Cambridge experienced some of the brutality, intensity and glamour of big-ticket boxing tonight, as some of the university’s best fighters took on representatives of local clubs in the annual Town v Gown event.

A packed Guildhall saw ten varied bouts, each comprising three rounds. An early highlight saw Cambridge powerhouse Jasryan Singh Birk take the first Gown victory in bout number three. In a solid technical performance, Birk didn’t mix it up much, sticking to his reliable and rangey jab combinations, and using his reach to dominate the ring. His opponent, from Kettering ABC, staged some explosive counter-attacks, but the result was never in much doubt.

The rest of the first half didn’t go so well for Cambridge, though not for want of energy or grit from the student fighters. Steve McGregor of Peterhouse, who opened the evening, came raring out of the blocks and threw some sizeable punches at his opponent, Ryan Walsh from Hayes ABC. But Walsh was able to bide his time and pick off points for the victory. Downing’s Billy Fitton fought solidly in one of the evening's heavier and more brutal match-ups, but struggled to gain the initiative and was fairly beaten. Cambridge captain Stef Lavelle fought Norwich’s George Redhead in one of the fastest bouts of the night; both fighters showed strong technique and a good range of attacks, with the Town man edging it on a split decision. Closing the upper half of the card, Cambridge middleweight Jake Foster looked competitve in his bout against a fighter from Hayes, but took some tough blows in the second round and saw the towel thrown in.

A pair of close fights shortly before, and just after the interval produced disappointing results for two of Cambridge’s gutsier fighters, leaving the predominantly student crowd nonplussed. Light heavyweight Tinashe Murozoki, a Churchill man and one of the night’s most powerful fighters, had to cope with a searing start from George Omoh of Omnibus Loxford ABC, but fought back with pace and aggression. Not afraid to take a few risks, Murozoki stayed on the front foot throughout, with some sustained volleys of powerful punching. His guard, however, was sometimes a little loose, forcing him to rely on reactions and agility to stay out of trouble. Omoh rallied in the last round and a half, and was able to take a points victory that surprised the Guildhall.

Fan favourite David Wen opened the second half of the card with a match against Norwich’s Marri Diaz. Wen’s kickboxing background showed through in his fine balance and lightning transitions from back foot to front. Able to make the ring as big or as small as he chose, Wen looked in command, with the crowd's biggest roar of the night at his back. However his rival from Norfolk broke through in the third round, and was awarded another slightly surprising victory.

Things then took a brighter turn for Cambridge, with three straight victories for the students. Magdalene’s Lampros Litos, leading time and again with his dominating left paw, swung big to see off a well matched opponent from the Royal Engineers. Fitzwilliam’s Rob Liu looked in control of his bout from the off against Vish Parma of Hayes, who fought with passion but rarely with poise. Though determined, and blessed with a quick and rangey jab when the moment took him, Parma could not cope with Liu’s measured brutality. Another Magdalene v Engineers match-up saw Cantab Jack Randall wear down one of the night’s grittiest defences. His opponent, despite a hunched and sometimes slow-moving style, also offered the night’s scariest right hook; like a steam-hauled express train, you could see it coming a mile off but that didn’t make you want to be in its way. Randall knew how to use his reach and technique to take the points in a steady performance.

The final Town v Gown match of the night saw Churchill’s hard-fighting Jamie O’Neill fairly, but not massively, outboxed by a Town opponent who landed a couple of meaty hits. The ticket then rounded off with an all-Blue tie-up of Mikey Lynam (Trinity) against Kostas Ziovas (Clare Hall). The enthusiastic student crowd revelled in this opportunity to take sides. Lynam was the only man on the night to hit the canvas – though it was a stumble rather than a smack-down – as Ziovas took victory in a suitably upbeat and energetic end to the evening.