Bridgnorth boxing shows proves to be a big hit

The evening marked the first boxing show hosted by a Bridgnorth boxing club since the 70s, and many in attendance were either not born or too young to remember boxers such as Pete Morris and Tony Tacchi, who represented the town all those years ago.

One person that remembers those days, though, is Mark Ansell, who trained under Tacchi, and his daughter Jodie competed in a skills contest.

The Academy’s Josh Bill and Emily Gilmour also competed in non-decision skills bouts.

There were three in club non-decision exhibitions where Teddy Yarwood took on Callum Mitchell, while Ollie Abbott stepped in at the last minute to take on Ewan Fellows and Shaun Bristow took on Josh Pirie.

Mixed between the skills bouts and exhibitions were five scored bouts.

Henry Round enjoyed a winning debut as he saw off a strong opponent from Oswestry on a points. Reece Butler, in only his second bout for the club, took the win against a tall and durable opponent from Derby and Ash Hickman scored a second-round stoppage victory against a fellow heavyweight from Telford.

With the AAA Scaffolding Sponsorship Title belt up for grabs, Marcus Rowley forced his rival from Derby to retire on his stool after round one.

To close the show, Harry Liddle took on another Derby-based boxer, who was 10 years his senior, but a composed performance saw Liddle knock his opponent out to take home the Fluffy Dragon Co Sponsorship Title belt.

Lead coach Sean Powell was delighted with the event.

“Wow, what a great show of boxing from the very first bout,” he said. “The crowd were fantastic and created a great atmosphere for home and away boxers.

“The feedback we have received has been that it was a resounding success and when is the next one?

“We would like to thank the leisure centre and their staff, our sponsors Fluffy Dragon Co, AAA Scaffolding, The Court, Kolorkraft, Airtime Solutions, Hive Works, Menz Room, Car Leasing and Taylor Haines and, last but not least, the spectators who came in their 100s to watch and support.’

Bridgnorth Boxing Academy offer sessions for all ages and abilities, you can find them on social media @bridgnorthboxing or via their website.