By Daniel Noble
ENLER ABC prospects Bobbie Boardman and Zac Foster reigned supreme at the prestigious Monkstown Box Cup in Dublin last weekend.
Fourteen-year-old Bobbie his cup quest up and running with a unanimous, 3-0 victory over Jobstown Boxing Club’s Sean Pearlin in the Thursday quarter-final.
He encountered a tougher test in the semis on Friday, but still managed to overcome St Paul’s Belfast opponent Mason Blair by way of a 2-1 split decision, moving to within one step of glory.
Saturday’s final pitted the Enler brawler against Omagh Boys and Girls Boxing Club talent Denas Jaksaitis, and Bobbie once again dominated the bout, securing a second unanimous win and clinching the silverware in the process.
As for Zac, he went straight into the semi-finals of his category, taking on English club Wakefield Trinity’s Jack Mahony and securing his place in the decider with a split decision.
Like his clubmate, the 15-year-old talent received the nod from all three judges in his final, seeing off Camlough’s Adam Quinn – the same opponent he beat to the Manchester Box Cup – and added to his ever-growing trophy collection.
The Monkstown double represents yet another significant moment for the Comber club, which has gone from strength to strength in its 19-month existence, and coach Ben Lyttle could not have been more pleased.
“I’m blown away by Bobbie and Zac’s at the moment. Following on from the success of the Manchester Box Cup, which is a major international competition, they’ve gone to the biggest tournament in Ireland and competed with the cream of the group,” he said.
“They’re exceeding all expectations. To get to a final of that magnitude is incredible, and they’ve both gone on to win it.
“It’s phenomenal to enter two boxers and win two golds, especially considering some of the top fighters from the UK, Ireland, Canada, India etc. were there. We’re competing against clubs that have
“We’re competing against clubs has that have been running for 100 years. It’s like we’ve come from out of nowhere, and other clubs have wondering ‘who are these guys’ because of our success.”
Next up, Bobbie and Zac will target further glory at the Irish Cadets Championships in three weeks’ time, aiming to earn selection for Ireland’s European Championships squad.
