Miriam flies the Stratford flag in prestigious final - The Stratford Observer

Miriam flies the Stratford flag in prestigious final

Stratford Editorial 17th Feb, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

RISING Stratford & District Boxing Academy star Miriam Zouhou gave further proof of her talent when she reached the final of the England Boxing Youth Championships in Rotherham at the weekend.

On Saturday Zouhou faced Megan Culshaw from The Zone in the semi-final and both boxers took to the centre of the ring early on in the first round, with neither happy to concede any ground.

Towards the end of the round Zouhou’s workrate was starting to take its toll on The Zone boxer as the Stratford boxer started to land good shots.

Zouhou came out in the second round and took control of the bout with her high workrate and long range boxing and towards the end of the round the referee stepped in and gave Culshaw a standing count.




Zouhou picked up from where she left off going into the third, dominating the bout and putting the pressure on her opponent and, after one minute of the third round, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout to secure another convincing win for Zouhou.

The final on Sunday was always going to be her toughest to date against a two-time national champion, England boxer Millie O’Neill from St Pauls ABC.


Zouhou came out extremely strongly in the first round to set the tempo, always first to the punches and using her jab to great effect, and O’Neill did not know how to cope with the Stratford boxer.

Zouhou finished the first round on top and it was a great start. In the second round Zouhou came out with the same tempo, working behind the jab and her long range boxing, and O’Neill struggled to get her shots off and find her target.

However, O’Neill came back hard in the third and started to use her experience to land cleaner shots, but Zouhou upped the tempo again and finished the round strongly.

The fourth round was very competitive but it was the St Pauls boxer’s best round as she landed by far the clearer shots, although Zouhou’s workrate was still of a high level.

Both girls where glad to hear the final bell and it was O’Neill who won the 48kg category on a points decision.

Stratford & District Boxing Academy head coach Mat Pickering said: “Miriam boxed extremely well for the amount of bouts she has had and the experience she was giving away.

“The final was a very close bout and could have gone either way. It has been a great learning curve for Miriam from which she can take a lot of positives which can help her push on in the future.

“Miriam gave it her all and everybody at the club is very proud of her.”

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Advertising

Advertise with the Stratford Observer to reach your audience

Business Directory

From plumbers, to restaurants, we can provide you with all the info you need.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Stratford Observer.