WHAT COMMITMENT, HIGH SKILL AND SPORTSMANSHIP!
WHAT GREAT ORGANISATION BY GRAHAM BROCKWAY and CO AT MERLINS BRIDGE ABC!
WHAT AN AMAZING SHOW!
 
Merlins Bridge Amateur Boxing Club produced an amazing parade of the talent being nurtured in local youngsters taking part in The Noble Art of  boxing at the club as 14 young men and two young ladies took on the pick of talent from across other clubs in South Wales which will be talked about for a long time to come after a special evening at the Withybush Showground in Haverfordwest.
 
There was great pazazz aplenty as every boxer made the long walk  from the changing room to the ring with their own choice of music, alongside flashing lights, as MC Toby Ellis, the owner of Pure West Radio in Haverfordwest, welcomed the boxers with his own brand of dynamism and lively introduction – and adding to the atmosphere were the two  giant screens above the ring that provided even those towards the rear of the large arena with a fantastic view
 
And talking of audiences, there was a real air of support for both sets of boxers, home and away, with a bar meal provided for those who wanted it and a comfortable seat for all so that everyone had a cracking view as the excellent stewards made sure that no one stood and blocked the view of those that were enjoying their food or simply sitting to enjoy that special atmosphere that amateur boxing can engender.
 
Furthermore, local business had enthusiastically supported the event so that every bout was sponsored and every boxer, win or lose, went home with a quality memento of a large trophy in the form of a cup.
 

 Show starts with a bang as John Henry shows his class
 
The evening certainly started with a bang as John Henry Smith took on Frankie Parry (Bonymaen) and the crowd was soon on its feet as these 10 year olds showed skill levels way beyond their years over the three rounds where John Henry just held that vital edge that saw him gain a unanimous points’ decision to maintain his 100% record after four bouts.
 
John Henry has all the attributes normally gained over a number of contests and a measure of his composure is the fact that one of contests his took place as far away as Birmingham in front of a large and noisy crowd in support of his opponent.
 
But he soon had them on his side as they recognised his talents - and he was in top form from start to finish in this latest bout, right up to the time he received his trophy from sponsor Helmut Reinhardt.
 
 







 



 
Alfie denied by judge’s decision
 
Alfie O’Sullivan was next up, one of three brothers on view during the evening from the Goodwick boxing family dynasty, with dad Wayne joining Graham Brockway in the corner. The bout was sponsored by D&O Construction Pembs Ltd and Alfie boxed really well against Travis Coburn (Portmead & Blaenymaes), who is also a very talented young boxer and the verdict was in doubt right up to the MC’s announcement, when Travis edged through on a split decision.
 
Alfie was understandably disappointed to come runner-up on his own club’s show but he has a bright future in the ring and this narrow loss will make him all the more determined to win next time out.
 
 
 









Trent and Henry battle hard
 
Trent Brazell was the third local boxer on the bill and he faced an experienced opponent in Brandon Miles (Pontypridd), in a bout which was sponsored by Powershack Gym - but went to Brandon in the unanimous opinion of the three judges.
 
This was only Trent’s fourth time in the ring and he showed he had good ringcraft as he boxed behind a straight jab and moved well under pressure from a powerful opponent.
 
Trent is the son of well-known Haverfordwest rugby player Richard and clearly has his father’s commitment in his make-up - and will soon be having his arm raised by the referee as a winner!
 
 




 



 
 


Henry Dark has been in the ring eight times before and won half of them so he was hoping for another success as he took on Adam Kakualla (Portmead & Blaenymaes), with Polite Recovery as sponsors.
 
Kakualla arrived with the reputation for power and although Henry did well to stay the course and land some good clean punches he was often on the back foot and ended up losing out to a unanimous decision.
 
Graham Brockway later told PembrokeshireSport.co.uk that Henry is a fantastic trainer in the gym who shows all the attributes to do really well, once he grows in confidence and self-belief.
 
 








 
Great performance by Malie and Maddie as they fly the girls’ flag in style
 
One of the undoubted highlights of the evening was the performance put on by the first female of the evening as Malie Polak took on Shi Nicholas (Pontypridd) and showed why she had won her first two bouts.
 
Malie was conceding height to her opponent but moved around the ring with total confidence to catch Shi off guard in all three rounds with her excellent jabs and combination punches that brought huge cheers from an appreciative audience.
 
As someone who took some convincing that girls should be boxing, this young lady is quiet and modest outside the ring but moves with a grace and confidence and this bout, sponsored by BDS, is one that onlookers like me will long remember!
 
 


 
 


The second female bout of the evening was a resounding success for the Merlins Bridge Club as Maddie Guy set off with a powerhouse display that left opponent Keisha Rees (Pontypridd) on the back foot from the opening moments of a bout sponsored by JP Junior Scaffolding.
 
Southpaw Maddie exploited her reach with a series of straight lefts that left her opponent reeling and the referee sensibly gave Keisha a standing count.
A second standing count soon followed and Maddie was victor after less than a round and coaches Brockway and Naomi Dalton were also jubilant after Maddie had bounced back so well from two previous losses.
 
 
 








 
Promise shown by Elwood and Easton
 
Elwood Joseph had to box an exhibition bout against Easton Radnidge (Bonymaen) because his opponent was in a different weight category - but he gave a good account of himself, despite that fact that he was sometimes caught by long-range punches as he had his hands held low.
 
But he has excellent movement around the ring and if he listens to the good advice from his coaches he could be one to watch for the future! This bout was sponsored by Travis Perkins.
 
 
 
 











Harley Whelton rounded off the first half of a packed programme as he took on Ronnie Barker (Cardigan) in an action-packed bout where Harley caught Ronnie with some strong long-range punches but the Cardigan boxer is very street-wise and responded with some excellent jobs and combinations that eventually forced Harley to take a standing count.
 
It was great to see the sportsmanship shown as they touched gloves at the end of each round - and although he was disappointed to lose on a split decision Harley showed that with further hard work, he is going to be one to watch in the future!
 









 
**THAT CONCLUDES OUR REPORTS OF THE FIRST EIGHT BOUTS AND GREAT PICTURES, TAKEN BY BARRY FREARSON, AND TOMORROW PEMBROKESHIRESPORT.CO.UK WILL BE BACK WITH THE SECOND HALF, ALONGSIDE THE REST OF BARRY’S PICS!**