ABA Middleweight Champ Burton being forced to turn Pro !
Posted: 14 Sep 2009, 13:46
http://fightfranchise.com/burton_forced ... n_pro.html
The 2009 Amateur World Championships have just finished in Milan and Team GB showed a disappointing performance and came away with no medals. This is in comparison to 2007 when Frankie Gavin won gold, and both Joe Murray and Billy Jo Saunders won bronze medals.
Since the Olympics, Team GB has seen the departure of head coach Terry Edwards and a mass exodus to the professional ranks, with fighters such as Gavin, Saunders, Murray, DeGale, Price and Jeffries all turning pro.
Even in the past month the 2009 ABA Welterweight champion Liam Cameron has turned pro, stating that the politics of amateur boxing and being overlooked in favour of other boxers is a reason for him to give up on his Olympic dream. Cameron even beat Scott Cardle 10-0 in the semi-final of this years ABA’s, and Cardle managed to reach the quarter finals of the World Championships.
Another top amateur prospect is Manchester’s Hosea Burton. Burton has won many titles in his amateur career already, including the National Association Schoolboy champion, 2 Schoolboy ABA’s and most recently he was the Senior ABA champion at the 1st time of asking, to become England’s No1 in the 75kg Middleweight category at the age of 19 years old.
Along the way he beat Karl Kirkham (then England’s Number 1) by 17 points to 5. Up to this point though young Hosea has never been selected for England, Team GB or received any lottery funding. Hosea is a talented boxer who is similar in style to Richie Woodall, and is also the cousin of Tyson Fury, who turned professional after falling out with the ABAE.
Hosea wants nothing more than the honour of representing his country but feels it may never happen and is looking at other options, including going professional.
“I would like to be in the England team, there are lads in the England team I have already beaten” he said. “It’s not fair, I don’t like what they are doing, I just wish they would send me on a couple of training camps, so I can show what I can do, and maybe let me fight for England once or twice”
Hosea then talked about his future.
“I don’t think England will give me the chance, even after the poor performance in the World Championships. I think its personal so maybe professionals the best bet for me,” he continued, “I have won everything at national level, and would love to box for my country at the Commonwealth games and the London Olympics, but by never getting a chance I feel I am being forced into turning professional."
Having seen Hosea fight in the ABA’s and seeing him in action in training, it can be seen that the young fighter has the potential to win medals for England and Team GB. But with no funding and lack of chances, we could see Englands ranked no 1 middleweight turning Professional, just like Welterweight star Liam Cameron did. That combined with the poor performance in the world championships could leave Team GB with a big problem come the 2012 London Olympics
The 2009 Amateur World Championships have just finished in Milan and Team GB showed a disappointing performance and came away with no medals. This is in comparison to 2007 when Frankie Gavin won gold, and both Joe Murray and Billy Jo Saunders won bronze medals.
Since the Olympics, Team GB has seen the departure of head coach Terry Edwards and a mass exodus to the professional ranks, with fighters such as Gavin, Saunders, Murray, DeGale, Price and Jeffries all turning pro.
Even in the past month the 2009 ABA Welterweight champion Liam Cameron has turned pro, stating that the politics of amateur boxing and being overlooked in favour of other boxers is a reason for him to give up on his Olympic dream. Cameron even beat Scott Cardle 10-0 in the semi-final of this years ABA’s, and Cardle managed to reach the quarter finals of the World Championships.
Another top amateur prospect is Manchester’s Hosea Burton. Burton has won many titles in his amateur career already, including the National Association Schoolboy champion, 2 Schoolboy ABA’s and most recently he was the Senior ABA champion at the 1st time of asking, to become England’s No1 in the 75kg Middleweight category at the age of 19 years old.
Along the way he beat Karl Kirkham (then England’s Number 1) by 17 points to 5. Up to this point though young Hosea has never been selected for England, Team GB or received any lottery funding. Hosea is a talented boxer who is similar in style to Richie Woodall, and is also the cousin of Tyson Fury, who turned professional after falling out with the ABAE.
Hosea wants nothing more than the honour of representing his country but feels it may never happen and is looking at other options, including going professional.
“I would like to be in the England team, there are lads in the England team I have already beaten” he said. “It’s not fair, I don’t like what they are doing, I just wish they would send me on a couple of training camps, so I can show what I can do, and maybe let me fight for England once or twice”
Hosea then talked about his future.
“I don’t think England will give me the chance, even after the poor performance in the World Championships. I think its personal so maybe professionals the best bet for me,” he continued, “I have won everything at national level, and would love to box for my country at the Commonwealth games and the London Olympics, but by never getting a chance I feel I am being forced into turning professional."
Having seen Hosea fight in the ABA’s and seeing him in action in training, it can be seen that the young fighter has the potential to win medals for England and Team GB. But with no funding and lack of chances, we could see Englands ranked no 1 middleweight turning Professional, just like Welterweight star Liam Cameron did. That combined with the poor performance in the world championships could leave Team GB with a big problem come the 2012 London Olympics