A TEENAGER from Tadley is celebrating after winning a title at the National Schoolboy Boxing Championships.
Danny Mclaughlin is a 14-year-old amateur boxer, who won the title at the Spectrum Leisure Centre in Guildford. Danny won the England boxing national class B schoolboy championships in the 50-52kg weight category, against Tyne on Weir fighter Ashton Innes.
Danny began his boxing career at Bailey's gym in Moniton trading estate, Basingstoke. From the age of nine he would train two nights a week with youngsters of his own age right up to men in their 30s.
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In 2020, Danny moved to the famous Pinewood Starr boxing club in Wokingham, and since the move has grown in confidence and has improved all round. The club has a record-breaking amount of amateur champions dating back to the 1970s.
Danny has been training for these championships since Christmas and beat a hotly tipped two-time national champion in the quarter-final to secure his place in last weekend's semi-final and finals weekend in Guildford.
Danny boxed on both Saturday and Sunday, beating both of his opponents by a 4-1 split decision to get his hands on a pair of the sought-after golden gloves.
Danny said: "This is a dream come true for me and hopefully it’s only the start of my journey, all the hard work is starting to pay off. Thanks to all my coaches who have helped me get to this point, this wouldn’t have happened without them."
Danny will now go on to represent England at the 3 Nations tournament v Scotland and Wales in June, with the possibility of boxing at the European Championships in August.
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Danny's dad, Daniel, said: "From my point of view, I would really like to send a positive message out to other kids who may want to get into the sport. Boxing gets such a bad name, but it’s so much more than people punching each other in the face.
"There is a campaign Gloves Up Knives Down, which encourages young people to get off the streets and into a boxing gym. This is mainly for kids in the inner cities but could certainly be an incentive for kids anywhere."
More information on Gloves Up Knives Down can be found at glovesupknivesdown.co.uk.
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