Islington Boxing Club’s Tyrese Ramsey is set to face Kola Omoniyi at the Coliseum Suite in Ilford

THE best boxers from across the capital hit Somers Town on Sunday when they stepped between the ropes for the semi-finals of the London Elite National Amateur Championships.

Arguably the most mouth-watering match-up came at 71kg where Islington Boxing Club’s (IBC) Tyrese Ramsey went toe-to-toe against St Pancras ABC stalwart Sherifdeen Lawal.

After a thrilling contest it was Ramsey’s arm that was raised in victory as he gained a unanimous 5-0 win to book a light-middleweight final against Kola Omoniyi from Repton ABC tomorrow night (Friday) at the Coliseum Suite in Ilford.

With regional winners going on to box in the National Elite Championships, IBC matchmaker Reggie Hagland bobbed and weaved around any talk about north London rivalries.

He said: “I’m a Londoner, and I want to see all the boxers from London who go on to reach the nationals do well.”

IBC’s Aziz Ben Rouha, who has already won the London Development Championships this season, will also be boxing in east London after being drawn in a straight middleweight final against Dale Youth ABC’s Daryion Davids-Bennett.

Reggie added: “Tyrese and Aziz are two fantastic prospects who have developed good reputations in the capital. On paper both their bouts promise to deliver great excitement – but boxing isn’t fought on paper. Anything can happen, so let’s see wait and see.”

Jermaine Dhliwayo with St Pancras head coach CJ Hussein and Ben Stinton

St Pancras head coach CJ Hussein said he was “disappointed” by the result between his man Lawal and Ramsey at the Somers Town Community Sports Centre in Chalton Street – but added he would now be supporting the Islington boxer.

“It was a good fight,” said CJ. “Losing is one thing, but I don’t think it was a 5-0 unanimous decision. I don’t agree with the result, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I wish Tyrese well in the final and really hope he wins, it would be a great result for London.”

CJ will still have his work cut out for him at the Coliseum Suite as he prepares Jermaine Dhliwayo for his 60kg final against Freddie Pullen from West Ham ABC.

Dhliwayo moved to within one win of capturing a London Elite title after “destroying” Hamza Hajee-Sheriff from East London Boxing Academy in what the Saints fighter described as “a real grudge match”.

He added: “My very first bout for St Pancras was against him. I had only just joined the club and had barely trained, and he beat me. I then beat him last year to win the London Boxing Intermediate Championships.

“On Sunday I took him apart, and he received a standing eight count in the second round. I’d say I’ve avenged any defeats against him in a big way. We’ve now fought four times and are tied at two wins each – who knows, maybe we’ll meet again in the future.”

Looking ahead to the big final, Dhliwayo said: “I’m going to win. I feel sharp, and have been training and boxing really well. I feel good, and I’m ready.”

Meanwhile, IBC came close to having three boxers in the London finals, but Connor Daly came up short in his semi-final bout as he was beaten 5-0 by Uzair Maqbool from East London Boxing Academy.