Thirteen North-East boxers take to the ring this weekend in pursuit of glory.
It’s the national stage of the National Amateur Championships, if you see what we mean, as the champions of the various divisions around the land come together in the same location, along with the top seeds.
Nottingham’s Harvey Hadden Sports Complex is the venue for the pre-quarters, quarters and semis, played out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The winners go to Manchester for the National Amateur Championship finals on Saturday, April 13.
The six North-East boxers who struck Tyne, Tees & Wear gold in the ring in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough last weekend, Joe Tyers, Joe McMeekin, Ben Jarvis, Travis Waters, Jim Tyers and Ben Rees, will be joined in Nottingham by those who received byes, Muzzy Fuyana, Corey O’Neill, Ian Askew and teve Robinson.
Now, we must throw in three number one seeds who enter the fray this weekend, all from Birtley, Tom Hodgson (U60 kilos), Isaac Milburn (U64) and Mark Dickinson (U75).
You can watch the North-East boxers live on the BBC, click here for details.
So who fights who?
U52 kilos: Middlesbrough’s Muzzy Fuyana, seeded two, takes on Burslem’s Mohammed Ali in the quarter-finals on Saturday. The winner will take on the winner of Connor Day v Danny Quinn in the semis.
U56 kilos: Corey O’Neill meets Connor Adaway (Intense) in today’s pre-quarters. Should the Forest Hall star win he will face number one seed Lewis Coley in Saturday’s quarters.
U60 kilos: Joe Tyers tackles Ethan James (King’s Heath) in Friday’s pre-quarters, where success would earn the Darlington boxer a place in the last eight against third-seed Keiron Bailey, from the RAF. Thomas Hodgson has a quarter-final against the winner of Masood Abdullah v Josh Wright.
U64 kilos: Bishop Auckland’s Joe McMeekin faces Essex University’s Louie O’Doherty today when a win would bring him up against Leicester’s Bradley Bethell in the quarters, where Isaac Milburn awaits the winner of Chris Sumner v Amar Akbar.
U69 kilos: Sunderland’s Travis Waters opens against Ben Vaughan (King’s Heath) when his ‘reward’ would be a last-eight bout against number one seed Harvey Lambert (St Paul’s).
U75 kilos: Another division in which the TTW his two representatives. East Durham’s Jim Tyers (pictured) has Eastbourne’s Omid Raouf for company in the ring for their pre-quarter with the victor facing the winner of Rob Magill v Andreo Dascalu in he last eight. Tyers could face Mark Dickinson, recently an international winner with England, in the semis.
U81 kilos: Ben Rees, the competition’s number two seed, takes on the winner of Conor Tudsbury v Karol Ituma in Saturday’s quarters.
U86 kilos: Redcar’s Ben Jarvis tackles Halstead ABC’s Joe Bonito today with the winner to face Southampton’s Luke McWhinnie in the quarters.
U91 kilos: Ian Askew (Lambton Street) has a straight quarter-final on Saturday against Ben Vickers (Miguels) with a potential semi on Sunday against the winner of Natty Ngwenya v Jacob Brown.
O91 kilos: Swalwell’s Steve Robinson, the tournament’s number two seed faces the Army’s Josh Woods in Saturday’s last eight.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins(No third party use of pictures without permission please)
