Ryan Cotterell's glory ends a 32-year wait

Cotterell's joy in the England Development championships was a first for him and just as significant for the gym he represents, writes Craig Birch.

Not since Wolverhampton's last pro British champion and boxing Olympian Tony Wilson's senior ABA double in 1983 and 1984 have the fight factory boasted a national champion.

New glories have come during the club's 80th anniversary year and just months when it looked as if their existence might be in doubt.

The death of club secretary John Thomas in September 2015 presented an uncertain future, but Gary Bate and Nick Griffiths have steadied the ship as secretary and treasurer respectively.

Former national champion Richard Carter then come on board as head coach, after fire gutted the Bushbury gym he was using to run his own club.

Cotterell, from Essington, was one of the fighters that followed him to the Willenhall Road base and has now etched his own name into the club's history books.

The 16-year-old featured as an 80kg plus junior heavyweight and won his decider on points to claim the top honours on offer.

Carter, who won the juniors himself ABA in 1987, said: "Myself and Gary both came in promising this club would turn out champions again, but it's happened quicker than we thought!

"It's put the gym on the map again and this is the start of something big, for the club and for Ryan. I truly believe in this kid and, if he keeps on progressing, the sky's the limit for him.

"He wants to turn pro one day, but that won't be for a long time to come. He'll be in the England Youth Championships next year and then work up to the seniors.

"It's going to take a while to get the other lads up to where Ryan is. I can't make mistakes with this lot, I'll almost have to mollycoddle them.

"We are still of the thinking that we're building something back up here, so it's important we keep our feet on the ground. But, from top to bottom, the club is doing well."

Membership has doubled with 40 people using the facility each night, with nine carded fighters able to box competitively.

Andy Owen and Craig Riley will follow Cotterell into national competition next year, when they are entered into the England Elite competition.

They will also stage their first club show for five-and-a-half years on Friday February 17, at Bar Sport's Premier Suite in Cannock.

Cotterell was back to school the day after his crowning glory, as he's studying for his A-Levels alongside full-time training at the University College of Birmingham's Boxing Academy.

The former Cheslyn Hay Sport & Community High School pupil went to the top table in just his 11th unpaid affair, recording his seventh success.

His final at the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre in Lincolnshire was like a giant-killing on Sunday, as he gave away over 20kg to his opponent.

It was his second England Development outing after defeating James Ling, from Empire in Bristol, unanimously in the semis.

He'd previously been due to take on Edward Maker, from Kirkby in Liverpool, but he pulled out before the bout could take place.

It came down to Cotterell and the huge Carter Osborne, from Brighton & Hove, to decide the title in a battle of the big boys. They clashed in the juniors' Class B, for those born in 2000.

Osborne raged forward from the opening bell, forcing Cotterell onto the back-foot where he stayed calm and waited for openings.

The chance came along in the second round where Osborne was clattered with a straight hand, which sent his imposing figure hurtling into the ropes.

Cotterell followed up with a left hook and flurries and, although he couldn't force the finish, he was on top of the contest from there.

Osborne vainly tried to swing big bombs in the third and last session, but Cotterell refused to box in straight lines and punched from angles. At the end, victory was again his unanimously.

Carter said: "I knew he'd won and he hasn't lost a round in either fight. Brains really beat brawn in this one. His opponent was abnormally big and without a ounce of fat on him, either.

"Ryan was like a fly on a lion's back, at first, before we got him off balance and the kid started to come onto his shots. We thought he was going to stop him after that punch in the second.

"The other lad was struggling to come out for the third, I think Ryan had broken his heart. When he got the decision, he was ecstatic."

West Midlands cohorts Hosea Stewart, Coree Clarke and Kelly Hickinbottom settled for second place after coming up short in the final.

All featured as seniors, aged 17 and upwards, who were divided into two classes by experience. Class A is for 2-10 bouts, with Class B 11-20 contests.

Stewart, of Firewalker in Wolverhampton, undertook his fifth Development affair from a standing start on Sunday, with no competitive experience in the sport after switching from kickboxing.

But his fairytale ended with defeat in the super heavyweight division of Class A (91kg plus), unanimously to West Ham's Aaron Palmer-Cenac.

On Saturday at the same venue, Warley's Clarke was thwarted on a split decision in Class B at 91kg against Jack Bannister, from Baker Street in Gloucester.

Clarke is now a senior after reaching a national final and winning the gold medal at the Three Nations as a Youth.

Walsall Wood's Hickinbottom boxed a straight final in the female A against the nation's only other 57kg entrant, Oxford University's Izra Hale, and lost unanimously.