Long road to glory for Bright Star duo

Welsh wonders…Ryan Lawrence, Jacob Lloyd and coach Mitch Roberts

YOU have to take your hat off to those driving amateur clubs to glory.

They put in a lot of miles, a lot of hours to help young boxers progress. And it’s done for love, not money.

Even by the selfless standards of club coaches and backroom staff, Bright Star ABC, in Shifnal, Shropshire, embarked on a marathon journey last Saturday.

Club head coach Mitchell Roberts took two fighters – at short notice – to a show in Port Talbot, near Swansea. That’s a road distance of 163 miles, a round trip of 326.

Thankfully, the trek was worthwhile. Both lightweight Ryan Lawrence and towering cruiser Jacob Lloyd gained famous victories over local opposition.

Ryan, aged 18, gained a tight, but deserved, victory over Bradley Newberry – a bout he took at 48 hours notice.

Mitchell reports: “Ryan gave away considerable weight on the day to a good ticket seller and had to box clever. He produced a fantastic performance, using his jab effectively each round against the on- rushing Newberry and countering with uppercuts when his opponent reached over his lead foot.

“A key to winning the bout was using silky angles and exits which often baffled Newberry. In the end it was a close decision win for Ryan, to the great disappointment of the Welsh crowd. 

That brings Ryan’s record to seven wins out of 11.

Jacob, aged 20, certainly gave away a lot of years and experience to his veteran opponent. Rob Penn is 36.

Youth was well served, however.

Mitchell said: “The opener was cagey against a vastly more experienced and older home fighter, but Jacob took the opener through his sharp counters. In the second Lloyd started the quicker and used long range shots instead of allowing Penn to smother him.

“In the last - Lloyd’s best round - he got into his rhythm and kept to the basics he has worked on in training. He maintained the range, landed a greater variety of shots and pushed the pace, drawing blood from Penn’s nose.”

A well deserved, solid points decision for Lloyd who is looking to turn pro in the near future. He’ll be the first to turn-over from the Shifnal outfit.

As an amateur he’s won six, lost six.

Mitchell added: “An away night to remember for the club. We’re getting a reputation for last minute calls and performing at short notice.”