Sandygate's Smokin' Joe on fire in ABA quarters!

Having already dispatched their Yorkshire counterparts, Ighten Hill’s Joe Crawford and stablemate Sulaiman Malik movged on to face opposition from Merseyside and Cheshire in Croxteth, Liverpool.

Crawford, 14, fought J. Freel (Kirkdale ABC) at 48kg Class B in what turned out to be a one-sided affair. From the opening bell, Crawford dominated and forced his foe on to the back foot, striking at will and rolling under any leads thrown.

Crawford, who connected frequently, stretched a commanding lead in the second stanza, working the body with heavy lead hooks before dictating proceedings behind his jab.

The Liverpudlian champion, sensing that he was behind, came out all guns blazing in the opening stanza but Burnley’s talented teenager controlled and managed the fight well to finish the stronger fighter and secure a place in the final four with a unanimous decision victory. He’ll now face Coventry’s H. Malone (Christ The King ABC).

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Malik performed brilliantly against the more experienced F. McGowan (Salisbury ABC), who had stopped the majority of his opponents. Malik survived and went the distance but narrowly missed out on the judges’ scorecards.

Anyone interested in joining Sandygate ABC can find more details on the club’s website at www.sandygateabc.com