A young local boxer secured his first win after being out of the ring for seven months due to a spinal injury.
Hamish Berry is one of Mildura’s top rising stars in boxing, having twice been selected to represent South Australia on the national stage.
Berry’s coach, Jackson Ladd, said the fight was a strong performance considering Berry’s long layoff.
“It was a tough fight, which was good because he put on a solid performance given the time away,” Ladd said.
“(The most impressive thing) was just getting him back in there.
“It was a really clean fight for him and a great win.”
Berry was forced to step away from boxing after being diagnosed with stress fractures throughout his spine.
Though the exact cause of the fractures is unknown, they are typically the result of repetitive strain from physical activity or injuries.
“We didn’t know he had fractures all throughout his back,” Ladd said.
“We’re not sure if it was from training or something else, but he fought for most of the year with the injury.
“After the fights in Mildura in July, he had an X-ray and found out he had stress fractures in his spine.
“While he shouldn’t have been training, I think he was still running and staying active.”
Berry returned to the gym in November last year for light training, which gradually progressed into a full fight camp. Ladd said Berry didn’t have his usual sparring partner in the lead-up to his most recent fight.
“He hasn’t had his normal sparring at 55 kilos he’s been sparring me at 90 kilos,” Ladd said.
“Sparring with me helped prevent some ring rust, but there are definitely things we’re working on based on what we’ve seen so far.”
Despite the setback, Berry remains motivated and plans to stay active throughout the year.
“We’ve got him lined up for a fight in Melbourne on March 16 against a tough opponent he’s fought before which will be a really good test for him,” Ladd said.
“This year, we aim to get him as many fights as possible.
“I’d like to see him have 15 fights this year, but we’ll see what opportunities come up.”
