School’s Bout for the Summer
The boxing community isn’t a stranger to the odd funny story.
And it got another on 19 May, when the Prince of Wales ABC’s club show turned into a classroom as a teacher boxed alongside two of his pupils.
POW’s Daniel Walshe, who became Welsh Champion in the 63.5kg category at April’s Elite National Championship Finals, was surprised to find out that he’d be competing alongside two of his pupils, representing St. Joseph’s East ABC.
Aaron Maskel and Theo Burke were equally as shocked and excited to discover they’d be taking part in the same show as their PE teacher!
“I regularly keep up-to-date with their boxing training and any upcoming competitions they have,” Daniel explained.
“Aaron is also in my form and one morning, he had come in and told me was boxing on 19 May. I asked him where it was, and eventually realised we’d be boxing at the same show! When I told the boys they were in disbelief but were then thoroughly excited that this was the case!”
The night couldn’t have turned out better for the three boxers, who all came away with positive results in their respective bouts.
“All three of us were able to get the wins on the night,” Daniel continued. “I boxed a tough experienced boy from Trelewis, managing to secure a unanimous points win, while both my pupils boxed two boys from my club, Prince of Wales, also managing to be successful in their bouts.”
Daniel confirmed he felt relieved as well as happy at the outcome.
“Boxing in front of pupils always adds additional pressure, knowing that if I were to lose, returning on Monday most of the kids would know and some students would have an absolute field day!
“But, managing to secure a win, seeing pupils celebrate when my hand is raised, helps motivate me to want to do it all again and inspire the other students. Arriving at school, students were all aware, congratulating me, asking questions, and wanting to see footage.
“Across the school,” Daniel went on, “my colleagues have continuously shared the success I have had this season. The headteacher and my department have been massively supportive, encouraging me and highlighting the achievement in all staff briefings. All the kids were aware of the result as it was put on the school’s Twitter page and posted on digital signage across the school. It's fantastic that it’s been recognised across the school, and I can't thank them enough; hopefully it can encourage the aspiring boxers within our school!”
After becoming a Welsh Champion in April, Daniel competed in the Elite 3 Nations and went on to overcome England’s Shehzad Azam with a fantastic performance before narrowly falling to Luke Bibby of Scotland.
The Prince of Wales boxer isn’t the only Welsh representative in his school, however!
“After having competed at the 3 Nations myself, I was over the moon to hear that Aaron had been selected to be a part of the Welsh team to box at the Schools 3 Nations,” he stated. “Especially seeing as he has had only three bouts!
“I was able to go and watch and support him in his bout and he boxed excellently, constantly on the front foot, but came up a more experienced competitor and narrowly missed out on the decision. Once he returned to school on Monday morning, I shared the news with my form group and got them to give him a massive round of applause; Aaron is a very talented and strong boxer, I'm excited to see his journey as he gets older!”
It's been wonderful to have seen young boxers progress over the course of the season, with so many, like Aaron, doing themselves proud in a competitive setting – and Daniel shares our excitement for boxing in Wales.
“It is brilliant to see the younger generation involved with club shows across the country,” he commented. “Welsh amateur boxing clubs, coaches and officials do a fantastic job across Wales at organising and running shows to help provide opportunities for all.
“There are many staff at Welsh Boxing, such as Rachel and Amy, who continuously work hard behind the scenes to make sure attendances at events like the Schools 3 Nations are made possible. These kinds of events are unforgettable moments for the younger generation and are something that they will talk about when they're older.
“It's fantastic to see that Welsh Boxing has such a bright future,” concluded Daniel, “with many young talented boxers coming through the pathways and boxing being used as a tool to keep people focused.
“Hopefully in years to come, we will see many more future champions from Wales, following in the footsteps of the likes of Joe Cordina and Lee Selby!”