A military invasion was repelled at Bridlington Boxing Club as they hosted their latest show at the CYP.
A strong team from the British Army took on some of Bridlington and Yorkshire’s finest boxers in an evening packed with action, entertainment, and community spirit.
The show began with four well-supported skills bouts. Designed to help young and developing boxers gain valuable experience performing in front of a live crowd, these contests are focused purely on skill, learning, and development, with no official decision given.
The atmosphere inside the venue was electric from the opening bell, with supporters getting behind the youngsters and creating a fantastic environment for the next generation of talent to showcase their abilities.
Bobby Beasley, George Barber and Derry Harris stepped into the ring for the first time in these skills bouts and showed great composure and maturity.
Abigail Harris was taking part in only her second skills bout and, despite a late opponent change, handled herself exceptionally well throughout the contest.
She produced a dominant performance and looked sharp from start to finish.
The display was so impressive that coaches now feel she is ready to move into fully competitive contests.
Two Bridlington boxers made their debuts in scored bouts. Ava Maltby and Reuben Davey both came up just short on the judges’ scorecards but can be proud of their efforts and will undoubtedly take valuable experience forward.
Evie Lakes is no stranger to boxing in Bridlington and has become a regular feature.
The junior cadet national champion faced Mia Gardener from Brandon BC and boxed brilliantly on the back foot, landing clean shots before moving and spinning away effectively.
The Bridlington coaches were delighted with what felt like a dominant performance from Lakes but the judges saw things differently, awarding a split decision victory to the visitor.
Lakes’ quality and effort did not go unnoticed, with the prestigious Phil Blakeston Belt for Best Home Boxer of the Night going her way for a third consecutive time.
Ophelia Leason was the fourth female boxer representing Bridlington, highlighting the strength of female boxing at the club.
With Bridlington’s world silver medallist Emily Asquith in attendance, it was easy to see why it continues to thrive.
Leason made a slow start against her Hull opponent but improved steadily and finished the fight strongly, but another split decision went against the home boxer.
Makhaya Widnall featured in the first senior contest of the evening, making his senior debut against the Army’s Joe Wright.
Widnall controlled the contest superbly with his speed, movement and range to gain a unanimous decision victory.
Joe Cappleman was also matched against Army opposition in Raja Asif. The contest marked Cappleman’s first bout back following a short lay-off but he looked sharp and fresh.
He boxed confidently throughout a competitive encounter in which both fighters enjoyed success. Asif ultimately took the decision in a close contest.
The evening’s main event saw Bridlington’s senior national champion and current youth European champion Oliver Male move up in weight to face Aaron Doherty of the British Army.
The light-heavyweight contest showcased Male’s excellent boxing IQ, slick skills and trademark high-tempo style. Doherty proved to be a tough and determined opponent and enjoyed his own moments of success but Male’s class and sharpness proved the difference as he delivered an outstanding performance.
Head coach Damien Grant praised the efforts of everyone involved and said:
“As a coaching team we are so proud of the boxers’ efforts and how they handled themselves.
“On one side of the card we have a number of first timers having their first skills bout or first competitive bout and on the other side we have our own elite boxers taking on the very best the British Army has.
“For our boxers to take on full-time athletes, which is what these Army lads are, and take that in their stride is phenomenal.”
Grant thanked his own army of volunteers who helped pull the show together.
“It was fantastic to have our local professional boxer James Precious in attendance, passing on guidance to the young boxers, as well as Emily Asquith making the journey over to support the team,” he added.
