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No debate as town conquers gown at Union

Oxford University boxers won three of eight fights against the Town in front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd in the Oxford Union’s debate chamber on Wednesday evening, as one of Oxford’s most traditional sporting rivalries continued in style.

Such an event could hardly hope for a better home: this famous chamber, though more habitually accustomed to verbal sparring, is transformed yearly into what must be one of the best amateur boxing venues in the world. Spectators lean over the railings on the balcony which surrounds the ring, while those seated on the floor at one end of the ring fill the chamber. The atmosphere they generate on these occasions is electric: clean punches landed by Oxford University boxers raise a huge cheer, while every thump received is met with a pained and sympathetic groan.

For the gown boxers, the chance to fight in front of such a vociferous and excitable home crowd must be both thrilling and intimidating. Oxford coach Des Bracket, who has been involved in these fixtures for more than ten years, emphasised the sheer excitement of the occasion: “As a fighter you’ve just got to soak this up – I fought in front of 10,000 people at the Munich Beer Festival, and I can tell you the atmosphere didn’t compare to this.”

By the time the first boxers emerged to fight in the only women’s bout on the card the feeling around the room was one of fervent anticipation. A slow clap of frustration had echoed around the chamber minutes earlier, only to be replaced by a roar of excitement as Julia Lee and Chantelle Julienne’s names were announced. Both rose to the stirrings of the crowd, contesting an intense, entertaining first round. Heeding the advice of one member of the crowd to “Hit her in the face”, OUABC boxer Lee drew massive cheers in the second for a series of clean left hand straights. As the bell rang at the end of the third, the unanimous decision of the judges was to award her the fight, much to the delight of the room.

Other university boxers seemed to be more affected by the occasion. Several were only taking to the ring for the first or second time, and they faced tough and experienced opposition in their Town counterparts, hand-picked by Oxford’s coaches from amateur boxing clubs across the country. In several bouts, it was the Town boxer who came out punching in the opening round, only to be checked as his opponent found his feet in second and third.

The prime example of this came in what was the fight of the night, as OUABC’s Callum Pirie prevailed over Tom Widdows of Emeralds ABC. Pirie had a slow start, allowing the Town boxer to dominate the centre of the ring in a first round which left him with a bloodied nose. But he grew into the contest in a tense second and when his opponent showed signs of tiredness in the third, his formerly energetic ducks and weaves now replaced by fatigued sways and rolls, Pirie threw his punches with a renewed confidence, roared on almost constantly by a riveted crowd. The noise crescendoed as a strong left hook was followed by a right hand jab to his opponent’s face, which contorted into a visible grimace of resignation. As the bell rang, the Town boxer’s body cried of defeat. Head bowed, he trudged reluctantly back to his corner to await the inevitable verdict.

The third gown win came as OUABC President Mikey Davis, won by default as his opponent pulled up with a badly sprained ankle in the third. It was otherwise a tough fight for the university boxer, as his fast-moving competitor got in close and landed a string of right-handed uppercuts that left Davis’s face red with blood.

The loudest cheer of the evening was reserved for the announcement to the ring of OUABC Captain Tom Eliasz. Superbly matched against a measured and able opponent, he lost narrowly on the judge’s decision, as did team-mates Arthur Knaggs and James Watson. Jamie Burke fared less well in a fierce fight with Leo Swinfen of Emeralds ABC. Swinfen landed a huge left hook to the head in the second round, which left Burke shaken and unsteady on his feet. He survived the count on this occasion, prompting a massive cheer of encouragement, but was stopped in the third after wearing another strong left hand to the face.

An extra element of intrigue was added to proceedings by the three inter-club fights which Bracket likened to a “shoot-out” for the single Varsity place in each of the weight classes. With the allegiance of the crowd for once in doubt, Ian Holland, Jack Prescott and Denis Kent triumphed against their team-mates in a trio of tense and closely-fought bouts.

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