A BOXING club in Annan delivered a knockout performance at the weekend – when four of its members triumphed in a Carlisle contest.
Solway Spartan Boxing were taking part in a white collar event held at Swallow Hilltop Hotel on Saturday evening, and head coach Terry Bruton was delighted to see all four entries from the club emerge victorious in front of a large crowd.
Terry said: “We had four fighters on and four wins.
“It was a full house, with about 500 or 600 people there. The atmosphere was really good – it was really buzzing.”
Dean McMenamin, Karol Rogowicz and Artur Janiszek were all making their debut at the event, with Marek Borkowski returning after a victory earlier this summer.
Terry said: “Marek stopped the guy the last time, but this time it was a little bit harder for him. He won on points, but it was a good technical fight.”
Karol and Dean were ‘pushed all the way’ and won on points, and Artur stopped his opponent in the second round with a body shot.
Ellie McCluskey, meanwhile, put on a exhibition bout, with the club’s visit backed with £100 from Steven Ceates of The Shed.
Solway Spartan Boxing has had a busy few months since opening in March in a former warehouse in Queensberry Terrace.
And the club is now pursuing amateur boxing accreditation.
Training trips have taken place to Nith Valley Boxing Club in Dumfries and in Carlisle at ABC Boxing Club, and a course for the club’s boxing coaches was held recently at Boxing Scotland.
But Terry said: “White collar’s not where we’re wanting to be.
“We want to get the club affiliated so that we can get into the amateur boxing side of it, so I can get the younger kids involved in shows as well.”
And part of the bid requires sponsorship, with Terry noting that the young club is seeking support.
Describing the gym as going ‘fantastically well’, Terry said: “It’s still really, really busy, with new faces coming through all the time. People are wanting to come and train to box, people are wanting to come for fitness.
“We try to cater for everybody and get everybody involved in it.”
