Police warnings of ‘threat to life’ forced organisers to cancel last weekend’s ABA Junior & Cadet Championship, now rescheduled for this weekend, writes Joshua Brown.
The England Boxing board were forced to cancel the ABA Junior & Cadet Championships due to what was reported as ‘threat to life’ warnings. The annual amateur boxing event was supposed to take place in Portsmouth on the weekend of the 2nd & 3rd April. However, it was called off after the governing body were made aware by the police of a possible threat to members.
England Boxing released a statement that read; “The police said that there exists a threat to members and our top priority must be the safety of our members.” The event has a new date for Saturday 16th (Southern Semis) and Sunday 17th April (National Finals), to take place at the Birtley ABC in Durham.
Challenging
England Boxing added: “As you all know, this has been a challenging period for English boxing, however we believe the solutions outlined here are the best possible way forward and a sign of our commitment to ensuring that clubs and boxers do not suffer as a result of the actions of others.”
Boxers who travel from all corners of England for the historical event and a number of young East London boxers were left disappointed to find out that the annual competition was cancelled. As the country’s eyes are on the sport of boxing, rescheduling instead of cancellation has come as a relief for the young fighters desperate to compete at the best competitions.
The England boxing board released an updated statement outlining the decision to stage the event at a different location. It read: “In the circumstances, we believe that hosting these two events at Birtley is the best possible solution and will enable us to conclude the Junior Championships in a way that will not negatively impact on the rest of the boxing calendar.”
They added: “The decision to stage both events at Birtley ABC reflects the success of last Sunday’s Northern semi-finals, which were held at the club. It has also enabled us to establish a good working relationship with the local police force, which has been very co-operative.”
Eleven young fighters from the legendary East London boxing gym, Repton, were due to be sent to the tournament while five other fighters from clubs – such as Fairbairn in Ilford and Romford’s Five Star – will also compete in what is usually a big platform for young amateur boxers to showcase their skills and talent.