CARL Dickens believes Wallop Boxing Club are now on the Midlands boxing map after staging their fourth home show at Redditch United’s Valley Stadium.
A total of 20 bouts took place under the floodlights in the middle of the pitch as more than 500 spectators watched on despite the rain.
The first half of the show saw Wallop fighters take on local talent from other top Midlands boxing clubs.
And the second half of the show pitted elite Midlands select fighters against a combination of elite British armed forces, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force boxers.
Dickens singled out Wallop fighter Kai Masters for praise after he was selected to box for the Midlands team.
Masters suffered a controversial split decision defeat against a Navy boxer in his first-ever fight.
He will now box on the return Navy show in Portsmouth later this year.
Wallop’s lead coach and director, Dickens said: “It was a completely different level to the home shows we’ve put on before.
“The club is definitely on the map now in Midlands boxing.
“We had all of the boxing kit hung up in the changing rooms and ring walks which were a unique experience for all of the fighters.
“We matched the fighters in tough bouts which will only bring them on as boxers in the future.
“We’re in the process of building a national champion and we’re heading in the right direction.
“We’ve also built a partnership now with Redditch United which will hopefully lead to more home shows in the future.”
ABA West Midlands Boxing president, Mo Abdullah, was the secretary for the event.
And Abdullah visited Wallop shortly after the home show to give advice and put on a special training class for the club’s boxers.
Professional boxers from Redditch, Leo Fanthome, Jay Van Gelder and Simon Ibekwe, handed out awards to the fighters following their bouts.
The event was the first Midlands select versus Armed Forces show since before the Covid-19 Pandemic.
And both parties hope to make the show an annual event on the boxing calendar in Redditch.
