Lymington boxer eyes national quarter-finals

A Lymington teenager is looking to impress in boxing’s forthcoming National Development Championships.

Rhys Black, 19, has won four of his last five fights, including winning the Southern Counties Championship round in September.

The two-time Southern Counties champion is set to fight in the under-57kg category. He will face Islington boxer Tols Rowaiye, who won the UK armed forces vs London round, in what will be his 20th amateur bout.

Black has been boxing since he was eight years old and competing since he was 11. He has previously reached the Development Championship quarter-finals back in 2022, but was beaten by a Yorkshire boxer.

Black said: “It’s the furthest I’ve reached in this competition, and I don’t plan on ending my journey here. It’s going to be tough against a London boy, but I’ve got the experience to deal with everything in this.”

Ross Clark, Black’s head coach, said: “We’re all proud of the progress he keeps making in training and we know he can go onto big things if he keeps his head down.”

A win on Saturday will propel Black to the semi-finals on 19 October at Tenterden Leisure Centre in Kent.