An enthralling night of sporting entertainment was seen at Dewsbury Town Hall last weekend as some of the region’s finest amateur boxers put up their gloves in the name of charity.
On Saturday 1st November, over 500 people gathered to watch 15 bouts, in a show which was organised by the local KBW amateur boxing club, raising funds for children affected by the Gaza conflict.
As well as a number of esteemed guests, 30 boxers from as far as Northampton travelled to the West Yorkshire venue to help make the night a huge success.
Shammy Cheema, co-owner of KBW, said he was delighted to see so many people turn out to support the project and explained how proud he was to see his gym continue to excel in boxing promotion events.
“We are committed to improving community cohesion and community relations through the sport of boxing, and encouraging a healthier lifestyle for the youth,” he said.
“With the help of the team which is led by Martin Bateson, who has been a pivotal role in the success of many talented boxers – including Team GB and future Olympian boxers Qais Ashfaq and Jack Bateson, we have managed to build an accomplished team of boxers and welcome all.”
The evening of entertainment began with three junior and schoolboy bouts with KBW boxers, Moqeet Rahman and Adam Shakil, both picking up victories whilst teammate, Callum Grace, was unlucky to lose out against Subhan Ahmedof.
Brothers, Huzaifa and Ayub Khan continued their rising careers in the sport with two unanimous point’s decisions, and showed why they had received such a build-up in preparation to the night.
The following fight saw local competitor, Areeb Cheema, take on Nathan O’Shea of Bracebridge ABC. A close contest over three rounds saw the KBW man edge a split decision on the judge’s cards.
Leeds man, Kevin Pratt, took on Steffan Baxter in what was always predicted to be an aggressive fight.
Heavy blows were landed by both in the first round yet Pratt’s better conditioning and fitness saw him edge the fight in the later rounds.
Clearly landing more precise blows, the judges awarded him a majority decision in one of the highlight bouts of the night.
Rounding off the KBW fights, Saif Cheema squared off against Mitch Lisle in the headlining match-up of the night.
In what was Cheema’s first bout in his new weight category, both boxers were pushed to the limit in a close three-round affair.
Lisle, knowing he had to knockout his opponent for victory, landed a huge left hook to the jaw of his opponent, forcing the referee to administer a standing eight-count.
Adopting a defensive approach for the remainder of the fight, Cheema eventually saw off his rival as his hand was raised in victory via a split decision when the final bell rung.
During the clashes, a couple of speeches were held, beginning with Labour PPC, Paula Sheriff, who praised the sporting talent on offer during the night and the need to encourage further youth participation.
Ms Sheriff was followed by special guest, Iqbal Bhana OBE, from the Palestinian Solidarity Group, who spoke further on the plight of Palestinian people and the suffering of Gaza’s children.
