ROBERT Hopley is Bendigo Fight Centre’s latest state champion after he scored a unaminous points verdict in last Sunday’s bout for the Victorian Amateur Boxing League’s super lightweight division.<\/p>\n
The 16-year-old won every round in a contest of four by two-minute rounds at The Pavilion in Flemington.<\/p>\n
Hopley’s success capped a great day for BFC after Raul Salisbury dominated in the super flyweight class on the undercard.<\/p>\n
It was the first matches of the year for Hopley and Salisbury.<\/p>\n
Bendigo Fight Centre trainer Lucas Allen said Hopley faced a tough opponent in the 63.5 kilogram division.<\/p>\n
“A key focus for Robert in preparation and in the match was control,” Allen said.<\/p>\n
“He did that incredibly well and used his reach to land some scoring punches and to keep his opponent at distance.”<\/p>\n
Hopley may fight at Queensland’s Golden Gloves in late May.<\/p>\n
It was a unaminous decision for Salisbury who is two-nil in his amateur boxing career.<\/p>\n
A series of punches by Salisbury led to a standing-eight count on his opponent in the first and second rounds.<\/p>\n
“Raul put a lot of pressure on from the start,” Allen said of the match in the 52.5 kilogram class.<\/p>\n
“Raul has quick feet, hands, and for his size has a lot of power.”<\/p>\n
It was a different build-up to Salisbury’s match.<\/p>\n
“We did a lot of sprints on Eaglehawk’s Heartbreak Hill the previous Sunday,” Allen said.<\/p>\n
“Raul was sore after that, so there was no training at the gym for the week.<\/p>\n
“Being fit and healthy for his match was important.”<\/p>\n
A scheduled contest for Ryan Polglaise for the state super middleweight belt did not go ahead.<\/p>\n
“We will work toward Ryan being able to fight for the belt at The Pavilion or Lilydale across the next month,” said Allen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ROBERT Hopley is Bendigo Fight Centre’s latest state champion after he scored a unaminous points verdict in last Sunday’s bout for the Victorian Amateur Boxing League’s super lightweight division. The 16-year-old won every round in a contest of four by two-minute rounds at The Pavilion in Flemington. Hopley’s success capped a great day for BFC […]<\/p>\n