A TEAM of promising young boxers will be looking land a prize-winning punch in Denmark this month when they step between the ropes in their first ever competition overseas. 

A squad of 11 youngsters from St Pancras Boxing Club in Kentish Town will be travelling almost 40 miles outside of Copenhagen to the southern part of Zealand to compete in the 2019 Haslev Box Cup. For the majority of the fighters it will be the first time that they have represented the club abroad, with some even facing a last-gasp race to get a passport in time. 

Head coach CJ Hussein has been busy preparing his team for the weekend-long tournament, which gets underway on September 27. “Competitions like the Haslev Box Cup are important for the kids,” said CJ. “Some of the kids that come to the gym don’t always have the opportunity to broaden their horizons and visit new places. Half of them haven’t even been on an aeroplane before.” 

With the new amateur season just around the corner, CJ will be looking to his emerging young team of Saints to bring home the silverware instead of bringing in finished products – an approach made evident by the fact that eight of the 11 going to Denmark are under the age 19. 

“I’m not looking for blokes with amateur records in their 20’s,” he added. “We want to work on the grassroots side of boxing. I’ve had kids training here since they were eight-years-old who have gone on to be national and European champions. Its the reason I still do what I do, it makes me very proud.”