Pavilion swansong for boxers

8:49am Thursday 8th November 2007

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WEYMOUTH Amateur Boxing Club will contest its last ever dinner show at the Pavilion this Saturday due to the seafront venue's planned refurbishment.

Club competition secretary David Nelmes is unhappy at the prospect of not returning to the Pavilion.

He said: "The Pavilion won't have its big hall anymore, instead there will be a community hall which wont be big enough to stage our tournaments.

"The better solution would have been a divider in the main hall to separate it into smaller areas, which could easily be converted into a bigger one to allow events like ours to be staged there.

"It's very disappointing because these events keep the club going. If we weren't able to stage these tournaments we would have to charge our boxers more money, which is something we don't want to do.

"Last year's show was something special, and will be difficult to beat. We are sad that we are finishing at the Pavilion but that's the way it is."

Sixteen bouts are on Saturday's bill featuring five Weymouth fighters and three from Portland, who will all compete in front of a crowd of at least 260.

Colum Siddons, 22, will don the gloves for the seaside club against Matthew Kinsey of Sydenham, while fellow senior Liam Seckam will be taking on familiar opposition in 16-year-old Jonathan Fry of Bognor. The last time the pair met, 17-year-old Seckam lost his only contest to date.

Also in action for Weymouth is Jason Osmond, who goes toe-to-toe with Bournemouth's Dan Cunning-ham, an opponent Osmond, 14, has beaten in the past.

Juniors Toby Osmond and Jonjo Look are also scheduled to fight in their hometown with the former set to take on Mason Shaw from King Alfred and Look ready to rumble with Moneyfields' E Mew.

Portland trio Josh Ellis, Tom Gardiner and Richard Charlton make the short trip across the causeway. Ellis, 17, hopes to become the first boxer to beat Poole's undefeated Nialle Percival.

Charlton, another senior, faces debutant M Trueman from Torbay, while Gardiner, 15, is out to record his 10th career win when he comes face to face with Luke Dewey of Lawrence.

Tickets are still available on the door after 8.30pm, costing £10 each.