Gown Bring Down Town To Take Boxing Crown

As ever, the Guild Hall was sold out for one of the best nights of sport held in Cambridge.  Tickets in the few days running up to the event were like gold dust; those who managed to get them were not disappointed.

A Cambridge boxer on the offensive

The night kicked off with a demonstration of poise and control by first bouter Xiaofeng Li. Li looked like a seasoned professional, teasing his opponent with his speed and punishing him with the precision of his shots. He came out on top, winning by unanimous decision – the crowd were on their feet and cheering for more.Will Wakeford was next up, and fought like a lion for three hard rounds against a relentless opponent.  In a battling performance Will seemed to get the better of his man in the first, but for the next two rounds Ryan Williams of Hayes ABC was surgical in stepping off and punishing the Cambridge medic, earning him a unanimous win.  Blood was spilled and come the end, the roof raised as both boxers embraced.

Captain Borna Guevel’s fight with Wayne Gibbons from Stevenage ABC was an epic encounter. The undefeated Gibbons gave Guevel the fight of his life, pressing him from the first bell to the very last, by the end the Cambridge Captain looked dead on his feet.  In the tightest and best match of the night what earned Guevel victory was that despite the constant exhausting pressure he held his form and scored points up to the final second.  The majority decision received a few boos from the town crowd but they were drowned out by the ecstatic Cambridge rugby team who were out in force to cheer on their friend.

Boxer of the night award went to Will Nyerere, having only had his first fight a few weeks ago his progress has been nothing short of astounding.  Backed by chants of “Floats like a butterfly, hung like a horse”, he demonstrated the former with panache and it certainly seemed like he had horse shoes in his gloves – who knows what goes on in his shorts.  His opponent couldn’t handle his movement and mix of shots, Nyerere getting a deserved unanimous decision.

The final fight of the night was heavyweight Tinashe Murozoki. If Will Nyerere floats like a butterfly, this man moves like a steam tanker through concrete – unfortunately for his opponent, he also hits like the hammer of Thor.  Dominating the centre of the ring and with deceptive hand speed Tinashe wouldn’t let Tom Boyce from Haverhill ABC get away with coming into range at any point, a majority decision for Tinashe in his first fight was a great result for the Churchill Man.

The evening was characterised by well-fought and evenly-matched bouts

Special mention should go to the boys who fought intraclub bouts; the kind of passion that comes with boxing makes it difficult to step in the ring with your team mates.  Whilst they often spar against each other in the gym, it is quite another matter to take them on in a competitive match. Both bouts were fought with the kind of intensity seen in any other of the nights clashes and is a testament to how much the Varsity dream means to these athletes.Conditions of space won’t permit me to write about all of the fights, the above were just some of the highlights but all those who stepped between the ropes should be commended for their efforts.  Varsity is on the 9th of March at the Corn Exchange, early bird tickets are available at a discounted rate until 16th of Feb – get them before they inevitably sell out.

The full list of results were as follows, winners are in bold:

Daphne Tsali (CUABC) Vs Adrianne Phebey (BUABC), Xaifend Li (CUABC) Vs Charlie Smith (HyABC), Stef Lavelle (CUABC) Vs Michael Benning (SIAABC), Toby Norman (CUABC) Vs Will Grant (CUABC), Aron Schleider (CUABC) Vs Wais Ahmed (HyABC), Rob Liu (CUABC) Vs Vish Parma (HyABC), Will Wakeford (CUABC) Vs Ryan Williams (HyABC), Borna Gueval (CUABC) Vs Wayne Gibbons (SABC), Jack Randall (CUABC) Vs Mico Hamilton (CUABC), Tinashe Murozoki (CUABC) Vs Tom Boyce (HvABC), Dan Fountain (CUABC) Vs Steve Livett (HvABC)

Photos by Tom Porteous