‘We couldn’t be more proud’ - Teenage Banbury boxing star reaches finals of national amateur championship

Chris Taylor, 17, who trains at the Banbury Boxing Club, outpointed four boxers on his route to the National Development Finals.

Held at the Arena Sports Kettering leisure centre on Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, the finals saw some of the best young boxers across England compete for the chance to be crowned champion.

Previously, Chris had beaten the top boxers from the home counties and the southwest regions to earn his place in the semi-finals, which took place on Saturday.

The semi-finals saw the Banbury boxer take on the taller Midlands champion, Eesa Sulaiman from the Black Country Boxing Academy.

Coming off a winning run, the Midlands boxer was thought to be a stern test for Chris, who, along with twin brother Johnny, celebrated their birthdays the day before.

However, Chris put on a strong performance and showcased his excellent ability to punch and move, which resulted in him being declared the clear winner.

This decisive victory meant that Chris would have to travel back to Kettering the following day to compete for the gold medal in the finals of the under-63kg category.

The finals on Sunday saw Chris face hard-hitting southern counties champion Samuel Lambert from the Guildford City Amateur Boxing Club.

Many of Chris’ friends and family members made the way over to Kettering to support the talented youngster from Banbury in his most important fight yet.

From the first bell, Chris and his opponent set a blisteringly fast pace, with both boxers similarly throwing a high volume of punches.

The Banbury athlete worked hard to keep the bout at mid-to-long range, but the powerful youngster from Guildford tirelessly worked to close the distance.

When the distance between the two young boxers was closed, Chris was happy to get involved and have a fight at close quarters, finding success with close-range shots to the body of his opponent.

As the bout progressed, both boxers displayed fantastic fitness and stamina to keep up the high pace and make it a suitably thrilling, action-packed final.

In the last round, as both boxers started to tire, Lambert was able to use his ring knowledge and catch the judge’s attention with several strong left hooks to Chris’s head.

This ultimately earned the Guildford boxer a split decision victory over Banbury’s Chris Taylor, who was still delighted to take home silver in what is considered a prestigious competition.

Head coach at Banbury Boxing Club, Ben Malcher, said: “We couldn’t be more proud of Chris to reach the final and also of his twin brother Johnny, who lost at the regional stages to the Home Counties Champion, who went on to win the tournament at his weight.

“Remember the name is the strapline for this national competition, and this highlights the top level of which these two young boxers are operating against the best boxers in the country their age and weight.”