Express & Star

Five go into the last four of the NAGBCs

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Two Dudley dynamos and a trio from Walsall Wood are in the National Association of Boys & Girls Championships semi-finals this weekend.

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They make the long trip to Northumberland to take their places on a busy day of boxing at the Spa in Bridlington tomorrow,

writes Craig Birch.

Mongan, who fights out of Priory Park Boxing Club in Dudley, had been expecting to be the only one of the five in national quarter-final action last weekend.

But the travelling teenager never ended up stepping through the ropes at Lea Hall in Birmingham, due to his opponent pulling out of the bout.

The 15-year-old's one involvement in his NAGBC debut saw him claim the West Midlands title at 63kg in Class A, for boxers born in 2000, with a unanimous points win over Aston's Ellis Truman.

The former England Schools boss and European Championship bronze medallist now has the chance to reach another national final.

Standing in his way will be Connor Tudsbury, a seven-year campaigner with the Moss Side Fire Station gym since the club's inception.

Paige Goodyear, from the Brooklands home gym in Dudley run by former professional Darren McDermott, is also in the last four.

Goodyear, another ex-Schools champion, has passed through Class A's 52kg girls section with no opponents but will now take on Melika Afzali, from Stevie Smith's Boxing Academy in Hull.

Wood can play the numbers game starting at 54kg in Class A, where all three of their hopefuls walked over the quarter-finals through byes.

Their interest begins at 54kg in Class A where Zaryab Khan last overcame Aiden Smith, from the Kettering School of Boxing, unanimously on points in the pre-quarters.

Khan will now be looking to take the wind out of Joe Tyres, from Darlington, and build on his best-ever run in a national competition.

Club-mate Hamzah Ahmed has been in sparkling form at a busy 57kg in Class A, scoring a hat-trick of unanimous victories to stay in the hunt.

The back-foot stylist will now look to draw Leigh's Harry Winnard into a battle of wits and go one better than his national semi-run in this year's England Junior Development event.

The Wood contingent is compete at 49kg in Class C (1997-98 born fighters), where Ibrahim Khan has already outpointed two of his rivals. In the other corner will be Saif Yousaf, from Steel City in Sheffield.

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