Sean slugs it out but takes defeat

May 23 2008

ON Sunday, May 11, Sean Vincent travelled to Edinburgh to box Shahazabe Ali, from Leith ABC.

Sean once again started well, boxing behind his left jab, and followed up with the right. But Ali was a strong opponent and kept pushing Sean back onto the ropes with looping left and rights, which caught him several times, forcing him to cover up.

Sean wasn’t given the time to box and had to try to slug it out which is not his style, and at the end Ali was awarded the decision.

Also boxing, against Chris Cowan, from the Lochend Club, Edinburgh, was middleweight Dale Baxter.

Cowan was a tall boxer and kept Dale on the end of his long punches and switched to the body to good effect, forcing Dale to take a standing eight count in the second round.

In the final round, Dale began to force his opponent to retreat as he pushed forward and managed to land some well-placed punches.

Dale tired through the round and Cowan again took control in the middle of the ring. At the bell, Cowan was rightly declared the winner.

After turning 11 in February, Ben Kynoch, who has been training with the Perth Railway ABC for several years, became elegible to box.

Ben is the younger brother of Sam who had a successful boxing career with the club, winning the British university championships during his boxing days.

Sam now lives in Glasgow due to his work as a solicitor and no longer boxes due to a prolonged injury to his ribs but is still involved in training and helps out at the club when in Perth.

Ben has been to several open shows where you turn up and are matched on the day but he is 46kg and it is difficult to find opponents the same age and weight.

He boxed an exhibition in Moodiesburn several weeks ago against a 13-year-old and put on a good display.

Eventually an opponent was found in Dundee and Ben travelled to a show in the Logie Club for his debut bout.

His opponent was Connor McInearney, from Lochee ABC, a slightly shorter lad but well built.

From the opening bell, Ben jabbed and moved well, working to the body with both hands and put on a fine display of boxing.

Connor was a gutsy young lad and continued to try and force Ben back on the ropes but he covered up with his gloves, letting his opponent tire himself out, and returned with solid hooks to the body and head.

At the end of the bout, Ben was declared the winner from all the judges.

Now he can’t wait to box again and hopefully will get a bout at the open show for youth boxers with no more than 10 fights on their cards at the Newarthill ABC on Sunday, May 25.

It’s good to see a young lad with Ben’s enthusiasm and, if he continues to improve, could do very well in the future.