Mooloolah Boxing Club fighters Jarrod Keeble and Ben Akers both walked away with gold at the Fisticuffs Golden Gloves event on Saturday, June 14 — a major win for the small club.
It was Jarrod’s third time competing at the Golden Gloves and his first fight back since suffering a serious hand injury last year.
“He has won three Golden Gloves in a row now, so we have got to step it up now and finish it off with an Australian title again this year,” said Mooloolah coach and club owner Rob Keeble, who’s also Jarrod’s dad.
“His hand is still a bit funny so we’re not touching it, but it seems to have settled down after a bit of a break over Christmas.”
Jarrod, 17, has also stepped up a division from 71kg to 75kg and looked sharp.
“He’s been at 71kg for the last two years, but now he’s at that age that he’s had a bit more of a growth spurt and time to fill out,” Rob said.
Jarrod fought twice on the night, winning both bouts by unanimous decision. “He’s beating a fair few of the top Queensland boys this year already so he’s doing really well,” Rob added.
Also stepping into the ring was 20-year-old Ben Akers, who made his amateur debut — and made it count.
“Ben won the novice heavyweight gold medal for the night, it was actually his first fight ever,” Rob said.
“I’m proud to get my boys in there and get a start for the year and they can build up from there. The work that they put in, you know that they are going to get the results we want.”