Varsity Boxing has been postponed because there were not enough boxers from Uni and Hallam to make it a successful ‘Varsity’ event.
The boxing event, which was due to take place on Monday 3rd March, would have had other boxing teams from around the country, including Leeds and Coventry, competing with only a few Uni and Hallam boxers.
The organisers at Sheffield University did not believe the event was worthwhile because there would be so few Uni and Hallam boxers facing each other.
They felt unable to justify spending money on the event for two or three boxers from Uni or Hallam who could have fixtures against boxers from Leeds or Coventry rather than a Varsity fixture.
“I am absolutely gutted it had to be postponed,” Sheffield University’s Sports Officer Mark Foster said.
“We put a lot of effort in to make it a big event so it is a big shame that it didn’t happen.
“It has been such a short term so people didn’t start training so that they could fight at the weights they wanted and some did not have a medical card which they needed to fight.
“We will be looking for a date after Easter and then we can hold it as a stand alone event and that would be much easier than labelling it as a Varsity event.
“It is difficult to organise because you don’t want to have someone who has had 10 fights against someone who hasn’t had any.”
It is the first year that boxing has been a full club at both Sheffield Uni and Hallam after it had previously been a developing sport over the last few years.
“What we have put in place behind the scenes will hopefully allow the sport to grow and grow at the university in the years to come,” Mark said.
“After the first year of competing and people watching it, it should encourage more to get involved.”
By James Leyfield
