Members Newsletter Feb 14 - Poseidon Amateur Boxing Club

Since its launch in March 2013 Poseidon ABC has had a unprecedented first year
exceeding all expectations. In little under a year the club boasts over 400 members aged
between 7 and 70 including both recreational and competitive participants. One of the
many highlights of the season was Poseidon’s inaugural Boxing Show held in the Atrium
of The Ageas Bowl where 9 members pitted their wits against boxers from across the
county. Exceptional performances saw all but one exit the ring victorious, many of the
boxers performing in their debut bout. But the show involved far more than its competitive
boxers. It saw tickets sell out in only a few days as the Poseidon community, friends and
family rallied around to support their boxers and enjoy a fantastic social event. Aside from
our home show Poseidon boxers have been busy elsewhere in the county such as the
HMS Sultan Boxing Show which saw Joe Atkinson (pictured below right) put in an
incredible performance to win his debut bout.
Establishing strong relations with local clubs, Poseidon
has engaged in sparring and joint training sessions
which has been invaluable in developing our boxing
talent. In addition to the competitive element, Poseidon
has contributed to the local community by collecting
food in lieu of subs for the local food bank, entered a
float in the West End Carnival and established three
satellite gyms at Pilands Wood, Wildern and
Woodlands Schools for those who are unable to
travel to the gym. Finally a number of junior
members have achieved non-contact boxing awards
acknowledging their development within the sport.
Poseidon topped off an incredible season by taking
a team of boxers to the Malmo Box Cup in Sweden
returning with four medals and receiving ‘Club of
the Year’ at the Eastleigh SPAA and Sports Ph
oto court
esy of S
Hampshire & IOW Sports Awards. What a cracking
teve Bon
d Media
first year,goodness knows what’s in store for this year?
After a plea from the local food
bank in West End for sports
clubs to assist with their food
collections, Poseidon took the
opportunity to help its local
residents by asking for food in
lieu of subs for a week. The
initiative was a great success
and raised eight boxes of food
for local people in need over
the cold winter months. The
project proved such a success
that Poseidon intend to repeat
it on a regular basis
throughout the year.
Poseidon are delighted to
forge
links
with
local
philanthropic
organisation,
Hamble Valley Rotary Club.
‘The Rotarians’ offer support
and assistance to those in
need in the local community,
particularly
underprivileged
youth. The organisation has
kindly
offered financial
support to potential Poseidon
members who may struggle to
find money for subs.
Poseidon ‘Shows’ Its Talent
Photo courtesy of Steve Bond Media
Poseidon ABC introduced itself to the
world of competitive boxing with a bang
as it held its inaugural boxing show at The
Ageas Bowl in October. With a thrilling bill
boasting 17 bouts, Poseidon saw 9 of its
junior and senior boxers testing their
metal; 8 of them in their debut outing. An
impressive setting in the heart of the
Hampshire Cricket ground, the show was
bathed in lights and music as it played
host also to 8 Hants and IOW National
Novice finals.
Opening the show was 12 year old
Poseidon boxer James Claridge (pictured
left) who put in a excellent
performance against Jack Haste
(Fareham) in his first skills bout. Sam
Pickering-Rawles (Poseidon), also 12,
was next up for his debut bout against
Owen Spencer (Dereck Hoile). A fast
start by Sam secured and early lead
and despite tiring towards the end of
the bout he had done enough to win
on a majority decision. The final junior
bout of the evening saw Mason
Gillespie (Poseidon)14, face Mason
Moore (Dereck Hoile). A mature and
composed performance saw Gillespie
land accurate and hurtful shots on his
opponent securing a unanimous
decision in his first bout. A number of
Hants and IOW National Novice finals
followed with some excellent displays
of boxing offering a key learning
opportunity
for
the
relatively
inexperienced Poseidon team. The
latter half of the evening was
dominated by Poseidon
bouts. Opening the boxing
after the interval was Jack
Nutburn
(Poseidon)
at
lightweight against notably
taller opponent Jack Lee
(Legacy). Despite his debut
Nutburn showed a calm and
patient
performance
keeping a high guard and
picking his shots, catching
the eye of the judges and
winning on a unanimous
decision.
Grant Webb
(inset)
represented
Poseidon at welterweight against Matt
Hardman (Dereck Hoile). Against a very
capable opponent Grant used exceptional
head movement to make Hardman miss and
countered with slick, strong shots to secure a
unanimous win and the best boxer trophy.
Terry Singh (Poseidon) was next up at light
welterweight against former MMA champion
Anton Bennett (Gym 01). Adopting his new
found tactics he dominated from the outset to
secure a clear points victory. Greg Webb
represented Poseidon at middleweight and
faced John Winham (HMS Sultan). Taking the
first round to get into the flow Greg began to
dominate with his heavy fists; giving Winham
a count in the last round and prompting an
early stoppage. Tom Siley (Poseidon) also at
middleweight faced Brad Foote (Regents). An
over eager start saw a scrappy opening round
but Siley employed the effective switch of
attack and eventually stopped his foe in the
last round. Adam Light (Poseidon) at light
heavyweight topped the bill against Henry
Hughes (Waterside). A
ding dong of a bout
ensued with both boxers
landing heavy shots. A
brave performance from
both boxers saw the
Waterside man crowned
the victor.
A hugely successful show
debut, Poseidon put itself
on the boxing map both
as hosts and as boxers - a
great start for a Club
which has enormous
potential for the future.
Poseidon Juniors Achieve Boxing Awards
Photo courtesy of Steve Bond Media
With a thriving juniors section boasting girls and boys aged
between 7 and 17, Poseidon ABC recognises the value of boxing
training for both competitive and recreational participants. The
National Boxing Awards offer all children the opportunity to
develop key boxing techniques, both contact and non contact
elements, but more importantly give them a focus, a progression
and a sense of achievement. Poseidon invited England coach,
Mick Gannon to present certificates and medals to successful
participants including Ellie-May Beckett, James Claridge,
Charlie Morrow, Cameron Stickley, Mason
Gillespie, George and Isabelle Lys (pictured).
Congratulations to all for their excellent
achievements.
Poseidon wins ‘Sports
Local transport Club of the Year’ - Twice!
Hampshire
On a somewhat chilly summers day,
Poseidon joined local residents of West
End in their annual carnival. With the
theme of ‘Movies and Musicals’ there was
only one possible option for us - the
inimitable ‘Rocky’. On an
early Saturday morning club
members arrived to decorate
our float with red, white and
blue
flags
and
Rocky
memorabilia, ready to join the
throng of floats from local
charities,
businesses
and
schools.
company,
Freight, kindly provided us
with a lorry and a driver and
off we ventured into the
village centre.
Collection
buckets at the ready, junior
and senior member alike
danced and frolicked to the
Rocky soundtrack and raised
both awareness of our new
boxing club and essential
funds for local charities. With
over twenty floats and several hundred
participants we were delighted to
discover that Poseidon won the best
business/charity category and were
presented with a trophy
and a cheque for £200
for the club funds. The
theme for next year’s
carnival is ‘flags of the
world’ - better get our
thinking caps on - any
ideas contact Lucy or
Stu.
Poseidon Host Hampshire Cricket First XI
The Hampshire Cricket team were put through their paces at Poseidon ABC
in a boxing specific work out which formed part of their pre-season fitness
training. Players including Jimmy Adams, the team captain, and Director of
Cricket, Charles White swapped their bats for boxing gloves and spent 90
minutes learning the basics and enjoying a circuit including pads, bags,
shadow boxing, skipping, strength and conditioning. Whilst it is unlikely that
any of them will opt for a change of career, there was plenty of natural
sporting talent on display and tonnes of grit and determination. The team
now head off to Barbados for a pre-season training camp. Good luck guys!
A year to the day since Poseidon
officially launched, the Club was
awarded Sports Club of the Year
by Eastleigh Sport and Physical
Activity Alliance (SPAA). Clubs
shortlisted for this award met a
number of criteria including
making a significant impact
within the community and being
committed to developing all club
members. Club representatives
were invited to an awards
ceremony held at The Ageas
Bowl to receive the award. Only
a few weeks later Poseidon was
further nominated and awarded
Club of the Year at the Countywide Sports Hampshire and Isle
of Wight Sports Awards. This
time members were invited to a
ceremony at St Mary’s Stadium,
Southampton, where Poseidon
were recognised above many
well established and successful
sports clubs in the county.
Congratulations to everyone at
Poseidon for such an amazing
achievement in our first year.
A group of junior and
senior
Poseidon
members travelled to
the Capital to visit the
gym
of
former
Heavyweight
Champion
of
the
World - Mr David
Haye. As we arrived
in Vauxhall we saw a
queue
of
people
stretching a mile long
waiting
for
the
opportunity to meet
the superstar as his
gym opened to the
public. Thankfully we had the help of an insider in the Hayemaker camp,
Amanda Adams, a Poseidon regular, and she ushered us to the front of the
queue - much to the disdain of those waiting patiently.
The team met David Haye and his trainer, Adam Booth,
and had photos taken and merchandise autographed.
Ellie-May Beckett (inset) was a particular hit with the
superstar who asked her about her boxing and how
long she had been training and signed her hoodie and
boxing awards booklet. David kindly signed a boxing
glove and a t-shirt with a personal message to the
club which now hangs proudly in our corridor to
remind everyone of our great day.
Club T-Shirt
Club Beanie Hat
Iconic Poseidon Club Tshirt - be part of the Club
£10
Grab a Poseidon
woolly hat in club
colours. One size fits
all.
Club Tracksuit
Club Polo Shirt
Poseidon tracksuit in
club colours available in
junior and senior sizes.
Smart Poseidon polo
shirt in club colours in
sizes S - XL
From £35
£20
Club Hoodie
Club Wristband
Poseidon hoodie in
club colours available in
sizes S-XL
Show your support by
wearing a Club
wristband available in
junior and adult sizes
£20
£1
To purchase team merchandise contact either Stuart or Lucy O’Connor on the details at
the front of this newsletter or see Merchandise section on www.poseidonabc.co.uk
In early February 2014 a team from
Poseidon flew to Sweden for a
multi-nations club tournament - The
Malmo Box Cup. The competition
played host to 7 countries from
Europe and over 300 boxers and
offered a great opportunity for some
of our competitive members to get
in the ring, some of them for the first
time.
The tournament was fought over
two days and despite the relative
lack of boxing experience the team
returned with 4 medals; 1 gold and
3 silver. Jack Nutburn, Greg Webb
and Grant Webb were all piped at
the post having made it into the
final, for all three of them to lose on
a close majority decision to home
town boxers.
Dan Hawkins (pictured above)
however, having never stepped into
the ring before this tournament,
breezed to the final and won gold
on a unanimous decision having
schooled his more experienced
opponent throughout the bout and
dominated every round.
Whether they returned from
Sweden with a medal or not, the
whole team gained invaluable
experience, a stronger team bond
and many happy memories from
their trip. Poseidon plans to
regularly repeat these multi-nations
trips throughout the season,
offering
competitive
members
invaluable boxing
opportunities.
The future’s
bright..........!