Dedicated young ringsters at a local boxing club have recorded some amazing feats in the last few months, under the guidance of their hard-working coach.
Warrior Boxing Gym, located in Springfield, is run by coach Johnny Black, who trains both junior and senior team classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.
At the recent XXII National Golden Gloves championships, held from August 18 to 21 at the Acacia Ridge Hotel, three of the club’s junior members – Beau Jones, Sienna Pinnell, and Rohulla Ensafi – all won their divisions.
Johnny was immensely proud of the boxers and praised their commitment.
“Success hasn’t been a given for these athletes; they have earned it through small efforts day in and day out,” he said.
“Most of our boxers have long-term goals, and sights are certainly set on the 2032 Olympics.”
Nearly 500 boxers contested over 250 fights at the event. Half of them were from interstate or overseas, including New Zealand and New Caledonia, and 60 participants were women.
Earlier this year, Beau, Sienna, and Johnny’s son Oscar Black won their bouts at the Queensland state championships, automatically granting them invitations to the national championships in Melbourne in July.
Impressively, both Beau and Oscar won the national titles in their respective age and weight divisions.
Recent medals and achievements are:
Beau Jones, 16, from Camira
State champion – Junior (80kg)
National champion – Junior (80kg)
Golden Gloves champion – Junior (80kg)
Oscar Black, 14, from Spring Mountain
State champion – U15 (60kg)
National champion – U15 (60kg)
Sienna Pinnell, 13, from Springfield Lakes
State champion – U15 (44kg)
Golden Gloves champion – U15 (46kg)
Rohulla Ensafi, 13, from Springfield Lakes
Ipswich Regional champion – U15 (75kg)
Golden Gloves champion – U15 (71kg)
Since its inception, Warrior Boxing has produced an incredible eight Queensland state champions, and numerous ‘golden gloves’ champions, in addition to strong national, regional, and novice results.
“We are one of the most successful clubs in the region,” Johnny said.
Boxing QLD, Inc is the governing body, and serves as the sole pathway to representing Australia at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Coach Johnny emigrated to Australia with his wife and two sons in April, 2012, and by November that year he started running the club – from his own home.
“I started the gym from my backyard in Springfield Lakes, producing my first Queensland champion, in 2014.”
The club now trains at ME Fitness, a 24-hour gym owned by Darren Kelly.
“Darren has been a supporter of the gym for the last six years and is our main sponsor.”
“Me and my assistant coach Alex – the “Romanian Rooster”, as he’s known by – run three sessions a week, plus extra training on the weekends for the select fight team.”
Johnny is an internationally recognised IBA star-2 coach and has been involved in boxing as a pro fighter and coach for over 25 years. He is also a qualified health and wellness coach, cutman, and sports nutritional advisor. Internationally, he also coached at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Congratulations to all team members and their families for keeping focussed and fighting hard.
Warrior Boxing is located at ME Fitness, at 6 Woodcrest Way, Springfield. For more information and for all enquiries, visit www.warriorboxinggym.com, or contact Johnny Black on 0411 629 300 or via johnny@warriorboxinggym.com.
