TURKI Alalshikh may want to make a note of the name Rueben Muston.
The Saudi Arabian fight boss has named Mikie Tallon one of his favourite prospects – and the Liverpudlian pro has history with Muston.
They met in the semi-finals of the 2022 Youth Championship – and what followed left Muston fighting for his life.
“I felt I was winning the fight,” said the southpaw sharpshooter from Whitley ABC, “and there were only 30 seconds to go.
“Then the nosebleed started.”
And it carried on for five days.
“I got home, had some food and it was still bleeding,” he said. “I went to bed and it bled all night. In the morning, I went to hospital. They took tests and they knew something was wrong.
“One of their first thoughts was that it might be leukaemia, and they took more tests over the next three days.
“They did a bone marrow biopsy and tests on my heart.
“I was 17 and when you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s hard, but there were loads of little kids on the ward and the parents were telling me I was in safe hands.
“The doctors said I needed a transplant and took a sample of my bone marrow. They found it was so rare, no one in the world would match it. They said even my dad was only a five out of 10 match, so it was risky.”
Muston pulled through after extensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy – only to be told his boxing career was over.
“I asked the doctor if I would box again and he said: ‘Being honest, no,’” remembered the 21-year-old from Reading.
“I thought: ‘We will see.’”
Muston has proved the doctors wrong. He enters the NABGC Championship at 54kgs this month, having last season won Development honours and Capital Box Cup gold.
His only two losses in 10 bouts last season were in the finals of the NABGCs and the NACs at 54kgs.
The 27-bout record also shows Muston won Junior honours boxing under coach Nathan Ward, a former amateur and pro from Reading.
Ward puts his boxer’s success down to hard work.
“Rueben wasn’t the most naturally talented,” he said, “but he was always a workhorse.
“He would put in an extra hour of training. He’s so determined.”
His latest success came at the Capital Box Cup in June, where he took gold with a unanimous points win over Kyle Quinn (Leo’s) and Rishikesh Lutchman (Five Star).
Muston had previously beaten Lutchman in the NACs before scalping England rep Jaden Cayenne (Acocks Green) to reach the final, where he was stopped by Abdulrahman Burton (Longsight).
Boxer and coach feel the intervention was premature.
Muston plans another shot at the NACS this season before weighing up his options, with a move into the professional ranks a possibility.
He is currently studying Finance at Reading University, but said: “Boxing comes first.”
