Amphion ABC opening for Darlaston
Darlaston will be served by two amateur boxing clubs as of next week after a new entity struck a deal to operate on the premises of the Town Hall.
Darlaston will be served by two amateur boxing clubs as of next week after a new entity struck a deal to operate on the premises of the Town Hall.
Amphion ABC stage their first training session on Wednesday between 5pm and 7pm and those who attend on the first night do so free of charge.
After that, the club will look to formally induct members aged nine upwards and hold mixed classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night.
After several years without an amateur boxing club, the town is now experiencing a boxing boom with two opening in less than three months.
Darlaston ABC opened in June at Unit B on the Alma Industrial Estate under head trainer Dennis Daley, who moved from Wolverhampton ABC.
They now face competition from Amphion although both clubs are still waiting to be accredited by the ABA, who meet again early next month.
They can then take part in the ABA-approved national championships, although that will depend on whether their boxers are ready.
In the meantime, Rob Piechowicz will serve as Amphion's head trainer, having established himself as a coach with Burton ABC in Staffordshire.
Piechowicz is the father of Tom Shaw, the light welterweight who won an ABA Schoolboys national title for Burton before turning pro last year.
Wednesfield's Paul Mann and West Bromwich's Wayne Downing will join the team and hold pro trainer's licences, but need an amateur counterpart.
Mann is a regular in the corner at West Midlands pro boxing events and follows the region's fighters around the country for their ring assignments.
Downing, 32, boxed professionally until retiring for a second time last year but is still heavily involved in the sport in a behind-the-scenes role.
For more information on Amphian ABC at Darlaston Town Hall, on Victoria Road, call 0845 111 2900.
