Boxing: Shahruf Ali progressed to National Championship Finals

Steven Connellan, Shahruf Ali and former British Bantamweight and European and Commonwealth Featherweight Champion Billy Hardy

Shahruf Ali, 14, of Hamer Amateur Boxing Club, progressed to the quarter finals of the Junior, Open Class, National Championship Finals when he beat last year’s National Cadets Champion Dylan Skedd of Hartlepool Catholic ABC.

The match, which was held at Birtley Boxing Gym, Gateshead on Sunday 12 March, was a classic boxer verses brawler encounter that saw two highly skilled youngsters try and take control of the centre of the ring.

Both boxers looked to make their mark on the sound of the first bell with Skedd throwing fast combinations and Ali unloading crunching hooks to both the body and head.

It was a close fought first round with nether boxer prepared to give ground but Skedd discarded his long reach advantage and trade up-close with the Hamer youth, which played into Ali's hands.

Before the start of the second round Ali was told by his coach, Steven Connellan, to step up another gear and to try and force Skeed onto his back foot.

The bell rang and the Rochdale boxer began to take control with a fast and intense attack to his opponent. Skeed tried to stand his ground and keep up with the pace of the action but he was beginning to wilt under the pressure of the sustained attack.

Backing up onto the ropes, Skeed was hoping to get some respite but Ali pursued him with a continuous onslaught right up until the end of the round.

The bell rang for the third and last round and Ali forced Skedd onto the ropes unloading hurtful hooks to the body, before finishing with a right hook to the head.

Skedd was tiring and he began to lean on the Hamer youngster, who took advantage by throwing powerful uppercuts that jolted Skedd's head back.

This continued throughout the round, with the Hartlepool youngster looking to hold while Ali showed an abundance of energy to take the round and an impressive victory.

Hamer coach Alan Bacon said: "Skedd was a very good boxer and champion, but he tried to match Shahruf at his own game, which turned out to be a massive error of judgement that played into the Hamer boxer's hands.

“Shahruf progresses into the National Quarter Finals now in Liverpool, along with two other Hamer hopefuls in 14-year-old Grant Kershaw and 14-year-old Jude English."