Titanic victory for Lewis and Scorpion

Friday night was a special night for Scorpion Boxing Club as the Belfast Beltway Boxing Classic took place in the Titanic Centre.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Nov 2014, 12:27 BST
American visitors pose for photographs before their bouts in the Titanic Ballroom in Belfast.American visitors pose for photographs before their bouts in the Titanic Ballroom in Belfast.
American visitors pose for photographs before their bouts in the Titanic Ballroom in Belfast.

The Ballymoney club were the anchor club for this prestigious event which saw fighters from Northern Ireland take on the mighty USA. Scorpion Coach Alan Spike Martin was the main organiser along with boxing referee Brendan Lowe and the event created history as it was the first boxing tournament to take place within the Titanic Ballroom.

Scorpion’s Lewis Napier created his own piece of history as the first fighter to box in this iconic setting and he made sure it was a fight to remember as he easily defeated his American opponent.

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Spike Martin was more than pleased with his young fighter: “Lewis made it look easy. He is now into his second season with me now and he really has improved big time. He has got a lot of experience and has had a lot of good sparring. In the run up to Friday’s fight he sparred with three All Ireland Champions and a European Schoolboys Gold medallist so the preparation he had was second to none. He couldn’t have asked for better preparation than that.

The Northern Ireland and American fighters enter the Titanic Ballroom down the iconic staircaseThe Northern Ireland and American fighters enter the Titanic Ballroom down the iconic staircase
The Northern Ireland and American fighters enter the Titanic Ballroom down the iconic staircase

“I deliberately take our guys away to spar with fighters who are much better than them and that helps them learn and develop. There is no easy sparring for Lewis, I always make sure he spars with quality opposition which brings him on. He has improved immensely and I’m delighted with him.

“When he fought against the same opponent in Washington earlier in the year it was a close fight and it was a benchmark for Lewis as to how far he has come on as a fighter. His work rate was very good, he was very fit and his opponent was shell shocked on Friday night. Lewis kept the pressure on from start to finish and was so intense.

“It was a superb event and I am delighted with the way it went. Brendan Lowe and myself had been working for months on this and it was good to see it all pay off. It was amazing to have such a fantastic setting for it and the fact that we made history made it so much more special.

Scorpion is the anchor club and so it was a big deal for us.”

Related topics:Northern IrelandUSA