North Star ABC boxer triumphant in National final

Local amateur boxer Jay Stokell of North Star ABC defeated Junior Holden of Athletics ABC in the under 48kg weight class in this year’s National final.

After three closely contested rounds, Stokell was on the right-end of the judge’s scorecards, outpointing his foe to take home the National title.

Stokell had competed in the National Championships before, but this was his first time ever reaching the final. This specific campaign was especially significant for Stokell as he came into this season following an ankle surgery and eight months away from boxing.

Round one started off with several equal exchanges from both boxers with Stokell retaining a high guard when holding off pressure from Holden as he battled his way on into the inside. Stokell maintained the distance between himself and Holden to avoid being dragged into a slugfest.

In round two, the roles were reversed with Stokell boxing on the front foot to push Holden back, able to land several clean shots. Stokell retained the pressure on Holden for a full two minutes, landing several clean backhands which sent Holden staggering into the corner.

The third and final round saw Holden begin to fight back once again, landing a five-punch combination on Stokell one minute into the round. Stokell undeterred, forced his way back at Holden and staggered him back once again.

The fight ended with Stokell taking a 4-1 split decision making the schoolboy a first-time National champion and North Stars tenth National champion in seven years.