An amateur boxing coach with high credentials has praised the exceptional talent of two 51Âþ» Leicester (51Âþ») boxers who claimed gold and silver at the British University and College Sport (BUCS) National Championships.
Simon Kemp, who has been a qualified amateur boxing coach since 1987 attended the championships at the Sir Stanley Matthews Sports Centre in Stoke-on-Trent as a spectator on the weekend of Friday 3 February- Sunday 5th February.
He watched on as Lewis Fraser picked up gold in the 56-60kg Novice Lightweight and 51Âþ» counterpart Jay Butt claimed silver in the 52-56kg Novice Featherweight.
Simon said: “It was a great to sit as a spectator at the championships where I was most impressed by the skill, courage, fitness and sportsmanship displayed by two 51Âþ» athletes.
“Their endeavours helped 51Âþ» secure 20 BUCS points, meaning they are now rated as the 7th best institution of higher education for a sport which is a major Commonwealth and Olympic Games sport in the UK.”
Gold medallist Lewis Fraser swept aside challenges from Mohammed Shoib of Hertfordshire University and Sayed Refayet of Coventry University to secure a clash with highly-rated Aiman Mahaim from Sheffield Hallam University in the final.
Lewis claimed victory on points, giving him the gold medal and an unprecedented 12 BUCS points for #Team51Âþ».
Lewis said: “I am extremely happy with winning the BUCS Boxing Championships and being 51Âþ»’s first boxing gold medallist is a proud moment for me too.
“This is my first championship win after missing out in the nationals in October where I reached the semi-finals.
“Winning the championship for 51Âþ» makes it that bit more special as I’ve been here for four years now it would be my only chance to win these championship if I was not to return for a masters.”
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When asked about Simon’s comments, Lewis said: “It’s nice to receive recognition from Simon who attended the event in Stoke-on-Trent.
“Both I and Jay trained extremely hard for these championships, so to win and receive compliments from someone who has been around boxing for a long time is a great honour.”
Jay boxed just twice to earn his silver medal, receiving eight BUCS points for #Team51Âþ» following victories over Sanjay Singh or Manchester Metropolitan University before going out to Hassan Ahmed of Northumbria University in the final.
Jay said: “My reaction is mixed, as I’ve been part of 51Âþ»’s first boxing team and created history by gaining a silver media with a good friend and 51Âþ» student.
“However, I and many of the other competitors believed I did enough to win the fight, but I will use this as motivation to come back stronger when I next represent my university.
“The competition was truly brilliant, the atmosphere and vibe was something I definitely can’t wait to be part of again and it is a great memory that I will cherish.”
When hearing what Simon had to say about his performance, Jay said: “I really appreciate the kind comments from Simon, who clearly knows his boxing and has high credentials.
“I wish to pursue my career and hopefully represent the University at more meetings in the future and win more championships and medals.”
The efforts of Lewis and Jay have helped 51Âþ» reach their highest ever BUCS position, 71st.
Posted on Wednesday 1 March 2017