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Kieran earns prize for stylish display

Frank Wood
7/ 2/2007

Boxing

PRIDE took a battering for outstanding young boxer Kieran Farrell when he lost on points in the national ABA final just before Christmas.

But this week, the action-packed 16-year-old was feeling just champion again when he learned he had been voted the "Best Stylist" in the entire championships.

Kieran, of Wham Street, Heywood got a surprise phone call, inviting him down to Urbis in Manchester to receive a bronze trophy from professional boxer and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Courtney Fry.

A judging team studies video of the entire contest before awarding the trophy.

Kieran, who has been boxing since he was eight, has his sights set on becoming a professional fighter. But before that, he has a new goal to focus on when he competes later this month in the first rounds of the junior ABA championships in Manchester.

He said: "In the ABA finals in Nottingham in December, I lost on points to a boxer called D Chapman from Wales. I had no idea we were all being judged on how stylish our boxing was. It was great to receive this trophy and to meet Courtney."

Success for Kieran hasn't been achieved without a lot of tough training. He runs five miles on the roads almost every day and trains three nights a week at the Boarshaw Amateur Boxing Club in Middleton.

When he first took up the sport, he joined the Darnhill club, but later spent time at the Bury club, where he progressed rapidly, sparring with the likes of Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan and his outstanding young brother Haroon.

Although Kieran is only slightly built for his age, he is a muscle-packed 46 kilo and has developed a reputation for grinding down opponents with his non-stop barrage of punches.

His big hero? - as if anyone needed to ask. Ricky The Hitman Hatton.