Boxing academy produce top show

The club attracts boxers from Batley, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton and surrounding areas and ten fighters from the host club were on the show, which started with a skills bout (no result to count) between home man Rizwan Aslam and Josh Whittaker of Pontefract.

It proved to be an entertaining bout with both youngsters putting on a good show for the appreciative crowd.

Bilal Ali stole the show in his debut fight as he dominated Keighley’s Warren Bennett to earn a unanimous points victory and he was also voted young fighter of the night.

Callum Grace suffered a narrow points defeat to Doncaster’s Connor Kelsell in his bout.

Jordan Yates was competing in his first fight for Cleckheaton and he overcame Manchester’s Samuel Curbishley as the home success continued.

Ismail Khan and Derbyshire’s Jake Morgan had met twice before, with each fighter recording a win, and the third clash proved to be just as close, with the Cleckheaton man edging it on points after another epic battle.

Oliver Robinson defeat Bilal Ali of the Bradford Police Club in an entertaining bout between two local fighters.

Danny Rogers produced a devastating first round stoppage win over Alistair Stead, of Moss Side, Manchester, and the Cleckheaton man also picked up the senior boxer of the night award.

Heavyweight Reece Carney recorded a unanimous points verdict over Jordan McIlwrath, who travelled from Coalville in Leicestershire to attend the show.

Hamza Mahnood boxed well but was edged out on points against Isaac Miller of the Sharkey’s Club in Leeds but Cleckheaton bounced back in style when Jordan Schofield recorded their seventh win of the night, overcoming Lucas Posnic of Moss Side.

Keith Tate and the other coaches at the Cleckheaton Academy thanked everyone who attended the show and hailed it as one of the best the club have organised.

Cleckheaton had two fighters competing at the Yorkshire Junior Novice Finals last Saturday.

Owais Liakat defeated Jennings, from Halifax, to be crowned Under-10 Novice Yorkshire Champion but Husnain Khan was edged out in his final against a tough opponents, Whitehead from Burmantofts in Leeds.

Ashley Vanzie, who fights out of the Cleckheaton gym, travelled to Scarborough for a bout against home man Matthew Tinker, despite only having 12 hours notice.

Vanzie, who had an impressive run in last year’s Senior ABA’s, knocked his opponent down in the first round and from then, Tinker was content to try and hold to prevent being caught again.

Eventually, the referee had seen enough of Tinker’s spoiling tactics and disqualified the Scarborough man, handing another victory to Vanzie, who was in complete control of the bout.

Cleckheaton fighter Jake Whitworth boxed on a bill in Halifax on Friday but suffered defeat.