Haddenham Amateur Boxer is new Junior ABA Champion

HADDENHAM Amateur Boxing Club is celebrating its greatest ever success this week after Tyler Goodjohn returned triumphant from Liverpool as the new Junior ABA Champion. Goodjohn – 17 – beat Kyle Haywood (Earl Shilton ABC) over three rounds at the Everton

HADDENHAM Amateur Boxing Club is celebrating its greatest ever success this week after Tyler Goodjohn returned triumphant from Liverpool as the new Junior ABA Champion.

Goodjohn - 17 - beat Kyle Haywood (Earl Shilton ABC) over three rounds at the Everton Park Sports Centre on Saturday in the under-17 category, and is the first ABA Champion to come from the Haddenham club.

"I've had finalists and semi-finalists," said proud coach Mike Sawyer afterwards, "but this is the first time I've had a champion."

In the first round, Goodjohn "boxed clever" against his awkward southpaw opponent according to Sawyer, establishing a 5-1 advantage.

In the second round the boxers shared just two points, with Sawyer saying that there was "no major contact" as Goodjohn protected his lead.

In the third and final round - which Goodjohn won 5-3 and which Sawyer described as "the longest round of my life" - there proved to be no way back for Haywood, and the eventual winning points margin was 11-5.

"He [Tyler] boxed superbly," Sawyer said. "He caught him [Haywood] with some cracking punches to the body and thoroughly deserved to win.

"The village should be very proud of him, and of the club. We've put Haddenham on the map.