BLOODIED but unbowed.
Middleton Select’s Matthew Ryan is pictured with coach Martyn Lynch and brother Martin after winning an ABA novice final in Nottingham last weekend.
Ryan was up against Justin Perry, from Stevenage, who had boxed Repton’s Joe Knighton in a semi-final the previous weekend.
Lynch asked the Repton coach for the lowdown on Perry and was told he had twice been a national schoolboy champion.
He had also won his semi-final on an 11-4 score, and that against one of the best prospects in the country.
It looked like being a tough contest for Ryan, and Lynch warned him he would have to work hard and be at his best if he wanted to take the title.
In the first round both boxers threw some tremendous punches, and both had success in the early stages, but Ryan then took control with his long range double jab and his straight right-hand combinations.
He landed with virtually every combination thrown, and knocked Perry’s head back several times. At the end of the round Ryan was on the right side of a 3-0 score.
In the second round Ryan threw the jab well, and used his right and left hook in head and body combinations. Ryan was caught with a few left hook, right-hand combinations, but he was very elusive and boxed clever by using his counter punching techniques. Ryan finished this round on a score of 6-3.
When he went back to his corner, coach Lynch told him he had to keep scoring with his straight punches and work the body more with left hooks, straight rights, and uppercuts. Ryan did exactly as he was told and totally outclassed Perry, using his tremendous hand speed and footwork. He had massive success, and won the third round by a score of 9-5.
IT WAS expected Perry would go for a knockout in the final round, otherwise he would have no chance of winning. Lynch told Ryan to keep his hands up and use his counterpunching techniques and tight defence. Again Ryan followed his coach’s instructions and started the round like it was the first. In truth, he gave Perry a boxing lesson he was never going to forget.
The score at the end of the contest was 15-6 in favour of Ryan. This was the biggest score achieved by any boxer in the whole of the finals.
Spectators had been on their feet throughout the contest, and the cheers almost lifted the roof as Ryan was awarded a comfortable victory.England selectors watched this performance and were very impressed with Ryan’s win.
Hopefully he will gain an England vest in the very near future, and if he continues to progress through the ranks at this rate Middleton may well have a 2012 Olympic boxer.
