Tavistock Amateur Boxing Club held their first event following the relaxation of pandemic rules last weekend.

The venue was Tavistock College sports hall, chosen because sufficient space was available to socially distance if one wished.

The evening started with the youngest member of the Tavistock squad, 10-year-old Ajay Ward, entering the ring for the first time. His opponent was Torbay’s Layton Birch.

In a very even skills contest both boxers showed their potential, Ajay, although slightly shorter, managed to close the distance and score with good combinations, he had a good work rate and showed some good footwork moving in and out of range. A highly commendable performance from Ajay’s first time in the ring.

Next to the square ring was Alfie Forer in a skills bout matched at 55kg. Alfie was taller than his opponent, Murray Messenger from Sturminster Newton ABC, and used the advantage of longer reach and better movement to score some good shots.

His opponent tried to close the distance and on several occasions managed to score with some good punching. Skills contests are unscored and both boxers efforts were appreciated by the crowd

The result of the next contest was eagerly awaited, this was the first outing in a competitive bout for Tavistock’s Cameron Underwood, weighing in at 71kg. His opponent was Ben Quinn from Avalon ABC.

The lockdown training appeared to work as Cameron’s efforts from the start were good, with sharp punching and good movement, he had his opponent under pressure from the first bell, three quarters of the way through the first round the Sturminster man had to take a standing eight count.

Twenty seconds into the second round after a good right hand from Cameron his opponent had to take another standing eight count. Good work from Cameron kept the punch rate high and on the occasions he was pushed back he managed to defend well. With both boxers tiring, the third round was a battle of a different kind, the stamina of each contestant was tested as holding their gloves up became a challenge, a good effort from both but once again Cameron stepped up and having got Quinn in a corner unleashed some good punches including several to the body. The final bell came and the result was a unanimous points win for Cameron Underwood.

The next bout was Tavistock’s Freddy Walker against Jack Lee from Exmouth ABC. This was another middleweight battle, the first time out for both boxers. From the initial stages the rhythm of the bout was set, the taller Lee punching from range and Freddy closing the distance to engage with his own shots. Fred cut the ring several times but failed to take advantage of this tactical superiority. Many of Lee’s blows were taken on the gloves and arms and Fred’s defence was good. In the second round Lee was warned for not landing blows with the knuckle part of the glove, these loose blows were mostly blocked. In the third round, when both men were tired, the pace slowed a little, but Fred still managed to score with some good hits to body and head. The result was eagerly awaited and both boxers were congratulated by the referee and crowd for a well-contested bout. The result was a split decision in favour of Exmouth’s Jack Lee.

Next into the ring for Tavistock was Luis Broadway his opponent was the St Ives Bay boxer Mikolai Romanov-Phillips. Luis boxes at 80kg in the light heavyweight division. His task was to keep the shorter Phillips at the end of his reach. This proved easier said than done! Phillips came forward from the off and his blows were heavy. Luis did well, his long shots were scoring but Phillips forced the pace and closed, throwing heavy roundhouse blows. In the closing seconds of the first round Luis received a standing eight count after a prolonged attack from Phillips. The second round started at a slower pace and initially Luis did some good work at range. As the round progressed though Phillips continued to come forward throwing punches, in return Luis showed some good work particularly uppercuts, but these were thrown when on the back foot and lacked power. The third round showed both men slower as their efforts took the toll of their physical reserves. Luis managed to throw some good shots but now they lacked power, the same was true of Phillips. The result was a unanimous decision for Phillips.

Declan Woodgate had a clash against Ryan Partridge from Wales. The match was made at 86kg and both boxers were heavy built, Partridge slightly taller. From the bell Dec advanced and his punching was accurate, some good variation with head and body shots saw him take an early advantage. At times a little scrappy the bout continued in to the second round where following a good left hand from Dec the referee intervened and asked for the corner to wipe the blood from the face of Partridge. The bout then continued with the Tavistock man continuing to do good work with some straight shots, at one stage changing to southpaw to look for tactical advantage.

The third round saw Partridge looking to gain advantage by throwing loose punches to the head, these were mostly blocked, and body movement meant others missed, but some did land and Dec’s resilience showed as he took the punch but still boxed on. A close fought contest with neither man giving ground, the decision when it came was a unanimous points win for Declan Woodgate.

Other Tavistock boxers, Charlie Perrin and Noah Handley, were due to compete but their opposition withdrew at the last moment.

Cameron Underwood was awarded the Best Junior Cup and Declan Woodgate received the Best Senior Cup.