BOXING - Boxing club's first tourney in 20 years `a big success'

Kay Malcolm reckons that amateur boxing is a lot safer than power walking.
The long-time secretary of the United Boxing Gym had her arm in a sling at Saturday's boxing tournament at Kensington Stadium after dislocating her shoulder in a fall while walking recently.
The United Boxing Club's first tournament in 20 years was a big success for the club with a crowd of around 400 people enjoying a card of seven bouts plus one exhibition fight. For Malcolm though, her injury couldn't have happened at a worse time, with the gym's first tournament in 20 years to organise.
"There's a lot of work involved and it's always very last minute; making sure the boxers turn up, are they going to pass the doctor's exam, checking their weight and so on," she said.
"You don't get that sort of attention before a rugby game," she laughs.
She said every precaution is taken to make sure that no-one gets hurt in the ring and it is a rare situation to see anyone seriously injured.
"When you are in the ring you have head protection and it's only an unscrupulous trainer that will let his fighter get hurt in a bout."
The only time she has ever got nervous at a tournament was when her own boys were in the ring.
"I can still feel for any mother when they watch their sons fight, it can be nervewracking to watch them up there on their own, with everyone watching."
Malcolm has been the secretary and/or treasurer of the club "pretty much since it started". She raised money for the club by running meat raffles at the pubs - now she finds sponsors and lobby's trusts for funds.
"It's really nice to see a tournament again after such a long time here in the north," she said.
Boxing has always been a family affair for her and it still is.
"My father Matt McLean had five grandsons training at the gym, started up by Eric Blanchard, Tas Smith and Graham Goodwin, so he gave them $25 to start the club and it's carried on from there,"
Her sons Alan and Ricci took over after the original trainers left and are still with the club.
The club trains at the Portland Hall twice a week, on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6-8pm and Malcolm stresses that it's not just about training boxers. "Things have changed a lot from when we started _ quite a few females go to training and they take their families along to train as well," she said.
Ricci Malcolm said despite two bouts being cancelled because fighters hadn't showed up, the feedback from the event had been very positive and he hoped to hold another tournament next year.