Action shots from the charity boxing match Pics: Amy Farnworth

Ingol Labour Club was packed to the rafters on Sunday afternoon as it played host to a charity boxing show organised by Larches and Savick Boxing gym.

With two skills bouts, eight junior bouts and four senior fights, the 14-contest show pulled in local support showing that yet again Larches and Savick has a strong community following.

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The club welcomed boxers from all around the North West, with young representatives from Jennings Gym in Chorley; Blackburn; Blackrod; Bury ABC; Clayton Boxing Club in Burnley; North Mersey; Everton Red Triangle; Stockport College; Astley VIP; and some as far as Llay in Wrexham and Border City from Carlisle.

First up were Patrick Gavin and Ciaran Gallagher from Larches & Savick, who faced C. Stridgeon and Brad Geoghan respectively. The young boxers showed determination and stamina throughout, and as it was a ‘skills’ fight there were no official winners, with all four lads receiving congratulatory praise for taking part.

The junior contests saw Larches boxers, Owen Strickland, Kara Swift and Jimmy Gavin fighting S. Mansoor from Blackburn, Abbey Mackay from Everton, and Lee Whittle from Stockport. All three Larches boxers won their bouts with Owen winning by a TKO, Jimmy taking the points, and Kara cinching a win in her first time in the ring on a close points call.

Nick Gabrysch and Morgan Fielding (Larches) packed wild punches against their opponents, J.Roland from Border City and Mikey Linfoot from Jennings Gym. Roland was quick to dominate in the first round, with his high energy and rapid style, landing jab after jab. Gabrysch fought back gallantly but unfortunately lost out on the win with Roland taking the points.
Morgan Fielding defended well in an evenly-matched fight, and landed some cracking shots but Linfoot’s sharp crosses swayed the judge’s decisions in what was a very close contest; both boxers truly deserving but Linfoot edging the win.

Bouts between B.Hackett from Astley VIP and B.Iqbal from Bury saw the non-locals fighting confidently with some intense blows and neat and composed technique. Hacket won on a split decision.

Nathan Linfoot (Jennings Gym) took on S.Morris from Llay ABC in the fifth bout of the afternoon. The colourful fight saw both boxers up against the ropes on more than one occasion; Linfoot knocked down in the first round and Morris almost swept off his feet in the second. The scrap and a half resulted in a clear victory for Linfoot with boxer and coach, Michael Jennings, cheering him on from his corner.

Another win for Jennings Gym came when A.Carter beat C.Gaynor from Bury. The ante was upped in this contest with some powerful punches being thrown between the lads: rapid, tight jabs and some belting right hooks from Carter towards the end of the first round. .

The tenth fight between Umar Niaz, and B.Baxter from Astley VIP saw the Bury boxer securing a points victory with some solid punching and fast combinations.

The remaining senior bouts brought home three victories for the Larches lads with Stan Houghton fighting a good, tight, well composed fight, sending M.Roberts from Llay down to the ground in the first round. Some lovely boxing from Stan and an easy win to add to his collection.

In his debut fight for Larches, Danny Mackay took on B.Lamont from Stockport College, showing the crowd his excellent range and fast jabbing technique, landing long, hard, powerful punches to his opponent and spilling some blood in the process. Another clear win for the Preston club in what was a very intense but exciting bout.

Last on the bill was Jack Phoenix, an already well-established amateur, and he rounded off the afternoon nicely with a definitive win over A.Howarth from North Mersey. Phoenix showed good composure and held a solid defence, boxing well and landing some great power blows. Howarth waged in with classy crosses, landing some neat shots throughout the fight but it was Phoenix’s handy uppercuts and almighty backhands that sealed the deal in a deserved victory.

The show proved to be a huge success with hundreds of tickets sold and many supporters turning up on the door too. A raffle was held with several gym memberships given away, as well as a framed Carl Froch picture. All the money raised from the event will go towards paying for new equipment for the gym which is currently undergoing a major facelift. The club hopes to improve its facilities by investing in brand new punch bags, gloves, pads, and training aids, as well as inviting non-members to come along and try out the facilities for themselves.

It was a fantastic day down at Ingol Labour Club and it was brilliant to see so many people in attendance. Larches and Savick have produced some great boxers in the last few years and from the looks of things, they’re going to continue setting the bar high in the future.

A huge thank you goes out to all those who came down to offer their support; the coaches and volunteers involved, and all the boxers who took part too.

Did you go to the event? Did you take part? Let us know in the comments below