NTU Boxing fight their way to gold at BUCS

This weekend saw the annual BUCS championship for boxing held in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, for the second consecutive year running. NTU brought seven fighters to the competition, each ready to give it their all

This weekend saw the annual BUCS championship for boxing held in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, for the second consecutive year running. NTU brought seven fighters to the competition, each ready to give it their all.

Day one started with Rob Lack fighting first. After winning a bronze medal last year, he looked certain to go at least one better this year. His fight in the 69kg category set the precedent for the weekend with a technical knockout in the first round. Second from NTU in the ring was undefeated Joshua Deakin in the under 75kg category. Joshua also pulled off a technical knockout in the second round, which sent him through to the next round, after high appraisal from both the commentators and NTU supporters. Last for NTU on Friday was captain, Adi Ozigi, NTU's veteran in the ring. Adi began rusty and nervous but came away with an easy unanimous win sending all three of the fighters through to the next round, where they would meet their teammates who had gotten bye’s.

Day two began with two mini Varsity matches against the University Of Nottingham, Rob and Josh both came through on unanimous wins in what were very tough bouts. Afterwards it was great to see all the fighters exchanging pleasantries, which was the theme all weekend between the Nottingham teams, making sure to get behind each other’s fighters.

NTU Boxing

Up next was President Yevegen Grabarchuk, whose commitment and ability to boxing always outshines. Nevertheless, he was unfortunate to come away with a spilt decision loss in the under 91kg category after giving it his all. Following Grabarchuk was Dozie Adigwe, who had full support from the commentators and neutrals, all convinced he had the win in the bag. Sadly he came away with a loss. Dozie still has plenty of time to prove himself, with this being his first year at NTU he has high hopes to take the competition by force next year.

The fifth person representing NTU was Callum Milner. His performance looked a lot better than his record shows (4 wins, 6 losses) as he managed to quickly dispatch his opponent and secure NTU’s next win via technical knockout stoppage in the second round. Last again from NTU was Adi Ozigi, with his performance showcasing why he’s captain for Trent. His slick performance ended with another victory after a second round knockout. Day two left us leaving ready to fight the next day with the opportunity of leaving the competition this year with 5 gold medals.

Sunday brought forth the finals after two intense days and a very busy schedule for Trent with four fights back to back. Joshua Deakin and Sophia Christofides both fought very aggressively, always putting their opponent on their back foot, but they both lost to their stylish opponents on decision.

Rob Lack and Callum Milner both put on a very good performance and secured two very convincing unanimous wins, giving NTU two gold medals

Last but not least, was Adi Ozigi, who drew in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. Adi who was easily a fan favourite had a shaky start. But the captain only grew in confidence through each round, ultimately leaving him with another unanimous win.

Adi Ozigi’s gold topped off an amazing weekend for NTU, leaving the university with three gold medals and two silvers. In only the second year of the amateur boxing programme. NTU have a lot to be proud of and came out as one of the top universities in the country.

Special thanks must go to the NTU crowd who came out each day to give massive support to our fighters. They were by far the most represented for any university performing.

All fights can be found online: https://www.youtube.com/user/StaffsTV