Boxers Bloodied As Town Bout ‘Resembles An Abattoir’

Muhammad Ali once said: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” There was certainly no absence of stoicism as 12 CUABC boxers stepped in the ring at Cambridge Guildhall for the annual Town v Gown fixture.

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The very experienced Town team ran out overall 6-2 winners, but the students will have learnt a lesson from a defeat in what was, for 7 of them, their first bout.

In a charged, boisterous atmosphere at the Guildhall, this was the moment that many had been waiting for – a chance to prove themselves before Varsity selections in the coming weeks.

The action began, after two demonstration bouts from eager juniors with the first inter-club bout, which Nick Melgaard edged over John Lacy from Downing, who brought strong vocal support with him.

There were flashes of potential from Nim Sukumar in the next bout, as the karate convert showed blistering speed, but like club mate Elliott “Chambers” Chamber could not quite piece together enough to beat their stronger opponents from Iceni and the Met Police respectively.

Having only taken up boxing last October, Simon Paul from Robinson College was up against a boxer, Perry Gallagher of North Herts, who had been boxing for two years. Just two well placed hooks from Gallagher were the difference, with Paul not coming out for the third round.

Chris Kelly at light-heavyweight was another newbie to display a confident performance, but not quite take down policeman number 3 of the night, Joe Kirby, who seemed to have brought half of Millwall with him.

The second inter-club fight at Middleweight saw the rangy Seb “Genghis Khan” Pender just about have the edge over a spirited Aron Schleider of St Edmund’s.

Notwithstanding the intimidating atmosphere of the hall, with the roar of crowd following the bell, the boxers must be credited for their composure, skill and pure determination.

Two CUABC stalwarts – James Philips and Heley Matthews exemplified this.

The technical Philips experienced the three most challenging rounds of his boxing career to date against Deano Cianciola, with one observer describing the bloody outcome as “kind of resembling an abattoir.”

Members of the Misfits drinking society made the trip from the Hawks’ Club to act as ring girls. Click to enlarge.

Matthews did not allow her being knocked down in the first round to be the decisive moment against the snarling slugger Svetlana Link of Met Police, with many feeling the Heley unlucky to be on the losing side.

With a whitewash seemingly on the cards for the Blues boxers, it was for CUABC President and double Blue Chris Webb to step into the red corner. And he did not disappoint. The boxer of the night showed skill and fitness to pulverize his taller, rangier opponent with more combinations than a Cambridge bike locksmith, bringing the Guildhall to its feet with a unanimous win.

Webb’s skill and fitness was unparalleled, providing a masterclass that perhaps the fans were waiting for – “he also is really fit” one blond observer (who looked pretty tasty herself) commented.

The final word goes to LLM student Kevin Morgan of St Catharine’s, making his debut at 36 years of age against his local opponent from DC academy. Morgan traded for three full rounds to notch only the second win of the night for CUABC and the middleweight delighted the Guildhall and his fan base with more of an Irish stomp than a delicate jig.

CUABC captain and Tab columnist Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka was deprived of an eagerly anticipated rematch following the last minute withdrawal of his opponent. We’ll have to wait until Varsity on Thursday March 17th to see the ——————–

CUABC were supporting the charity Future Hope and with the support of the Misfits, around £500 was raised to funding scholarships for street children in Kolkata, India.