Pearson joins roll of honour
Charlie Pearson took Newark Martial Arts Club’s list of champions past the 50 mark when he won the 30kg EFK English title on Sunday.
There were 15 bouts at Newark Martial Arts Centre, the home of NMA Kickboxing Club run by Dean Sugden.
These gym shows are designed for novice juniors and some adults who are trying to gain some valuable ring experience before embarking into the full contact scene.
The main event saw seven-year-old Charlie up against the BLCC English title holder Marshall Hunt, trained by his father and world champion Marlon Hunt who was last in Newark when he fought NMA member Jamie Norkett on the undercard of Sugden’s world title fight with Lex Easdon.
The duo were fighting 5x11/2 minute rounds, and Marshall came out very aggressively and pinned Charlie on the ropes.
The Newark youngster worked well off the ropes and kept a high guard, constantly catching Marshall on the way in with great side kicks.
The second round was a similar affair, but Charlie used the ring and movement to control the fight and landed the better punches and kicks while proving evasive.
This pattern continued through the next two rounds, with Marshall getting hurt as he ran at Charlie, while the unfazed Newark fighter kept him at bay with great straight kicks to both the body and head.
The final round saw Charlie show how good he is by cruising but also dominating the action, and at the end all three judges were in favour and unanimous as the Newark boy was crowned as the New EFK English champion.
The Newark club had 12 competitors in action, with wins coming from debutant Thomas Rawlinson who beat Lele Smith from Hucknall KBC, Gary Worthington (9) who beat Mitchell Smith from Hucknall KBC, and Oliver Beale (11) who beat Luke Harvey (10) of the Red Phoenix Club, from Ipswich, despite giving away considerable height and weight advantage, showing classy movement and speed as he beat his taller opponent and often left him frustrated as he kicked and punched thin air.
Liam Parker (9) gave away a couple of years in age but showed fantastic composure and control in winning a close and hard-fought against Charlie Taylor from Chikara Scunthorpe.
Regis Sugden (13) was not scheduled to fight but he stepped in last minute to replace a absent fighter against 15-year- old Calum Nelson.
He showed his class and experience to control the action, showing the crowd what he is capable of. Nelson’s camp wanted this the contest to be classed as a demonstration and that is exactly what Regis gave them.
Some of Newark’s seniors, who normally fight full contact, took on some of the Ipswich club’s seniors over light continuous rules.
There were wins for Craig Allen and Doug Kent (boxing) plus a draw for Mark Cooper. Gavin Mable also stepped in at 48 hours notice and gave a good account of himself despite preferring the full contact style, losing out to Mark Baggley from Ipswich.
“Some of these kids who win these belts are still learning about the sport but are well placed to develop further within the centre,” said Sugden.
“It is such a great place to be at the moment with so many kids and juniors progressing, and they have got some great role models at the club.”
