Stevenage boxer Carl Howes is one fight away from becoming a national champion. The 19-year-old has won his way through to the under-60kgs final of the national novice senior championships. These championships are open to boxers who have had between 10 an

Stevenage boxer Carl Howes is one fight away from becoming a national champion.

The 19-year-old has won his way through to the under-60kgs final of the national novice senior championships.

These championships are open to boxers who have had between 10 and 20 contests.

Howes was up against highly rated Midlands champ Lance Brooks (Priory Park ABC) in his semi-final in Nottingham.

Brooks started well and raced into a 5-1 lead in the first round.

Howes began to claw back the deficit with some assertive boxing. An excellent last round saw him take the bout 9-8 to set up a final against a Liverpudlian opponent.

The big disappointment of the weekend was double schoolboy champion Terry Holmes exiting the Four Nations Championship in Greenock, Scotland.

After blasting aside his Welsh opponent Thomas 6-1 in the first round, Holmes caught him with two body punches which sent him to the canvas.

Thomas protested about low blows but video evidence showed otherwise and the Welsh boxer admitted he had feigned injury before the decision.

Holmes showed remarkable maturity to accept his subsequent disqualification by the referee.

Senior light-middleweight Barry Greneway made it two wins out of two on a club show the same night in Hastings, Sussex. He had a majority points decision over previously unbeaten Bognor Regis fighter Danny Hibbert.

Greneway's boxing ability saw him through for a deserved victory against a strong opponent.