TWO Mildura boxing gyms had a successful weekend away in Adelaide, taking on the city clubs and coming away with a number of impressive wins.
Iron Fist Mildura had two fighters score one win and a loss each.
Egemen Keleser fought for the 75kg challenger belt, taking on an undefeated power puncher, and used his range and slick boxing to come away with the win.
Liam Campbell, who also fought at 75kg, faced a crafty southpaw.
He came up short but put in a gutsy performance.
Coach Buster McWilliams said he was proud of both of his fighters.
“We are over the moon so many people came up to us, so many coaches,” he said.
“Egemen’s opponent came up to us and said ‘Wow, what a display of boxing’.
“It was massive for us.
“Although Liam didn’t get the win we will go back to the gym and work on little things to improve his game.”
Meanwhile, Ladd’s Boxing Club sent three fighters away for the weekend and ended up with two wins and a loss.
Charlie Cooper continued his impressive six-fight winning streak, using his volume and cardio to keep his opponent on the ropes during a dominant win.
Coach Jackson Ladd said the win was “another feather in his cap and a step towards the under-19 Australian selection”.
Junior boxer Robert Burns also had an impressive win for his debut, stopping his opponent 30 seconds into the first round.
“His jab was just knocking the kid’s head back,” Ladd said.
“He was just too strong for him.
“It was funny because the referee sent him back to the corner and he asked me what happened and I told him ‘You’ve won’.”
Lastly, Henry Toutai took on a tall, strong, undefeated 80kg fighter for the challenger belt but lost on decision.
“We know what we need to work on to get him back to where he needs to be,” Ladd said.
“It’s just a matter of time so he is doing really well.”
