Boxers primed for first matches of year

AFTER many weeks of intense training, Bendigo teenagers Robert Hopley, Ryan Polglaise and Raul Salisbury step into the boxing ring this Sunday for their first competitive bouts of the year.

The Bendigo Fight Centre clubmates who are trained by Lucas Allen at the Golden Square-based gym will feature on the Australian National Amateur Boxing Association card at The Pavilion in Flemington.

Hopley will compete for a state title in the 63-and-a-half kilogram division in the 10th fight of his career.

The 16-year-old has a record of five wins, one draw, three defeats.

“Staying in control of the match is a big focus for me,” Hopley said.

“It could be a match decided on technique, or it could become a scrap.

“Either way it’s about staying in control for as long as I can,” he said of a contest slated to be four rounds of two-minutes duration.

A year 11 student at Bendigo Senior SC, Hopley also teams up with Polglaise as coaches of BFC’s youth boxing and also runs some Personal Training sessions.

There’s the serious side of training, but Hopley also enjoys the banter between workouts and mateship of the BFC squad.

It was a breakout run by Polglaise across 2025 as he won five titles and was a scholarship recipient in the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year awards.

He took a nine-nil record into his first overseas bout in Sheffield, England.

Although hampered by what would later be diagnosed as a broken hand, Polglaise lasted the distance in what would be his first defeat.

After a hard-earned recovery and rest which included a family holiday in Italy the 17-year-old is raring to compete again.

A scheduled championship bout for Polglaise in the super middleweight, 76 kilograms, has been postponed, but another match-up was being organised.

As other teenagers work up their divisions, Polglaise has worked down from light heavyweight, middleweight and now superb middle.

Athleticism and power are two of many strengths to his game built through two or three training sessions a day.

Goals for ’26 include Golden Gloves, and nationals.

Sunday’s showdown will be the second of Salisbury’s amateur boxing career.

His ability to strike from long range, quick feet and hands, and workrate have impressed Allen.

Salisbury began boxing in the Philippines.

Training at BFC across six days a week is not just on the bags and pads as Salisbury also does distance running, bike riding, sprints, strength and conditioning.

“For me it’s not about showing and testing my skills as a boxer, but also the fitness and health benefits from training,” Salisbury said.

“To compete for a regional or state title, and an interstate bout are some of my goals for this year.”