Show Report - Boxing Scotland Novices 2022

Boxing Scotland hosted the Novices in Motherwell and saw nearly 1,000 boxers compete over 2 weekends. Representing Cathedral Boxing Club were;

• Mason Keith

• Alfie MacDonald

• Conor Cuthill

• Andrew Russell

• Finlay Mullin

• Radim Kasny

• Marc Whitton

Mason Keith

Mason fought hard over 3 rounds against a tough and aggressive Granite City boxer. It was an extremely close contest which could have gone either way. Unfortunately the decision went against Mason who secured a silver medal in his first major competition.

Alfie MacDonald

Alfie showed up to perform as he always does. Starting strong, he stayed in range of his visibly bigger opponent and attempted to control the ring. With many great exchanges over the course of the bout he was ultimately unable to settle into the fight resulting in a decision loss in his first round.

It wasn’t to be this time however having faced a new style, Alfie learned a lot from the bout and is now better prepared for future opponents. His opponent went on to do well over the course of the competition showing how good Alfies performance was over the course of the 3 rounds.

Conor Cuthill

In his first bout, Conor was hesitant at first and struggled to time his opponent. He remained on the back foot for the majority of the round in an attempt to figure out his opponent and counter as he is used to. A change of plan by the team in the corner allowed him to dominate the 2nd round making it all square going into the 3rd. Some small adaptions allowed Conor to maintain the momentum he had created in the 2nd round resulting in a decision win - his first of many to come!

The second bout was the final for his category. The pressure was on and there were visible nerves going into the ring which carried into the first round. Conor ability to listen to his coaches and adapt accordingly ultimately allowed him to see great success in the 2nd round again. Notably, he recognised his opponents tells for punches allowing him to counter and move effectively. With a round a piece it was all up for grabs in the 3rd where Conor switched up his game plan again to produce a more dominant and front footed approach in the last round. This clearly caught the eyes of the judges as he won by decision, securing him his and the clubs first gold medal at a national tournament!

Andrew Russell

In only his second bout, Andrew was matched against another strong and visibly bigger CAIN opponent. Both came out strong landing solid shot on each other. Unfortunately the ref gave Andrew a standing count in what was a fairly even exchange. Soon after the restart the ref decided to stop the bout resulting in an RSC loss.

Despite what the coaches felt was a premature stoppage, Andrew did a fantastic job while he could. Getting in the ring is an accomplishment in itself and to step up on such a big stage is nothing short of brilliant, regardless of the result.

Finlay Mullin

Met with a similar opponent to Andrew, Finlay’s opponent came out fast and swinging looking to assert himself early on. Finlay did well to defend and move on the back foot but the ref decided to aire on the side of caution and give a standing count. The confusion on Finlay’s face spoke for itself, a look that the ref misunderstood as a sign he didn’t want to continue and the fight was waved off as an RSC loss.

It was another premature stoppage however it was a great opportunity to walk into the ring in front of a large crowd and an experience Finlay will learn a lot from.

Radim Kasny

Another victim of a fast starter, Radim’s opponent rushed out of the corner and quickly attempted to assert dominance. Both boxers threw big shots at each other with neither willing to take a back step. During the fast and powerful exchange both boxers took damage however following a well timed left hook, Radim was left dazed giving the ref reason to jump in and call a halt to the bout. Radim lost via RSC despite a valiant effort and performance.

More fantastic experience, Radim wasn’t fazed in the slightest and it looking forward to getting back to training and his next bout.

Marc Whitton

Setting out with a clear game plan, Marc’s strategy was to keep out of trouble to minimise risk of damage and injury throughout the rounds of the competition. During his first bout, he successfully kept his larger opponent on the outside using a stiff jab and finding success avoiding his opponents shots by using head movement and footwork to keep his opponent guessing. The strategy paid off as Marc’s hand was raised on a decision win, comfortably moving through to the next round.

Marc went into his second bout of the competition with the same strategy again which looked to pay off. He avoided the majority of the shots his opponent threw at him with the same head movement and footwork that got him through the first bout with many blows being deflected off the shoulders and guard or being avoided completely whilst landing a high percentage of the punches throw himself. Ultimately it wasn’t to be with the judges preferring the high output of the Rob Roy boxer over the more efficient and accurate work.

Summary

On reflection it was a successful event for teamCBC and we are extremely proud of the full teams performance. Boxing can be subjective with different judges preferring different styles and also different referees letting the fights go longer than others. Its a learning experience for all including the coaches and we are really excited to see what the rest of the season holds and we look forward to competing at the novices again next year!