Islington Boxing Club’s Aziz Ben Rouha and Tyrese Ramsey

A TRIO of newly crowned London champions are Barnsley-bound after earning their place alongside some of the best amateur boxers in the business.

Jermaine Dhliwayo from St Pancras ABC, and Islington Boxing Club (IBC) duo Tyrese Ramsey and Aziz Ben Rouha all became kings of the capital on Friday when they won their respective weight divisions at the London Elite National Amateur Championships.

Their reward – along with shiny new belts – is a place in the pre-quarter-finals of England Boxing’s National Amateur Championships, which will take place at the Barnsley Metrodome on April 1.

The conquerers of the capital will travel to South Yorkshire in confident mood having survived and thrived during what was a challenging night at the Coliseum Suite in Ilford.

Dhliwayo, who was competing at 60kg, put in “an awesome performance” to earn a 3-2 split-decision victory over Freddie Pullen from West Ham ABC.

After seeing the lightweight’s arm raised in victory, proud coach CJ Hussein said: “Jermaine was awesome, he put in a real 10 out of 10 performance. He landed a great variation of punches, continually switching from head to body – which was only possible because of his outstanding fitness levels. He beat a very good kid with bags of experience – it’s a great scalp for him.”

The win also marks an important achievement for St Pancras ABC. The Kentish Town-based gym have now spawned back-to-back champions after Christian Thomas won a London title last season.

“The club has a rich history of producing great fighters, and Jermaine and Christian are two young boxers that we are extremely proud of,” added CJ. “To now have two London champions boxing at the club is absolutely unbelievable.”

St Pancras ABC fighter Jermaine Dhliwayo

The cheers in Upper Holloway were just as raucous as IBC also added two more names to their long list of London champions. But it was far from straightforward with Ramsey and Ben Rouha both being pushed to their limits.

Boxing at 71kg, Ramsey survived two standing eight counts on his way to recording a 3-2 win over Repton ABC’s Kola Omoniyi.

Reflecting on the light-middleweight’s performance, IBC matchmaker Reggie Hagland said: “For me that was the bout of the night. Tyrese won the first round, but he received a standing count in the second and there was no doubt he lost that round.

“He also took one big shot early on in the final round and received another standing count, but he recovered well and went on to land the cleaner, scoring shots. He landed the most punches and I felt he fully deserved the decision.

“Tyrese showed he’s willing to bite down on his gum shield and get on with it when things get tough.”

Ben Rouha, who was competing at 75kg, also showed “grit and determination” in his bout against Dale Youth ABC’s Daryion Davids-Bennett.

Both middleweights were deducted a point for continuous holding in the final round of what was one of the closest contests of the night – the Islington man eventually emerged victorious courtesy of a 3-2 split decision.

“Aziz lost the opening round, but the tables turned in the second and that gave him the confidence to push on in the third,” said Reggie. “It was a really close bout, and personally I wouldn’t have had any arguments had the decision gone the other way. But it went in our favour and we’re thrilled that Aziz won.

“To have two boxers win London titles in their first attempt is a massive achievement for the club, the coaches and, of course, for Tyrese and Aziz. At the end of the day they’re the ones taking the punches.”