Jerry Mongan back on the NAGBC trail
Jerry Mongan comes back into the National Association of Girls & Boys Championships reckoning this weekend to box his quarter-final tie.
Mongan sat out the pre-quarters finals on a bye but has been paired for a last eight clash at Lea Hall in Birmingham on Sunday,
The travelling teenager, who fights out of Priory Park Boxing Club in Dudley, should be relatively fresh as he looks to ease into the semi-finals.
His one bout in the competition so far saw him claim the West Midlands title at 63kg in Class A, for boxers born in 2000, with a unanimous points win over Aston's Ellis Truman.
The promising 15-year-old is a former England Schools champion and bronze medallist at the European Championships. It's his first involvement in the NAGBCs, which was revived this year.
Walsall Wood's trio of entrants have all walked over to the semi-finals, which will take place at the Spa in Bridlington on Sunday week.
Paige Goodyear, from the Brooklands home gym in Dudley run by former professional Darren McDermott, is also into the last four.
Goodyear, another Schools titlist, has passed through with no opponents in Class A's 52kg girls section.
She's now honing her skills in the gym as she prepares to take on Melika Aszial, from Stevie Smith's Boxing Academy in Hull, on the Bridlington bill.
Wood's hat-trick of victories over their East Midlands counterparts earlier this month proved enough to give them extra time to recover, as their next rivals are decided.
Their interest begins at 54kg in Class A where Zaryab Khan last proved too strong for Aiden Smith, from the Kettering School of Boxing.
Khan regularly hurt Smith to the body although his adversary hung in there for three rounds, only to lose with the judges unanimously.
While that was Khan's first NAGBC bout, club-mate Hamzah Ahmed has scored three wins in the tournament so far at a busy 57kg in Class A.
Jack Johnson, of Earl Shilton in Leicestershire, went the same way as Atherstone's Daniel Bance and Rhamatullah Sher, from Lions in Dudley.
Ahmed outclassed Johnson on the back-foot and used his skills to counter punch and prevail unanimously for a third time.
Conah Hincks, from Merridale in Wolverhampton, saw his quest to land a second successive national title end at 66kg in Class A last time out.
The England Junior Development champion had won twice to get that far, but bowed out after a jaded display against Earl Shilton's Tyler Rivers.
A frantic few weeks saw Hincks take part in an eighth bout since his Development journey began, also battling the effects of his cold.
'The Bradley Bullet,' from Bilston, couldn't establish his jab quick enough this time as Rivers rolled over unanimously. Hincks is now taking a well-earned rest.
Wood's interest is complete at 49kg in Class C (1997-98 born fighters), where Ibrahim Khan remains after seeing off Scunthorpe Centurions' Tyler Brevigheri.
Khan got the upper hand to score a majority decision and build on his victory over Stoke Staffs' Tom Stokes, who put out Wood's Rory Leighton in the first regional heat.
