Canberra Boxing Bulletin - Edition 35 - October 2003

ACT TITLES 2ND NOVEMBER, ITALO-AUSTRALIAN CLUB

The 2nd ACT Titles will be held on Sunday 2^nd November. Because of renovations the Hellenic Club is no longer available and the event will be held at the Italo-Australian Club, 78 Franklin Street, Forrest (corner Dominion Circuit).

There will be an early weigh-in, from 9am-10am. There will be no latecomers accepted, as the draw will be done immediately weighin closes. For those unfamiliar with Titles, be aware that for each division the names of boxers are drawn out randomly to determine who is matched with whom.  

Time for medicals is yet to be finalised, but boxing will commence at 3pm. 

Under-14 boys who cannot box in NSW are welcome to box in this tournament. They will not be boxing for a title, just for an ordinary bout. Weighin for these NSW boys ONLY will be 11am-12noon. (All ACT boxers MUST weigh-in between 9 and 10am.) 

INTENDING TITLES COMPETITORS MUST NOMINATE IN ADVANCE. 

Boxers must nominate in advance for the Titles, so that we know how many bouts will be required for any division; if a division has 5 or more entrants, we will conduct an early draw to determine who boxes whom, and a preliminary round of bouts will have to be held in the week prior to the titles. This is so that no-one has to box more than twice on the day of the titles.

To be in the Titles, you MUST nominate by 5pm on Wednesday 22nd October. Every registered ACT boxer and coach has been sent a nomination form and covering letter. Late entries will be rejected, so you need to act NOW if you wish to compete.

Titles have much tighter rules than an ordinary tournament.  It’s the responsibility of coaches and boxers to understand and comply with the following requirements: 

·       You must specify what weight, age and experience division you are nominating for.

·       You cannot win a title without boxing unless you are the current ACT champion and are the only nominee in that same  age, weight & experience division to weigh in on the day. If so, you will retain your title for another year.

·       At the weigh-in (9-10am), you must make the weight for the division you nominated for. If not, you are out of the contest.

·       If you are required to box a preliminary round during the week prior to the titles, you must make the weight for that preliminary round. If not, you are out of the contest.

·       You must box in the correct age division, according to your age on the day of weigh-in.

·       Boxers aged 17 or 18 may elect to box as under 19s or as seniors; if you nominate for the under 19s and have no opponent, you are entitled to change your nomination to box as a senior.

·       Seniors and under 19s must box four rounds of two minutes. All others box 3 rounds.

·       Any Novice boxer can elect to box in the Open division; if you nominate for the Novice competition and have no opponent, you are entitled to change your nomination to box in the Open division. Experienced boxers must box in the Open division.

·       You MUST send in your Boxer’s Competition Record Book with your nomination. If you fail to do so, you will have your nomination rejected. 

Protests Against a Decision at ACT Titles

Each contest at the ACT Titles will be assessed by a Jury of three judges in addition to the five bout judges. The jury shall be appointed prior to the commencement of the event by the Referee & Judge Coordinator. The senior R&J member on the jury shall act as the jury chairperson. 

A protest against a decision at the Selection Trials must be lodged with the Jury Chairperson within 30 minutes of the decision’s announcement, along with a deposit of $100 cash.  

The outcome of a protest will be determined by the Jury. If the protest is upheld, the deposit will be refunded, otherwise it will be paid to Boxing Act’s account.

Recent ACT tournament results are on our website

Results of the last few tournaments are as usual available on our website (under “Competition”). Congratulations to the many boxers who took part in the last two shows at the Italo-Australian Club, especially those new boxers entering the ring for their first public bout. Some of the “first-timers” were particularly impressive, win or lose, and we look forward to seeing them again on 2^nd November.

Health and safety reminders for coaches and seconds

Coaches, please remember that your contact with the boxer ringside should be done in a manner that minimises the risk of transferring infectious diseases between yourselves and your boxers, or between boxers.

Since you are handling the boxer’s mouthguard, both seconds in a boxer’s corner must wear latex gloves, which must be discarded immediately after the bout in an appropriate waste container. Gloves are available at the gloving table, and ringside.  

Meningococcal disease and other illnesses including hepatitis A can be passed on by sharing water bottles; please ensure that everyone has their own drink bottle and uses it. Likewise, a towel must only be used to wipe down the one boxer – boxers must not share the same towel. 

Any blood should be wiped from a boxer with disposable cloth which should then be disposed of in an appropriate waste container.  

If there is water or blood splashed on the canvas, it is to be removed with disposable cloth, which should then be disposed of in an appropriate waste container. Do NOT use a boxer’s towel to wipe the canvas!

Disposable cloth, latex gloves and waste disposal containers will be provided in each corner for all ACT tournaments from now on. 

If you are cornering, the consumption of alcohol on the day of a tournament is forbidden until after your bouts have all been completed and your boxers have been debriefed.

Selection policy for the 2004 Australian Championships

The winners at next year’s Australian Championships (Adelaide, in March) will go to Tonga in April for the Oceania Titles; the Oceania winners will then become the Olympic Team to Athens later in the year.

Therefore, the selection process for sending ACT boxers to the 2004 Australian Championships is (in the case of senior males) potentially a selection for the Olympic Games, and must be conducted in a manner that meets the requirements of Boxing Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee.

The full selection policy submitted to Boxing Australia for approval is available online at our website.

Gyms and clubs affiliated with Boxing ACT

The list of boxing clubs affiliated with Boxing ACT can be found on our website, together with training times and contact details. Clubs – please check this information is up to date and advise us of changes. At present, these are the affiliated clubs:  Underground Boxing Club Weston, PCYC Turner, PCYC Tuggeranong, Flames Lyneham, Flames Phillip, and Phoenix Freestyle Kickboxing in Mitchell.