Up and coming Newark boxer Joel Cook continues to turn heads after an impressive showing in the quarter finals of England Boxing’s 2024 National Junior Championships.
Cook took on last year’s champion and European Championships silver medalist Isa Hussein and was able to best his highly fancied opponent.
The Newark Amateur Boxing Club fighter, based at Suggy’s Gym put in an excellent performance at the Gresley Old Hall Community Welfare to secure victory.
“As Isa’s record suggests, it was always going to be quite a challenge for Joel but we had no doubts that he was good enough to box at this level,” said Suggy’s Gym head coach Dean Sugden.
Sugden added that Joel had previously fought some top opponents and had lost by the narrowest of margins.
“He certainly proved we were right, landing more scoring blows and being technically and tactically superior as he pushed the pace throughout the fight,” said Sugden.
“He controlled the tempo, space and distance to take the win in their quarter final fight.”
One week after his victory in the quarter finals, Cook was back in the ring at the Sir David Wallace Sports Hall in Loughborough for the semi-finals of the competition.
With plenty of his teammates from the gym watching live online or there in the sports hall itself, Sugden thought that Joel won all three rounds against his tall and long opponent Muhammed Shah from London’s White Hart Lane.
“The first round was close, in the second Joel made adjustments and won, then he went on to completely dominate in the third,” said Sugden. “So losing on a split decision really hurt, especially after that emphatic win a week earlier.
“Both my son Chad and I, who were there in Joel’s corner, felt he should have won this one too, after what was a first-class performance.
“And it was obvious at the end of the fight that his opponent wasn’t expecting that result either — they say a picture speaks a thousand words and if you were watching the fight online or you check out the video clip we’ve shared on Facebook, you’ll know that even Muhammed didn’t think he would be getting his hand raised.
“It goes without saying that we were disappointed by the decision but we were very pleased with Joel’s performance and although he was unlucky not to get the nod for this one, overall in this year’s Junior Championships he proved yet again that he is one of the best.
“We know for certain that he can do better and will definitely continue to improve, so he should hold his head up high and keep doing what he’s doing.”
Joel will be back in the ring again on Friday May 3, when he will be on the card of the next NABC Home Show at Farndon Memorial Hall in Newark.
Details of the event will be published within the next few weeks.
