Two go into ABA Novice pre-quarters

Two amateurs from Dudley will have to come through a qualifying heat to reach the quarter-finals of the ABA Novice national championships.

The pre-quarter finals will take place at the Wortley Hotel in Scunthorpe on Sunday afternoon, in Classes A and B of the competition.

In Class A - boxers who have had 10 bouts or under - two fighters from Priory Park ABC in Dudley bid for a place in the last eight.

Featherweight Vakar Hussain 'walked over' - no opponent to box - the Midlands final and was due to face St Vincent's ABC Michael Thorne.

But Thorne has pulled out, so Hussain will recieve another bye into the quarter-finals.

His namesake at Priory Park, Danial, stopped Liam Mackin for the Midlands title at lightweight and moves on to Doncaster Plant ABC's Sonnet Duhrie.

A third fighter from Priory Park is also through in bantamweight Josh Aston - cousin of pro Ryan - who 'walks over' to the quarter-finals.

In Class B - fighters who have had 20 bouts or under - there is another 'walk over' for the West Midlands in Wednesbury ABC's Dale Doody.

Doody, who boxes in the lowest weight category of light fly, lost on points this month in the semi-finals of the Clubs for Young People championships.

Middleweight Andrew Robinson, who boxes for Lions ABC in Dudley, is the sole Black Country representative competing in Class B this weekend.

Robinson, a points winner in the Midlands final, now goes in with Paul Gordon, from York ABC.