Jennings tops the bill as East Lancs challenge

THE visit of East Lancashire for tomorrow's dinner boxing marks the start of a very busy period for the Amalgamated Boys' Club and two boxers in particular. Matt Jennings and Tom Martin have important ABA championship bouts fast approaching and coach Graham Guilbert said that training would be intensified accordingly.

'After this show, Jennings has the first round of the ABAs on 14 February in Bristol, then the Open show at Beau Sejour on 21 February and the week after that he is in London for the next ABAs round.

'That basically goes for Tom Martin as well although he has a bye through to the quarter-finals of the ABAs on 28 February,' Guilbert said.

Jennings will top the bill once again at St Pierre Park tomorrow.

He is up against P. Owen and Guilbert said that he would provide a different test from his last bout when current ABA novice cruiserweight champion Scott James gave him a tough battle.

'His opponent is a tall and classy boxer. He has won a couple of championships himself so he is no mug.

'Jennings had a hard one last time out and it will be good for him to have a different type of bout this time.

'I just hope he does not get cut or pick up any other injury before the ABAs,' Guilbert said.

The ABC coach believes that the show has the potential to be a cracker, with the north of England being 'boxing country' and his own boxers showing good form.

'Jennings, Tom Martin and Tom Duff are looking exceptional and the others are coming on well - the likes of Matthew Clark and Howard Dury are looking good.

'Dury is as hard as anything and we are trying to teach him to hold back a bit,' said Guilbert.

However, the coach has been unable to break his duck of not having the three Duff brothers on the card, with Ben missing this show due to his broken nose.

But looking further ahead, Guilbert is excited by the prospect of having 15 local boxers on the bill for the Beau Sejour event when a Manchester select team will visit for the Open show.

Then in March, Jennings and Tom Duff will be doing the next Western Counties squad training session in Bristol and at the end of April, there could be as many as six Sarnian boxers involved in the England Box Cup - a competition that will include several nations such as Sweden and Germany.

'It is all going really well at the moment. We have more juniors now than we ever had and we are all working together and bringing people on,' said Guilbert.