HALLIWELL ABC ended a successful year with a sold-out show in Farnworth.
The Bolton club had four national champions and an Olympic bronze medallist in 2024.
Joe Peel, Jamie Kes, Ely Muya and Samuel Aikinsele were all ruled out of boxing in front of their home crowd through injury.
In their absence, Jack Townson decided to roll the dice in the much-anticipated top-of-the-bill bout. He took on NAC Middleweight Champion Marc Haughan (Carlisle Villa).
Haughan, a 20-year-old southpaw with long levers and heavy hands, went looking for Townson after heads cracked midway through the opening round.
Townson gave as much as he took in the exchanges and the boxers touched gloves at the bell.
Haughan started to get through with hard head shots in the second and Townson struggled to find replies. He smashed him with a pair of lefts and a right that sent Townson reeling along the ropes and left him slumped in his own corner, dazed and defenceless.
The ‘eight’ count was long enough for him to pull himself together, but Haughan needed only a couple more clean head punches and it was waved off.
Sahand Fatahi was a Halliwell boxer who really shone.
Fatahi unanimously outpointed Robbie Warner (Black Country Boxing) in a senior bout at 59kgs.
The compact Warner was the quicker to settle before Fatahi landed a quality right uppercut counter after slipping his jab.
After that, Fatahi grew into the bout. He went on to dominate the second, landing a right-hand counter to the chin early and then scoring with well-placed body shots.
Warner landed a jolting left just before the bell to end the second that gave him encouragement going into the final three minutes.
The last round was more competitive, but the quality work came from Fatahi, as he scored with jabs and body punches.
Lewis Blackledge, cousin of former Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Luke, ground out a split points win over Adam Hargreaves (Morecambe).
Hargreaves towered over the Halliwell boxer by around four inches – and Blackledge was straight onto his chest.
Blackledge stayed there outworking Hargreaves with body shots throughout the opening round and the second round went much the same way until the closing 30 seconds when Hargreaves found the room to land some chopping rights.
The third round was close and exciting as both had their moments. Blackledge did enough over the three rounds for two of the three judges.
Max Ramson was another Halliwell winner. He unanimously outpointed Elimane Samba Diaw (Fight Factory) in a Youth bout at 84kgs.
Ramson got close enough to the taller Diaw to land left hooks down and up in the opener before the second round was boxed more at Diaw’s range.
That left the bout looking in the balance going into the last and Ramson made an early breakthrough with a left hook to Diaw’s chin.
He landed a similar clean shot later in the round and went on to win the bout unanimously.
There was quality action in the Youth bout between Luke Street and Rico Winston (Bridgwater).
Winston appeared to edge a close opener with his clean lead-and work and his body shots. There was a quality moment from Street in the second when he spotted a gap and slipped a left hook in a gap behind Winston’s elbow.
Winston was still the busier throughout the round and the final round was a similar story. There were some good moments from Street, but overall, Winston was busier.
Winston won unanimously, but it was a competitive bout.
The show was held on the same night that Great Britain Boxing held their annual awards where Halliwell boxer Cindy Ngamba was recognized for her achievements.
Ngamba, who became the first refugee boxer to win an Olympic medal when she claimed the middleweight bronze in Paris, took home three awards.
She was named Female Podium Boxer of the Year and the boxers in the Podium and Academy squads awarded her the coveted Boxers’ Boxer of the Year trophy.
Her first-round victory over No 1 seed Tammara Thibeault (Canada) was named Bout of the Year.
Lewis Richardson won Male Podium Boxer of the Year after winning light-middleweight bronze in Paris.
Halliwell ABC is a club with a great history.
Amir Khan had first six amateurs with the club before moving to Bury and ex pro Alex Matvienko has revived the club in recent years.
He reopened the gym 13 years ago when he was coming towards the end of his 15-1-3 pro career.
By then, Matvienko has been training boxers for years.
He said: “It was just before I turned pro [in 2005] when I started training.
“I bought a ring, gloves and a hi-fi system and started running classes at the Thai boxing gym. Thai boxing was big in Manchester at the time and I started doing boxing classes at the gym.”
That led to him reopening Halliwell after he ended his fighting career and believes he currently has “one of the hottest prospects in amateur boxing” in his gym.
That is 19 year-old Samuel Aikinsele, who won the National Development Championship in Kettering in October.
Matvienko said: “He had it tough all the way through in the Developments. He beat southpaws, punchers and Repton on the way to the final.”
Ely Muya won the Development title up at super-heavyweight.
Matvienko said: “He came to the gym around four years ago and he was so unfit he couldn’t even do a minute’s exercise.
“We’ve put him on a diet and got him down to 150kgs!”
“I would still like him to lose another 5 to 10 kgs.”
Muya has proved to be effective.
Matvienko said: “We’ve got him sparring people like Frazer Clarke and Jack Massey and that’s got him thinking: ‘I could do something.’ For such a big guy, he can slip, slide and move.”
Matvienko reports the gym is busy – and could be busier.
He said: “The gym is now open seven days a week. We do classes with veterans, fitness classes with over 50s, mental health sessions and we have around 45 boxers carded.
“I have to turn people away. If they can’t do 32 burpees in 60 seconds they aren’t fit enough to join the amateur team. If they aren’t fit and dedicated they don’t box. We have a good team of coaches here and we set the standards high.”
