Highland Boxing Academy’s fighters are aim to pack a punch in the medal stakes with a record entry at Boxing Scotland’s 2024/25 National Development A&B Championships
Highland Boxing Academy is aiming to pack a punch in the medal stakes this weekend as the bell rings on the new competitive season.
The first major Scottish event of the calendar sees a record 13 HBA fighters heading south to Motherwell for Boxing Scotland’s 2024/25 National Development A&B Championships.
With 120 clubs attending and 650 individual entries in all this year, the hugely popular platform for promising young boxers will offer its usual high standards and fierce levels of competition.
HBA is looking to build on what was a fantastic last season during the event at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell across this weekend and next.
Head coach Liam Foy said: “We’re coming off the back of what was a record-breaking year for the club last season, with 18 titles for our boxers, and the calibre of tournaments we were winning was also increasing.
“We now have a great squad of boxers heading down to the national development championships and we’re just looking forward to putting a mark down for the start of the season.
“The boxers we have will certainly be looking to make a mark and bring back some medals to the north of Scotland.
“I’m not going to put a number on it, but every one of them has the potential to be a champion at this level.
“There is no boxer going there who I don’t feel can win. Will they all win? Probably not.
“But do they all have the potential to win? Yes.
“We know it takes more than potential. They need to be the best version of themselves on the day, and have more hunger, commitment and desire than the boxer standing in front of them for every second of every round - and that’s a big challenge.
“Some of them will have tough fights, tough decisions against them. Some will have close fights and be on the wrong end of a tough decision.”
In the build-up to the new season, HBA, as always, has been looking self-critically at how it operates, despite the recent success story.
Foy added: “We’re constantly looking to improve in all areas of how we operate. We always look at what we’ve done and how we might do it better.
“We’re more consistent with our running training, hill running and sprints, and also in the process of finishing off a custom-built strength and conditioning area, specific to our boxers.
“The numbers we’re getting through the door are massive, therefore the numbers we are taking to tournaments will reflect that as well.
“There is a massive appetite for these development championships all across Scotland. In years gone by, they never had this kind of event. It was just a case of gaining experience at club shows and then trying to win titles at the likes of the Scottish Open.
“In the last 10 or so years, these championships have given boxers the opportunity to box in a competition format, over two weekends and on consecutive days.
“They have it set up brilliantly for boxers to progress through the levels to A class, which is up to 20 bouts.
“Once you’re at 20 bouts you should have the experience to box at open class tournaments.
“That’s why there is such an appetite for these championships and why it is such a popular tournament.
“It is a really good place for young boxers to find their feet in the sport.”