Telford duo bring home Monkstown gold
Telford-based duo Kara Murray and Husan Hussain took gold at the Monkstown Box Cup - but Simran Kaur was handed her first defeat.
Raheem Mohammed made up a Shropshire quartet that travelled to Dublin in Ireland for the annual invitational tournament, writes Craig Birch.
The four are all coached by Khalid Hussain, from Leegomery, and fight out of Merridale Boxing Club in Wolverhampton.
Wellington's Mohammed was first through the ropes at the Holy Child Community School in Sallynoggin for his quarter-final.
He took on reigning Irish champion and last year's European silver medalist Brandon McCarthy, from the St Patrick's Athy gym.
Mohammed made the 50kg clash - in the boxers born 2001 category - competitive and lasted the three-round distance, only to be outpointed on a split decision.
Hussain and Kaur were in action the following day, with both recording unanimous victories to progress to the final.
Hadley's Kaur made it 11 wins without reply and kept up her undefeated record, featuring at 46kg (2001). She outclassed Enniskillen's Deana Moorhouse.
Hadley cohort Hussain has joined Merridale and left Wellington Boxing Academy, where he was the club's first-ever national champion in the England Junior competition last year.
He took on Luke Riley, from Gemini in Liverpoool, at 48kg in the born 1999 section and eased towards the decision.
They were joined in the final 24 hours later by Murray, who benefitted from a bye to the final at 62kg (2001). She nearly scored another TKO, too.
Opponent Aoife Durkin, of St Brigid's, was wobbled into a standing count during the second round and looked to survive from there.
Murray took the gold medal unanimously and upgraded on her silver from last year at Monkstown. She's claimed a Junior national title since then, by first round stoppage.
But two-time national titlist Kaur could not make it back-to-back Monkstown golds, after being stunned on a split for her first defeat.
Her rival Ciara O'Brien, from St David's, had conceded the result the same way to Kaur in the previous weekend's Hull Box Cup.
Hussain got the job done in his decider, though, and was well on top as he rolled over Munster's Jordan Sheehan unanimously.
