Martin back with a bang (From Swindon Advertiser)

Martin back with a bang

6:00am Wednesday 11th April 2012 in Boxing

Walcot boxer Ryan Martin marked his return to club colours in style with two wins in one night at the opening round of the Junior ABA Championships in Bristol, writes DAVE VEYSEY.

Returning after a break away from the Walcot club, the 18-year-old faced two opponents in the class six (66kg) division.

His first contest was against Rob Dark from Broad Plain ABC, a tall boxer with a considerable reach advantage over the Swindonian.

Ryan took his time to assess the Bristolian during the opening round, landing with occasional left jabs and left hooks, while Dark used his reach advantage to land with left jabs.

However, the second session saw the former England junior international go on the attack, slipping inside Dark's reach and landing with punishing hooks and straight shots.

The Bristolian had no answer to the onslaught, and a left hook-straight right combination floored him 58 seconds into the round. It was a heavy fall and the referee waved the fight over without a count.

Next up was Tom Maunder from the Amalgamated Club in Guernsey, who had the benefit of being fresh for his contest with the Walcot boxer.

However, having seen Ryan's last opponent brutally despatched to the canvas, he understandably kept a tight guard and danced around the ring throughout the four rounds.

The Swindonian was well on top for the first two rounds, scoring with hard left hooks to the head and body, with very little coming back.

As Martin tired towards the end of the fight, Maunder became a little more adventerous and landed with a few shots of his own, but it was the Walcot boxer who won by a unanimous points verdict.

Martin said afterwards: “Those were my first contests for nearly five months so I was a bit ring-rusty, but I'm happy to have won two bouts in one night.”

Walcot coach Harry Scott added: “Ryan has applied himself well and got the job done.”

Clubmate Louis Trinder,17, encountered old foe Jack Bennett from Broad Plain in the class five (63kg) section.

For a round-and-a-half this was an exciting tussle which could have gone either way.

However, midway through the second round, after an awkward clinch with the southpaw Bristolian, Louis dislocated his elbow and had to retire.

Scott said: “That was unlucky for Louis but sometimes in boxing these things happen.”

Joining Martin in Western Counties final of the tournament will be Tommy McDonagh, Connor Wells and John Luke Bolton, who all received a bye at this stage.