By Hussain Popelzai
IT has been debated for a while now that since Lenox Lewis’s departure from the sport, UK boxing has been going downhill much Manny Pacquiao infamous knockout against Marques. Ricky Hatton did give the UK boxing world a glimmer of hope with a streak of wins and knockouts but when faced against the elites of boxing …he crumbled. And instead of brushing his shoulders of and making a ‘Rocky Balboa’ type return … he threw himself into a further ditch with drugs, food and not much rock’n’roll. Similar story with Amir Khan, he built up UK fans with many amazing boxing performances and when faced against a good opponent he too let fans down.
The UK may not being doing much in the professional world of boxing, but Amateur boxing seems to be a completely different story. Three golds, one silver and one bronze in the Olympics has made UK take the No1 rank in Olympic boxing, which is pretty awesome considering the UK rarely prosper in any sport. However another UK champion may be closer than you think …
Sweat, blood, pain and a quick bite from the endless food shops on Holloway Road is the regular life of anybody who competes for Islington Boxing Club. The gym based in Islington that has produced champion after champion may be on the verge of producing yet another champion. Aarron ‘Marksman’ Morgan from Islington Boxing Club has recently reacherd the semi-finals of the Amateur Boxing Association Championship and was two fights away from becoming Champion.
Aaaron started his boxing career four years ago at the age of 19. At the time he was overweight and looking for a hobby to shed excess pounds gained over the years. Now he stands 83kg, chizzled and is currently number one ranked boxer in the middleweight division within the UK … not too bad for four years.
Aarron tells us: “Boxing is the best thing that has happened to me, not only has it built up my strength and fitness but also has built me as a person. Boxing has installed some life lessons and disciplines that I don’t think that I would have picked up from anywhere else. I get to travel the world and have met some lifelong friends.”
You can catch videos of Aarron in action at the semi-finals at the ABA website. And not only does Aarron compete but he also finds the time to teach at Islington Boxing Club. If you wish to learn not only from a trainer but also someone who competes, visit www.islingtonboxingclub.org/ You can find the dates and times that Aarron holds his classes.