Jubilant Jack upsets the odds

Photo: PICTURE by TIM FRANCE

PACKING A PUNCH: Jack Ellender won the North-West Region Extra Junior Novice Championship.

BOXING: OLDHAM’S Jack Ellender caused a huge upset by winning the North-West Region Extra Junior Novice ABA Championship at Gorton.

His much more experienced and fancied opponent, Wayne Crolla (Fox ABC), hails from one of Manchester’s top boxing families which includes Anthony Crolla, one of the country’s brightest prospects.

Most people in the audience thought this bout was a formality for Wayne, but 12-year-old Jack — a Year Seven pupil at Counthill School — gatecrashed the party.

He was relentless in his pursuit of a taller opponent, who found it difficult to cope with powerful hooks to the head and body.

And Jack did not just rely on brute strength for his much-deserved victory.

He adopted a slick counter-punching style which hinged on elusive footwork as much as aggression.

At the end of the contest, the previously-unbeaten Crolla knew he had lost the contest — so great was the margin — and painted a dejected figure.

Jack is a member of the newly-formed Oldham Boxing and Personal Development Centre and many of the onlookers, including officials, commented on his potential to achieve great things in amateur boxing.

The Derker-based youngster has been boxing for only a year and clearly has plenty of talent.

Eric Noi, Jack’s trainer and director of the OBPDC, said: “The success of a fledgling club is unprecedented within the sport.

“Producing one national champion in Robbie Connor and a regional champion in Jack clearly shows we are doing something right.

“This town has a rich heritage for this sport with the likes of Ronnie and Mark Heffron, Tommy Stubbs and Kyle Shaugnessy already making their mark.”

Due to their startling success, the OBPDC have already outgrown their facilities at the Derker Gym HQ, so bigger, more central premises are urgently needed if the club is build on their early achievements.