Mighty Repton’s magnificent seven national schoolboy champions shine
All hail the Repton Boxing Club record-breakers – their superb seven schoolboys brought back National titles from Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, at the weekend when the ABAE Schools’ finals took place, writes Len Whaley.
Once again the Bethnal Green club’s boast as the ‘Home of the Champions’ rang true as their success overshadowed all their top rivals with a title blitz that matched their success of 30 years ago.
In fact, the 2013 victory parade can stand as Repton’s best-ever – for when they last achieved seven successes back in 1983 the schoolboys competition contained four sections. The senior class has since been dropped, leaving just three age groups.
Playing a key role in the schoolboys’ success were father and son duo Bob Beck and his son Bobby jnr, outstanding trainers working alongside Repton’s long-serving junior competition secretary Kelvin Wing.
The fact that the club’s most successful section at the high standard finals tournament was the youngest group class one – boxers born in 2000 – indicates a bright future, with four of their winners looking forward to two more title bids.
Setting the standard was the lightest entry, 30kg boxer John Lee put on an outstanding display to dominate his clash with Kyle Mason from the Far Cotton BC in Northampton.
From the opening exchanges, the Repton hope found the gaps in his rival’s defences to land stinging shots and continued to control the contest until the final bell – with the judges voting him a runaway 5-0 winner.
In the class one 32kg decider, local boxer Ryan Moore attempted to halt the winning run of Repton’s Aadam Hussain, but came under early pressure as the east Londoner ripped home solid shots.
Moore attempted to hit back, but Hussain’s barrage continued as he piled on the punches that forced his rival to retire at the end of the opening round.
Rakhim Tatou, another youngster who has sparkled along the title trail, showed his class again by piling up the points on his way to a 4-1 winning verdict in his 34kg final with Durham boxer Joe Berry (Birtley BC).
Jamal Khan, Repton’s 40kg finalist in class one, also made sure of his title triumph as he ended the hopes of another Merseyside star, Antony McKenna, his solid shots earning a 5-0 victory.
There was so nearly another national title for the Bethnal Green club when 42kg finalist Henry Turner put up a fine display against Leicester rival Clayton Orchid, only to lose by a single vote in a 3-2 decision.
In class two, Repton’s Jessedean Harris also shone as he clinched the 63kg title after a tough tussle with Geordie rival Kai Hume (Newbiggin BC), snatching a 3-2 decision from the judges against a talented rival who captured a national triumph in 2012.
Repton’s class three 2011 champions, Levi Lee and Levi Coates, proved their class when they bounced back from disappointment last year to score second title successes this time around.
Lee clinched the 38kg title, beating Zac Davies (Hall Green) by a 4-1 margin after fine display, to register a Repton revenge win against the Birmingham boxer who had outpointed Coates in their 2012 final clash.
Coates 40kg decider with well-supported Merseyside hope Connor Butler (Kirkby BC) was another outstanding duel, as the Repton boxer punched his way to a 3-2 victory.
However, another Merseyside boxer, Danny Stringer (Rotunda BC), took the 52kg award by outpointing Repton’s Patrick Ward.
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