable to. The last two rounds saw the Hungarian try to apply more pressure in a bid to push Martin back, this he did not achieve as Martin varied he shots and kept the Hungarian away. All-in-all a fantastic winning display.
64Kgs Gyula Kate V Liam Smith Rotunda ABC
Liam stepped up to take on the Hungarian Olympic qualifier, from the outset the Hungarian tried to force Liam onto his back foot. This he did not achieve as Liam let go with some superb, combinations to both body and head. Liam made his opponent commit himself before letting go with his various shots including whipping-in a long backhand to the Hungarians chin. Each round saw the Hungarian come out strong, when in close he would throw very quick punches to the head of Liam. Liam had a good rate of success with his punches, especially as his opponent came forward. The final round saw both boxers throwing shots to the head and body of each other often 'toe-to-toe'. At the final bell this could have gone either way, which is a credit to Liam who did not get the decision.
69KgsBalazs Bacskai V Scott Cardle Kirkham and Flyde ABC
The first round was a good one for Scott who was up against a Hungarian with a good reach advantage. Scott was able to beat his opponent to the punch with either hand. The Hungarian was very good with his counters which were very accurate. As the bout went on the Hungarian began to pressurize Scott pushing him onto his back foot. Scott continued varying his boxing in a bid to unsettle the Hungarian. The last round was Scott's best round as he scored well with his left hook at all ranges. In a very close contest the decision went to the Hungarian.
75KgsNorbert Harcsa V Karl Kirkham Northside ABC
Karl started the bout at long range, which kept the very strong Hungarian at bay; Karl's left hand countering was working well.
Half way through the round Karl was caught with a solid right from the Hungarian, which saw him slip on the plastic canvas. In the second round Karl worked well after drawing the lead of his opponent, towards the end of the second round Karl stopped the Hungarian in his tracks with a left-right combination. The third round was a good one for the Hungarian who got in close and worked well inside, this he maintained for the whole round. The last round Karl went back to the long range in a bid to keep his opponent away. Again another very close bout saw the home boxer get the decision
81KgsImre Szello V Obed Mbwakongo Lynne ABC
A good start by both boxers, with some good exchanges, the Hungarian was very strong and managed to get in close in order to land his shots. Obed was scoring continually with his left hook counters to the head of his opponent. The Hungarian began to take control of the bout in the second round scoring well with a variation of punches, the best of which was the right hand over the top. This he continued to do for the rest of the bout, Obed stood firm and gave a good account of himself, but the strength of the Hungarian came through to take the decision.
91Kgs Jozsef Darmos V Warren Baister Sunderland ABC
This bout started well for Warren with a relaxed array of punches to the head and body of the Hungarian. In return the opponent tried to cut the ring down in order to land his shots. The footwork of Warren kept him away. Warren continued in his relaxed boxing style, picking off the Hungarian with ease with combinations. The third round was a better round for the Hungarian, but still Warren moved around the ring scoring with a good variation of punches from all angles and distances. The last round saw the Hungarian come on strong; at one point both boxers were both unloading good shots as they stood 'toe to toe'. The decision went to the Hungarian, which I think amazed all around; I thought Warren had done more than enough to secure a win.
91Kgs+ Istvan Bernath V Mick O'Connell Royal Navy BA
Last up for England on the first match was Mick O'Connell (team captain) In the first round the Hungarian took control as Mick tried to settle down. The strength of the Hungarian enabled him to wrestle Mick around in between throwing his punches, after a early flurry of punches Mick was awarded a standing count, just before the end of the round. In the second round Mick took hold of the bout catching and hurting the Hungarian with a solid right hand to the chin forcing him back. After the next exchange blood began to stream onto the face of Mick from a cut on the inside of his nose, following an examination by the doctor the bout was stopped and the decision was given to the Hungarian.
The event was won by the Hungarians 9 - 4.
At this stage I was made aware that Karl Kirkham had a problem with his vision, following a thumb in his eye during the bout. Attempts were made to see a doctor, however we were assured that there was not one available. We were then transported back to the accommodation where we were entertained with a hot buffet meal. Each boxer was presented with a gift and the whole team then retired to their rooms.
Saturday 7th June 2008
Breakfast was taken by all of the team at 8.30pm. Following a brief discussion with Karl, who told me that his eye was still sore, I arranged for the host to take us, including the physio, Dawn, to the local hospital. At the hospital we were able to see an eye specialist who said that there was no damage to the eye. As the coach had already left for the next hotel, we made our way along with a Hungarian representative.
The second hotel was set within the local Spa town of Hajduszoboszla. The accommodation was very adequate for our needs. A team meeting was held following the handing out of all of the rooms. The boxers were then given until the evening meal to relax. After the evening meal the team gathered for a quick chat and verbal boost ready for a Sunday's competition. All of the boxers then relaxed and in the main got good night's sleep.
Sunday 8th June 2008
All the team attended breakfast at 8.30am and following a quick team meeting were told to relax ready for the afternoon's competition. At 12.30 a last minute chat to the boxers and check for all of their kit was done. At 2.45pm we gathered and walked the short distance to the venue, which was an open-air park with the ring situated in a drained-out pool. Due to inclement weather the show was delayed for an hour.
Sunday 8th June 2008
48Kgs TiborNadori V Thomas Stubbs Northside ABC
Thomas started the bout off well with some good accurate punches to the head and body of his opponent, who at first found it very difficult to connect. Thomas slipped the incoming punches of the Hungarian with relative ease. As the bout progressed the Hungarian pressed forward and began to catch Thomas with some good left hooks to his head. The midway part of the bout looked good for the Hungarian with Thomas easing off the pace. However the last round was an all out affair for both boxers, Thomas being the stronger with good precision shots. Thomas got a unanimous win decision.
54Kgs Robert Konnyu V John Quigley Tower Hill ABC
John straight away relaxed into the bout, using both hands to score well against a very game opponent. The Hungarian looked confused as John's punches came from all angles and different ranges. The Hungarian was very game, pressing forward trying to push John back. This left john to box off of his back foot for most of the first two rounds. The relentless pounding of Johns punches to the head of the Hungarian caused a bad nosebleed, forcing the Hungarian coach to retire his boxer. This was an excellent display of boxing by John.
48KgsIstvan Ungvari V Ben Fowl Hoddesden ABC
Ben started the bout very confidently, beating the rangy Hungarian to the punch in most cases. As the bout progressed Ben got better and better relaxing into his style switching from orthodox to southpaw, totally frustrating the Hungarian. Ben's variation of speed in his movement paid off as he connected well with both hands, with a good variation of combinations. The Hungarian staggered after Ben landed with a precise right hand to the chin. Ben kept the pressure on the Hungarian throughout the bout, boxing well within his capabilities, and another good display of boxing. The result was a unanimous points win for Ben.
51KgsNorbert Kalucza V Adam Whitfield Army BA
This bout saw another Hungarian Olympic qualifier. Both boxers came out in an attempt to set the tempo of the bout. Adam pushed forward throughout the bout, connecting well with his 3-4 punch combinations. The Hungarian was a very skilled boxer picking off Adam as he came, with some well-timed left and right hooks. The Hungarian didn't have it all his own way, Adam took him out of his comfort zone throughout the bout, forcing him onto his back foot and up against the ropes. The further into the bout, the better Adam scored, but in a very close fought competition the Hungarian nicked the split decision.
54KgsLaszlo Provics V Gareth Smith Royal Navy BA
The rangy Hungarian showed his intention right from the off with some superbly timed long range combinations to the head and body of the gallant Gareth, who was undeterred as he repaid the Hungarian with his own combinations, scoring well to the body close in. In the middle part of the bout Gareth's right hand began to connect to the chin of the Hungarian, this along with his doubling up of the left hook, made the Hungarian go back to long range work, which in turn had the desired effect as he picked off Gareth as he came in. This was a good sound performance from Gareth, but not quite good enough to get the decision, which went to the Hungarian unanimously.
57KgsGabor Veto V Martin Ward Birtley Boys ABC
This bout saw a very confident Hungarian boxer come out to take Martin on; sadly for him Martin had a different intention. In the early part of the first round, the Hungarian caught Martin with some well-aimed scoring straight shots to the head. As Martin got into his rhythm, he began to move in from just out of the Hungarians range and score with some hard combinations, switching from head to body. Early in the second round Martin took total control, forcing the confused Hungarian onto the ropes, whilst he unloaded his punches. Following a standing count the Hungarian coach threw the towel in, ending the bout for another great win for Martin.
60KgsMiklos Varga V Martin Stead Army BA
This bout saw another Hungarian Olympic qualifier, shorter and stockier than Martin meant that he had to get past Martin's longer reach. This the Hungarian did in the first round, Martin giving him too much respect. As the bout went on Martin began to catch his opponent with some ease as he came in, switching from orthodox to southpaw throughout. In the last two rounds Martin was pushed back by the Hungarian and had to use his sound footwork and reach to keep his opponent away. In the later stages of the fourth round Martin was caught on a couple of occasions with some single well-timed straight shots. Although the decision went to the Hungarian, I felt Martin was unlucky not to get it.
64Kgs Arpad Klasz V Liam Smith Rotunda ABC
This bout started with both boxers weighing each other up, they basically stayed in the center of the ring, both delivering well aimed punches to the head and body of each other, this continued into the second and third rounds with the Hungarian scoring the better and clearer punches. As Liam tried to up the pace the Hungarian changed his tactics to throwing a combination and then holding onto. Liam in a bid to smother his work. Although the last round was a good one for Liam, the Hungarian got the unanimous points decision
69Kgs Tamas Sipos V Scott Cardle Kirkham and Flyde ABC
Scott being the shorter of the two boxers had to use his speed to get inside the reach of the Hungarian in order to score; this he did with good success. The bout was fast and furious throughout, with both boxers scoring with good hard-hitting punches. As the bout progressed Scott became more confident started to pressurize the Hungarian forcing him onto the ropes or using the ring to keep away. The Hungarian did not enjoy the constant hard punching from both of Scott's hands, the variation of angles and ranges of Scott's work looked impressive. Scott a clear winner was awarded a majority decision.
75Kgs Istvan Szili V Karl Kirkham Northside ABC
Karl worked well from the off, snapping his jab out into the face of the advancing Hungarian and on the odd occasion the straight left /right combination. The Hungarian was fast on his feet as he rushed in to get past the long arms of Karl, when he did get through he would throw combinations, which were both accurate and very strong. In the second round Karl was awarded a standing count after getting caught with a right hand to the chin, this caught Karl as he was off balance, which made it look worse. In the later rounds the exchanges of punches were a lot more effective from both boxers; Karl pressed forward to dominate the bout. In a very hard close fought bout the unanimous decision was given to the Hungarian, but in my opinion this bout could have gone to either boxer.
8K1Kgs Imre Szello V Obed Mbwango Lynn ABC
Obed had the joy of boxing the same opponent as he did on Friday Szello is one of the Hungarian Olympic qualifiers. This time Obed started off throwing his right hand early on in the bout, this was giving him a good bit of success against the strong Hungarian. After the first round the score was fairly even, however Szallo stepped up the pace of his work and began to catch Obed with some good right hands to the chin. These were soon followed by some left hooks, which appeared to give Obed some problems. As the bout went on, Obed went back long range in order to keep Szello away. The Hungarian, being the more accurate and busy boxer, took the unanimous points decision.
91Kgs Janos Fekete V Warren Baister Sunderland ABC
Following on from the Friday's bout Warren came out with winning on his mind. His footwork, along with his accurate variation of punches, had everybody glued to the ring. The Hungarian boxer looked totally dejected as he went back to his corner after the first round. In the second round Feteke came in search of Warren with a bit more purpose, this only made things easier for Warren who consistently picked him off as he came in. The last two rounds Warren got into a smooth rhythm, enabling him to use variation of punches, leaving Feteke confused. Even when he got through with his punches, Warren managed to counter well. Warren got the decision on a majority points victory. I think everyone in the crowd saw things differently.
91Kgs+ Bence Bouquet V Mick O'Connell Royal Navy BA
Last up for the team was captain Mick O'Connell. Mick's opponent towered him and was a rangy southpaw, which created problems for him from the off. In order that Mick did not get caught by the Hungarian, his shots were falling short of the target. However, the last connecting punch of the first round saw Mick end up with a gash on his top lip. After the first round the Hungarian sat back and waited for Mick to attack so that he could counter Mick's shots, this he managed to do. Mick kept trying to land the bomb he needed to win the bout, this he failed to do giving Bouquet the match-winning bout by a unanimous decision.
Hungary won the competition by 7-6 bouts
At the conclusion of the boxing we walked the short distance to a nearby hotel, where a banquet was held for both boxing teams. Following a few brief speeches the teams were presented with a small gift before the food was served. At the end of the banquet the team returned to our hotel.
As a team boost we went across to the local ten-pin bowling alley and had a team match, which all enjoyed.
The professionalism of all of the boxers, both in and out of the ring, was a credit to them.
Event Information
The information running up to and during the events was of a good standard, which was easy to understand and adhere to.
Transport
We were assigned a large coach to take us from the hotel to the venue and back at both locations. These were both clean and well maintained.
Accomodation and food
The accommodation and food were of a very good standard, which was also enhanced by very helpful and pleasant staff. Nothing was ever too much for them anytime of the day or evening.
Weigh-in
The weigh-in was conducted on the first day, with both sides present.
Boxing venue
The first boxing venue was a sports centre, which was clean and tidy and had adequate changing rooms. The facilities were good with a large area in which to warm each boxer up in preparation for their bout and viewing. The second venue was situated in a large leisure park, within a drained out pool. The crowd was in the region of 2/3 thousand. The changing rooms were of a good standard.
General
In my opinion the tour was a great success. Both teams were respectful throughout. The boxing was of a very high standard, with both sets of boxers learning from the competition. All three coaches worked well together and earned the respect of the team with their professional approach to the tour.
The officials played a good part in not just the refereeing/judging but also as part of the team. Dawn was on hand throughout, for any treatment/advice the boxers required.
Team Manager
Cliff Perkins
Coaches
John Lyon
Darren Maher
Jim Davison
Officials
Jack Goodwin
Dave Bassenger
Physiotherapist
Dawn Ibrahim