Amateur Boxing Scene, oktober 1996 

Check out this prospect, Ian 

Roger Soderberg reports on an Englishman abroad

In the light of the limited British success lately in international amateur boxing such as the European championships and the Olympic Games, maybe Ian Irwin can find British talent elsewhere.

Martyn Thomas from Exeter has been living in Sweden for the past few years and hopes to become national champion at the third attempt later this season. He is currently ranked no 5 welterweight by the Swedish ABA.

Thomas was a Western Counties Schoolboy champion in the mid 1980s and resumed action with the Timrå Boxing Club some 400 kilometres north of Stockholm, the Swedish capital. He had met Swedish woman Susanne while working in Israel and decided to move to Sweden.

So far he has picked up 17 victories out of 22 contests, including a Swedish Northern Area championship in 1995. But he has been out of luck in the Swedish championships.

In 1995 he was stopped in the opening round by an overcautious referee after taking a count more off balance than hurt.

“At the time”, says Thomas, “ I wasn´t really in top shape but I wanted to feel the ´heat´at top level. This year I was really well prepared, but a fortnight before the championships I went down with a very bad flu. I hadn´t really recovered when the championships began, but I had no intention of skipping the tournament”.

“In the opening round I outpointed the 1990 Swedish champion Markku Narkkeniemi, but simply had nothing left and that and lost a decision the quarter-final”

Thomas was selected to box at a dinner event between a Swedish Northern Area team and a touring US squad. Box-fighter Thomas lost a split decision to much taller Jesse Noble of Syracuse, New York in them most entertaining bout of the evening.

“This coming season I hop to win the 1997 Swedish championship – but a light welter. I have reduced my weight without problems and look forward to facing smaller opponents.”

The reigning Swedish champion is Tonton Semakala who went out in the opening round of the Europeans against eventual champion, Oktay Urkal of Germany.

“ I also hope to represent England in the 1997 Sweden Box Open multi-nations tournament. I have already been in contact with ABA and look forward to a positive answer.”