LEONIS came back from a slow start to draw against East of England select on Saturday night with Charlie Corbel and Chris Rodrigues turning in standout performances.
The night got off to a bad start for the home side, with East of England winning the first four bouts. Eddie Croke, Lawrence Gillat, Kurt Tabbott and Jack Quenault were all defeated.
But the pendulum started to swing back when rising star Charlie Corbel stepped into the ring against Ryan Barnes and scored an unanimous points victory in a one-sided bout.
Leonis then won four of the remaining five fights to secure a 5-5 draw.
Club manager Miguel Ferreira said that the match-ups against very physical opposition provided an entertaining night for the crowd at the Radisson Hotel.
‘They were a very tough northern side and it was a battle for all our guys. We got off to bad start but then Charlie came in and the turnaround started,’ he said.
‘Chris Rodrigues and Luca Frankson then came in and got good wins. It was really great to see guys like that who work so hard get wins.’
Ferreira said he felt some of his fighters, including Croke, Tabbott and Leanne Le Feuvre, were perhaps unlucky not to also score victories after performing well.
Young Corbel has now racked up five wins out of five since making his debut last October and, while always confident, seems to be growing in stature.
The 17-year-old, who will compete at senior level next season, dominated his bout from start to finish against Ryan Barnes, gliding around the ring with ease, effortlessly switching stance and constantly scoring with relentless fast and accurate combos.
The Leonis comeback continued with Rodrigues turning in an aggressive hard-punching performance to rack up another convincing win.
Rodrigues forced two standing eight counts against Jack Brookes, who appeared dispirited for much of the fight after being on the receiving end of a series of round one flurries.
Next, Frankson notched up a victory working off his effective left jab to launch attacking combos against Matthew Parker.
The ever-popular Leanne Le Feuvre was defeated by the more precise Natalia Cowx, to the disappointment of her large and boisterous following.
But Leonis rounded off the night in style with two straight wins, starting with Ciaran Croke’s close victory over Liam Openshaw in a very well matched and entertaining fight. While the visiting boxer showed more aggression, Croke showcased his defensive skills and constantly picked off Openshaw as he approached to secure the judges’ nod.
In the final bout Mia Holland continually pressed and out-scored Jade Childs on her way to an unanimous win verdict.
