Liam Etheridge shines in junior ABAs

Pleck ABC's Liam Etheridge stunned five-time national amateur champion Marc Leach with a countback win in the junior ABA championships.

Yesterday's pre-quarter final at 54kg in Class Six - boxers born in 1994 - went to the judges at the Manchester Boxing Centre of Excellence.

And it was Etheridge who took the call on punches landed as he exacted sweet the revenge on his old nemesis, who was defending his title.

Leach went on to claim a second straight Clubs for Young People crown by beating Etheridge on points last November, so it was a rematch.

There appeared to be no stopping the Ardwick ABC fighter, also previously a double champion in the ABA Schoolboys competition.

But Etheridge came flying out of the blocks, hanging back as Leach came forward and picking eye-catching shots with the three judges.

That left him leading 2-1 after the first round, 6-3 after the second session and 8-6 after the third set of exchanges in a close-run battle.

With the bout over four rounds in the most senior of the three classes, it all rode on the last two minutes of the contest.

Leach took his chance to work his way back into the fight and his frantic work at the death made it all square in the final season, 9-9.

The judges came into play as computer scoring bowed out and they ruled that Etheridge had landed 13 punches to Leach's seven.

In Class Four - boxers born in 1996 - Walsall Wood ABC's Daniel Breeze joined Etheridge in next weekend's quarter-finals.

Boxing at 66kg, Breeze barely had to use two hands to see off Dane Barraclough, from Northside ABC in Manchester.

The 16-year-old boxed almost exclusively with the left jab to avoid defeat in all three rounds of a comprehensive points win.

The England international led 4-2 after the first round and 6-3 after the second session, as Barraclough struggled to get in close.

Realising he was behind, Barraclough put everything into the last round but it was only enough for a share, as the session finished 5-5.

That allowed Breeze to sail through the tie with a final points score of 11-8 but Warley ABC's Ahmad Mahazi was not so lucky.

The Black Country fighter hit the floor as he fell to defeat inside the distance of his pre-quarter finalat 75kg in Class Four.

Mahazi went toe-to-toe with Morgan Jackson, from Roche ABC in Manchester, and both went looking for the big shots.

Mahazi was first rocked by a shuddering right hook, which left him looking for cover through gritted teeth, but he was able to fight back.

The Afghanistan-born puncher has stopped two opponents - the second in 30 seconds - already in the competition and went for broke.

Power came into play as both traded in the contest and left hooks from Mahazi left Jackson in pain as the bout went into the second session.

A big bomb would end the contest and it was Mahazi who was knocked down, visiting the canvas after a solid right hand that went straight through.

The referee had seen enough and ended the fight, bringing what had looked a promising first year in the junior ABAs for Mahazi to an end.

Sandwell does retain a presence in the competition,m as Wednesbury ABC's Jack Wood has walked over to next weekend's quarter-finals.

Wood advanced without boxing in Class Five – for boxers born in 1995 - as the North West Region has not posted an entrant at 54kg.