Thursday, February 12, 2015

Joe Maphosa set to get his second Great Britain international vest in Bulgaria


Up-and-coming Teesside amateur boxer Joe Maphosa will make his second Great Britain squad appearance when he travels to Bulgaria later this month.


The 20-year-old light flyweight is competing in the Strandja Cup, which takes place in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia from February 23 to March 1.


The nine-man GB team also includes Houghton-le-Spring welterweight Josh Kelly and Sunderland heavyweight Warren Baister.


Middlesbrough’s Maphosa will be aiming to build on the winning GB debut he made in Germany late last year.


The former ABA bantamweight finalist beat southpaw German No 1 Christos Cherakis on a split points decision in Heidelberg.


GB team for the Strandja Cup: 49kg Joe Maphosa; 52kg Jack Bateson; 56kg Qais Ashfaq or Sean McGoldrick; 64kg Pat McCormack; 69kg Josh Kelly; 75kg Dan Woledge; 81kg Tom Hart; 91kg Warren Baister; 91kg+ Frazer Clarke.


Maphosa’s club Middlesbrough ABC have cancelled their February 18 show due to slow ticket sales and a lack of sponsorship, much to the disappointment of head coach Tony Whitby.


He said: “It costs between £1,800 and £2,000 to put a show on, and you need to put them on to keep your club alive.


“But if tickets aren’t selling and you aren’t getting the backing, what can you do?


“It’s a pity, because it would have been a cracking show.”


THE Tyne, Tees and Wear Youth Championships semi-finals at Spennymoor brought a brace of defeats for Middlesbrough-based boxers.


Hall Close ABC, which used to be Pallister Park ABC before they moved to Ormesby, saw light welter Marley Devitt go out in a unanimous points defeat to Luke Chapman (East Durham). Wellington welterweight Anees Saghir also lost a unanimous decision, to Ashington’s Michael Jobson.



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