Of them all, perhaps Scott Harben’s progress in the novice middleweight class has been most impressive.
In the Southern Counties’ championship he first beat the favourite for the title two weeks ago, before winning last weekend’s contest by a knockout in Southampton.
Having made his intentions well-known Harben, who moved to the UK two months ago, must be favourite to win his first major UK title and is in regular contact with Leonis coach, Tony Burt – who also believes that Boyd Munroe, now Western Counties’ champion, could end up, after his quarter finals in the ABA national championships, winning at his weight.
With Pisces’ boxer Sam Bowen through to the quarter-finals of the UK novice championships in the same division as Munroe after his opponent withdrew from the bout, even though Bowen had travelled over, Munroe took on Michael Waldron in Bristol on Saturday in the Class B 60 to 64 kilo novice category.
‘I’m really chuffed for Boyd who also got to this stage last year and I’ve told him, if WE believe he can win it, this time he has to believe in himself,’ said Burt.
‘What also has come through, from Scott and the Sheffield boxers, is just how hard we train here in Jersey.
‘Scott told me that he was surprised that while they train four times a week here in Jersey, in the UK it’s only twice a week.
The boxers we train up here in the Island are incredibly fit.’
Munroe’s next bout is at the Brewster Hall in Romford on 1 December for the quarter-finals stage at national level, and he is sponsored by local company, Minerva.
