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Two Timaru boxers have made their mark on the national stage.
Earlier this month William Crooks and George Cann made the step up to represent the Timaru Boxing Association Gym at the New Zealand Boxing Championships in Whanganui.
For George, it was his first time competing at nationals.
Competing in the junior male 63kg division, he started the tournament with a quarter-final bout against South Auckland Boxing Association’s Stanley To’omalatai.
Coach Hannah Guthrie said it was a tough fight.
“George has only had 10 fights, so he was going in a bit green but he was ready, so we put him in.
“He wasn’t really himself during the fight but he did a really good job and ended up going away with a split decision loss.
“He stood up at a national level and competed well but just didn’t quite get the win on the day.”
William entered in to the junior male 66kg division and with just three fighters registered he was handed the bye and given a spot in the final.
He would eventually come up against the experienced Auckland boxer Lucas Potter.
Guthrie said William performed well despite battling a head cold.
“He had been sick all week and hadn’t quite fully recovered from that. He put in a really good effort but ended up losing by unanimous decision.
“The first round was a bit of a shock to the system but he caught back up in the last two rounds and made a bit of a comeback. It just wasn’t enough to get the win.”
She said it was great experience for the two young boxers.
“Both of the boys performed really well. No national titles, but William got a silver medal, so he’s number two in the country for his category, which is pretty good achievement.
“They’ve both been putting in the hard work over the last year or two with lots of fights leading up to it. We’re still in the development phase and hopefully over the next year they can keep working towards a national title.
“They’re both ready, motivated and know that they can compete at the national level. We know what we need to do to move forward and get the results next time.”
Guthrie said she also wanted to congratulate former Timaru boxer Shannon Drake, who won a national title in the elite male 80kg division.
“He moved to Christchurch earlier this year and now represents Riverside Boxing Club. He was on the Canterbury team and won his category with four fights and four wins in four days.
“I definitely want to acknowledge and congratulate him, especially coming from Timaru. He’s been working really hard and it’s a pretty amazing achievement for him.
“He’s always wanted that, so we’re happy to see him develop, progress and get that achievement.”
She said there was one more tournament to compete in before the end of the year.
“We’ve got the Riverside Tournament in Christchurch at the Hornby Club in November. Cameron Clarke will be competing again for the Joel Hill Memorial belt.
“He’s going up against a boxer from the Papuni Boxing Gym. So, that’ll be a good fight and a good way to close out the year.”