Gown girls storm town
A good crowd gathered in the Union debating chamber on Tuesday night for the annual Town vs Gown event, which OUABC's Justin Bronder dubbed "an historic meeting between our fair city and our great University".
With nine bouts pitching the cream of the local clubs with exciting new talent from within the University, and with each one providing its own thrills and spills, the hype was certainly justified.
This year's proceedings will form a special chapter in the event's prodigious history, being the first time in 122 years that female competitors have pulled on the Oxford vest. Women's Captain Kaleen Love, and Terri 'kick-ass' Kleinberg received a rapturous reception as they faced up for the first bout. It was Love who came out on top with a unanimous win - the decisive blow coming when a clever jab sent Kleinberg reeling just before the bell for the second round.
Lincoln College's Jenifer Schneeweiss was next up, facing Nasrini Hussain from Peacock ABC. In a frantic encounter, Schneeweiss rode out the storm of shots, draining her opponent of energy and emerging the winner on a majority points decision.
The next three bouts saw Oxford's men perform admirably, but ultimatey lose out a determined town opposition. Leo Vincent could not cope with the power of his stocky opponent, his hands going down and the towel thrown in during the third round. Somerville's Zephan Trent will perhaps be reconsidering his defensive-minded tactics given the opportunities he missed in his match against Rory Cavelli.
Peter Ho showed great skill in evading jabs from his taller opponent, but was eventually trapped against the ropes and lost vital points. No pride was lost in these narrow defeats - Ho in particular rallying in the closing stages.
Making his debut for Oxford, Michio Inoue looked the cleverest boxer of the night, showing quick feet and sharp movement to size up his opponent, and then pulling out the brutal shot when necessary, forcing the referee to stop a contest which saw Inoue toying with a dazed Michael Harrison.
Pembroke's Tom Freije rode the momentum, using the left jab and hook to great effect to prevail in what was probably the most compelling match of the night. Then it was down to Oxford's Mustapha Salama and John Mekhenon to round off proceedings. Belonging to the same local club did not seem to dull their competitive zeal, as they gave the audience a thrilling taste of a more heavyweight style of boxing.
3rd Feb 2005