Kings of the south head west

That’s after they were crowned Southern Counties champions last weekend in Camberley.

Boxers from Heart of Portsmouth (HOP), Moneyfields, Stacey, Team Wiseman and Gosport have all progressed to the pre-quarter-final stage of the national competition.

They travel to Bodmin in Cornwall today to take on boxers from the western counties in the next round of action.

Harry ‘Bomber’ Brown, Oliver ‘Fast Hands’ Fenton, Lloyd ‘The Animal’ Farrington and Sonny ‘Dynamite’ Driscoll all progressed from HOP.

Farrington picked up a win over Guidlford’s Luke Goddard at 38.5kg in Class A, with Fenton defeating Southampton’s Brandon Adams on points.

Fenton showed decent footwork and a good range of skills to enjoy his win at 35.5kg in Class B.

Brown shone as he chalked up a stoppage win over Sandwich’s Joe McCarthy at 43kg.

Now Farrington meets Bodmin’s Josh Price at 38.5kg, with Driscoll taking on Down End’s Joe Adams at 37kg.

Brown goes up against Frome’s Tyler Kelly in their 43kg clash, with Fenton walking over at 35.5kg.

HOP head coach, Q Shillingford, is hopeful his club can continue to make their mark in the competition.

Shillingford said: ‘All the boxers worked very hard before the championships.

‘They were in the gym over the summer holidays last year and over Christmas and Easter.

‘The coaching team have been committed and dedicated as much as the boxers to ensure all the boxers have the best chance of reaching the national final and winning the national title.

‘The four young men have a massive task ahead of them, physically and mentally, but they are well supported by the club and we are all looking forward to the next round of these important championships.

‘They have represented HOP, Portsmouth, Hampshire and Isle of Wight with great performances.’

Moneyfields have Kyle Bateson, Jay Cooper and Taylor Sutton all looking to march on.

Cooper tackles Mayflower’s Bailey Phillips at 41.5kg in Class A, while his club-mate Bateson goes up against Chard’s Fire Virk at 46in Class B. Sutton is handed a walkover at 54kg in the minors.

Team Wiseman are represented by Frankie Stanley who meets Amalgamated boxer Jake Fletcher at 44.5kg in in Class A.

Stacey’s Harvey Marsh (50kg, Class B) boxes Launceston’s Callum Charnock, Charlie Martin goes up against Downend’s Jude Moore (Class A, 43kg), with Gosport’s Dominic Osborne completing the line-up against Trowbridge boxer Jack Stonehouse at 43kg in the minor category.

Meanwhile, HOP showcased the depth of talent across the Southern Counties with a bumper sparring session at their Charter Community Sports Centre home.

Boxers came from Team Wiseman, Waterside, Guildford, Moneyfields as well as the host club to be put through their paces.

HOP coach, Q Shillingford said: ‘There was a real buzz in the gym. There’s a lot of talent across Hampshire and the surrounding counties.’