Adam Wood
Boxing Varsity 2013
The annual Leeds Boxing Varsity, contested between Leeds University and Leeds Met, never fails to provide a night of fantastic boxing from both sides, with 2013 being no exception. Held at a busy Queenswood Social Club, this year’s competition featured two Varsity matches at the top of the bill. Representing Leeds University were club captain Phil Marchant, a third year International History and Politics student, and Ben Akram, a first year History student, with both boxers competing in their first ever amateur bouts.
Marchant was boxing first and looked calm and collected before stepping into the ring, receiving last minute advice from trainers Gary and Michelle Sutcliffe of Tigers Gym as he entered. Gloved up and headguard on, he faced up to his Met opponent swiftly as the bell went for the first round. Both boxers made good use of their footwork to gain the measure of one another early on, before a swift flurry from Marchant caught his opponent to the head and body, scoring early points. Marchant easily dodged his opponent’s single shots in return, moving quickly out of reach of the Met boxer before a strong right hook to the head showed his opponent meant business. Marchant’s response was rapid, as he made good use of his boxing on the inside to catch his opponent multiple times in the clinch. The round continued in a similar vein, with Marchant the busier boxer as he avoided single shots whilst landing his own slick combinations in close quarters.
The second round saw a more measured approach from both boxers, with Marchant taking his time to line up his punches as he waited for gaps to appear in his opponent’s defence. The University captain made good use of his straight jab and right hook, catching his opponent with this combination throughout the round. A brief spell on the ropes looked worrying for Marchant, but quick footwork saw the boxer back in the centre of the ring. His punches became clinical as his opponent tired, before the Met boxer resorted to holding to counteract Marchant’s superior fitness.
Third and final round, and there was no stopping the University boxer. Marchant constantly pressed his opponent on to the back foot, landing flurries at ease whilst avoiding counter punches. Throwing his powerful right hand, Marchant landed some crunching punches until his tired opponent was forced back to holding the swift boxer to avoid any more punishment. As the final bell went, it was clear who had taken first blood at Varsity. The referee confirmed it: winner on points, Phil Marchant.
1-0 Uni.
Next up was Akram, facing a taller opponent from Met with a similar Mayweather-style stance. The Met boxer used his height advantage early on in the first round, catching Akram with some quick jabs. Unfazed, Akram stormed forward and forced his opponent onto the ropes, landing some powerful punches in combination to head and body. This slowed down the Met pace, allowing Akram to throw some strong counter punches which thoroughly rocked his opponent. The Uni fighter finished the round strong, pressing forward onto his opponent and landing strong hooks on the inside.
The second round similarly suited Akram, with the fighter charging forward again and landing solid punches as his opponent was forced backwards. A few glancing blows from the Met boxer found their way through Akram’s defence, but were answered by powerful shots of his own. Akram forced the action in this round, with the sheer power and quality of his punches outdoing those of his opponent.
The crowd feeling was that the first two rounds belonged to Akram, with the atmosphere at Varsity picking up when the boxers came out for the third. A huge counter right hand from Akram early on in the round had Met scared, and stirred the crowd further. Continuing with his bullish charges, Akram threw his puches with venom until he was pushed into the ropes by his opponent, confusingly leading to a standing eight count from the referee. Met used this break to their significant advantage, coming out strong when the referee continued boxing, with a precise right hook causing the referee to provide another count for the Uni fighter. Undeterred, Akram pushed forward with his jab after the break, landing a solid cross to his opponent’s head. A glancing shot from Met proved the final straw for the referee, who controversially stopped the bout on this third stoppage, much to the crowd’s surprise and disappointment.
Speaking after the match, Akram was disappointed with the decision: ‘I’m not sure why it was stopped. I felt fine on the standing counts and don’t think that last punch landed, it was more of a stumble as I came forward. I don’t feel any of his shots hurt me.’
Despite ending with a draw, this year’s Varsity featured an evening of boxing of the highest quality. Ben Akram should be especially proud of his performance in his first amateur bout, and in only his first year of University. Varsity glory goes to Phil Marchant after his stellar performance, with his victory a reflection on the hard work he has put into training this year. Bring on Varsity 2014.