With glamour and decadence in abundance, Friday evening saw Cambridge University Amateur Boxing Club’s (CUABC) finest athletes dominate against local teams in the ever-popular Town v Gown event.

Twelve bouts were fought, each consisting of three two-minute rounds, and no fewer than eight CUABC boxers emerged victorious.

There was a tangible sense of excitement under the glittering Guildhall lights well before the action commenced at half past 7. With the 110th Varsity match just over a month away, this annual event serves as vital preparation for the gown boxers, giving fighters crucial ring-time and experience of an electric ‘big fight night’. With this in mind, CUABC coach Lee Mitchell bravely handed seven boxers their debuts in a bid to bed them in before the Oxford clash.

If there was ever a sense of nervousness among the partisan crowd pre-fight, this was emphatically put to bed by Judah Aiyenuro of St John’s in the opening bout. In a thrilling performance of counter-attacking play and sharp punches, opponent Rory Lynch of Royal Leamington ABC found himself on the defensive from the very first seconds. Cheered on by a raucous John’s collective, Aiyenuro’s superiority was clear, even before a fierce right-hand swipe floored his opponent in the second round. A technical knockout was called shortly after, drawing to a close the best performance of the night and handing CUABC the victory.

The slim figure of Pierre Weller from Queens’ took to the ring next, facing one of a number of opponents from IQ Boxing Club, based in central London. The early exchanges were frantic, with Weller attacking with energy and rapid-fire punches, but failing to notch anything significant. Come round three, the obviously tiring Weller had seemingly run out of ideas, and was permanently pinned to the ropes. This was an expert defensive performance from the Londoner, and his split decision victory was fully deserved.

CUABC stalwart Steve McGregor, a crowd favourite, suffered a similar fate against the nimble Callum Pleass of Southampton University ABC: both were happy to keep their distance, but the crucial blows were dealt by Pleass in the later rounds, and he won unanimously.

Next came the undisputed fight of the night, featuring Downing’s Mo Sacranie. As soon as the bell rang, both fighters were frantic and busy, with the town boxer connecting with more frequency power. But the tide began to turn in Sacranie’s favour, as penalties for a low head seemed to affect his diminutive opponent. Come the end of the second round, the home favourite was well on top, and the crowd’s vociferous support helped him maintain this momentum to the fight’s conclusion. Sacranie secured the split-decision victory in a cracking encounter.

And the gown superiority continued thereafter.

Aiden Hope secured a victory after a matter of seconds when his Northampton ABC opponent suffered a nasty-looking shoulder injury early on – an unfortunate demise. Next, women’s captain and BUCS silver medallist Katie MacVarish entered the arena in the only women’s fight of the night. In a sequence of frantic and relentless attacks, ‘the Juggernaut’ MacVarish overwhelmed her challenger from the get-go and a unanimous victory came as no surprise come the end of round three.

After a short interval, during which the packed crowd were able to catch their breath and recover, the giant frame of Clare’s Pawel Borowski locked horns with Sean White – a stocky boxer from Essex University ABC. The early plays were scrappy and lacked fluency, with the referee having to break up the players on several occasions. But some solid connections from the Cantab, not least a thunderous right hook to the jaw, brought some energy into the clash and the crowd to their feet.

Round two began in a similar manner, with Borowski’s heavy hits knocking White’s gumshield to the floor. The supreme fitness of the man in red became more and more telling, as his opponent failed to cope with his busy and agile counterpart. A series of solid right-handed blows sealed White’s fate in a dominant performance from Borowski that delighted the patrons and coaches.

The loudest fight of the night saw Emmanuel’s Harry Holdstock contest a very even affair, with both athletes trading blows and keeping a tight high-handed defence. It was a crushing strike from Holdstock, which drew blood, that shifted the momentum towards the red corner, and a combination of left and right jabs knocked his opponent straight to the floor, stimulating rowdy vocal support from every corner of Guildhall.

One of the biggest disappointments of the night was President James Kuo’s very early knockout. He came out firing, but was made to pay as the devastatingly long reach of his adversary kept him at bay before a right-arm hook gave the referee no option but to end the fight.

The night concluded with three fights pitting CUABC crowd favourites against boxers from Mill Road ABC. Neil Pointon got things underway, but was ultimately left frustrated at his own performance. His early energy was eventually his downfall: his hands dropped too low in round two, opening a window for his opponent to deliver a knockout punch that was painfully audible.

Max Stewart fared much better against Mikey Weedon, and his tactful defensive play tired his opponent out before taking on the initiative to attack and clinch a knockout victory.

Sid Prabhu Naik of Christ’s, fresh from a narrow defeat at Irthlingborough last week, rounded off proceedings with a classic encounter.  The bout was of high quality, with momentum shifting back and forth with carefully placed punches from both contestants. After a cagey second round, the fight remained closely fought and, with fitness so important, a late flurry of connections handed him the split-decision win: a wonderful finale to a spectacular evening of entertainment.

After a thoroughly encouraging night for CUABC, thoughts now turn to the Varsity match on 10th March. Given the stellar performances of many young boxers tonight, and the general competitiveness of every bout, there is much to be optimistic about. If the final month of training goes to plan, it would be brave to bet against Cambridge being victorious when they lock horns with their old foes once again