Double disappointment in the national finals
James Mongan and Hamzah Ahmed settled for second place after commendable efforts in the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs Championship finals.
It proved a double disappointment for Ahmed as he also lost out on a national title in the competition last year,
Both stepped through the ropes as slight underdogs against highly-rated opponents at the Action Indoor Arena in Bristol.
It was finals day for Class A and B at the venue, as the culmination of the tournament made it crunch time for the finalists.
Mongan, from Priory Park Boxing Club in Dudley, featured at 48kg in Class A, the most junior of the sections for fighters born in 2001.
The former Schools national champion felt buoyant after an impressive semi-final victory, unanimously on points over Luca Bloomfield, from the famed Birtley gym in Gateshead.
But in the other corner for the final was slippery southpaw Dennis McCann, representing Repton in London but also from a travelling background.
They put on a boxing clinic for the three-round distance with McCann firing the first blows, as Mongan looked to counter punch and tag his opponent before he returned to his fighting stance.
Mongan boxed his way to work on the inside but McCann, who created angles for his shots, also proved adept on the back-foot.
The result hung in the balance come round three, but neither could establish a stronghold right up to the final bell. The judges went with McCann on a split decision.
Walsall Wood's Ahmed had previously been thwarted in a Class A 57kg final and stepped up to Class B, for boxers born 2000, for this year at the same weight.
It was looking good for Ahmed when he rocked rival Jamal Khan, from the Ring in London, towards the end of the first.
A strong right uppercut set up a left hook which left Khan momentarily dazed and hanging on, the bell to end the first round coming to his aid.
They traded blows for most of the second, with Khan continuing to walk forward as Ahmed waited for openings.
Khan found his target with two right hands over the top in the third and last session, leaving a favourable impression on the judges. Three out of five went him on a split.
