Patrik Horvath, 13, of Untouchable Boxing Academy – which proudly promotes the mantra ‘Knives Down, Gloves Up’ – produced a superb performance to defeat a far more experienced opponent and claim the 44kg Yorkshire title, bringing the belt back to Bradford.
The bout, which took place on October 19 in Leeds, saw Horvath make it back-to-back titles following his impressive displays at the Manchester Box Cup earlier in the summer.
Untouchable Boxing Academy head coach, Ismael Khan, expressed his delight when reflecting on his boxer’s latest achievement.
He said to the T&A: “It’s a testament to just how far Patrik has come.
“When he came to our gym, he had fought once and had one loss to his name. Since then, he’s gone on to win his next six fights, with two of those including a Manchester Box Cup victory and now a Yorkshire title win.
“As his coach, I’m extremely proud of his latest achievement because he was fighting against someone who had 17 fights to his name, so it was always going to be a big challenge for him.
“And although he was nervous, he beat his opponent confidently (unanimous decision) and once he got in the ring, he stuck to what he knew, what we’ve taught him in the gym and that’s why he deservedly came out on top.”
Untouchable Boxing Academy only moved into its newest premises – a building owned by Mr T’s on Croft Lane – just six months ago. Yet, with the club already producing local champions, the future looks bright for the Bradford-based gym.
Head coach Khan said: “We’ve only been based at the new gym for six months and in that time we’ve managed to bring home two Manchester Box Cup titles as well as a Yorkshire title.
“We’ve also got a number of fighters who remain undefeated.
“At the moment, things are moving in the right direction, and I believe we must be doing something right to have created such a positive space — one that’s helping to shape future champions as well.
“Hopefully, the success of winning Gold Cup and Yorkshire titles, and being able to showcase them around the gym, will inspire future fighters to follow in their footsteps.”
Khan went on to praise the significant impact that Mr T’s has had on the club’s development over the past year, highlighting the support as a key factor in helping the team progress both inside and outside the ring.
(L-R) Ismael Khan, Patrik Horvath and his father following the Yorkshire title win (Image: Supplied)
He said: “Mr T has allowed us to use his gym after we lost ours. We were left to train with 30 children in the park, and from there we lost a few of our students to other gyms.
“But we’ve rebuilt, and Mr T has played a massive role in helping the club and gym grow. Without him, I don’t know where we’d be.
“We now have a Yorkshire champion, and without him I don’t think we could have done it. So, a massive thank you goes out to him.”
Untouchable Boxing Academy will be hosting their own show on December 20 at Bradford’s Karmand Centre, and the club is looking for sponsorship opportunities to help fund the event.
If you would like to sponsor one of the club’s talented boxers, contact Ismail Khan via email at Ismael786@hotmail.co.uk