A BOXING coach says his club has got hundreds of aspiring fighters wanting to join, following national success at the end of last year.

Jamal Franklin and Morris James, both of Blackbird Leys Amateur Boxing Club, won top honours at the NABGC national championships in Bridlington, Yorkshire.

The club is now riding the wave of those triumphs, as it looks ahead to an open event at Cowley Workers Social Club on February 3.

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Blackbird Leys ABC coach Keith Perisi said: “It’s an open show where boxers from all over the country will come on over to box their boys.

“It’s really important to get the kids out because it helps their progression in boxing, because they’re boxing in front of an audience.

“The kids need to be out boxing because it’s alright training, but you need to box as well.”

On the recent success of Franklin and James, Perisi said: “We’ve got hundreds on the waiting list, everyone wants to join us and it’s brilliant really.

“It’s made the other kids step up to want to be as good as them, it’s good all-round.

“Some of the kids come from rough, tough backgrounds, and it keeps them out of trouble and mischief. It’s really good for their inner belief.”

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Franklin beat Dylan Edwards, of Premier ABC Swansea, in the Class C Under 75kg group, to claim his national title.

Reflecting on his victory, he said: “I was training for about four or five weeks for the one tournament.

“It meant everything, I’ve been working so hard. I’ve had my ups and I’ve had my downs, and I’ve had times where I could’ve become a champion, but I didn’t perform on the day.

“It’s boxing. Sometimes you perform and sometimes you don’t. I’m happy to finally get it my way.”

Discussing the coaches at Blackbird Leys ABC, he added: “They’re very important. They push me and any time they know I’m slacking off a bit, they’ll have their eye on me, and they won’t let me fail.

“They give extra sessions for me and the other boys, just so we can succeed. They just want to see us succeed.

“He [Perisi] means everything. He takes so much time out of his day, and chooses to be at the gym late at night, making sure we’re ready for our fights.

“He goes weeks without having a weekend because he’s at the shows with us, and he means everything to this gym.”

Previewing next month’s open event, he said: “It’s the first time I’ve boxed in Oxford for about two years, due to championships always being on the same day as our shows.

“There’s so much young talent. There are boys from the age of 12, all the way up to 25.”