Features / boxing
A night of boxing underneath a shopping centre
Fans of the noble art walked down a ramp usually used by delivery lorries on Saturday night towards the cavernous underground area beneath the Galleries shopping centre.
Blue neon lights led the way like sweets left out for Hansel and Gretel towards the centre of attention: a boxing ring where five bouts took place over the course of the evening.
This was the latest night of boxing under the Galleries organised by Chris Sanigar, a boxer turned trainer and promoter who had arranged a card featuring fighters from his Bristol Boxing Gym in Easton against challengers from across the UK and as far away as Colombia, Honduras and Serbia.
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It was cash only on the door, with tickets costing £40 for general admission and £60 for ringside.
Many of the hundreds of pugilism enthusiasts were there to support friends and family in the ring, with Newport lightweight Nathan Howells having some of the most vocal fans.
“Come on, Nath! Stick it on ‘im, Nath! Fuck ‘im up, Nath!” shouted Howells’ entourage from ringside, imploring him on to victory after six rounds on the referee’s scorecard.
Charlie Sutton (in the red shorts) needed only seconds to despatch her Serbian opponent – photo: Martin Booth
It was a family affair for many of the Bristol-based boxers, with Anton Haskins, son of former world champion, Lee Haskins, winning to take his record to 9-0; and Logan Dorrington, son of Darren, who had a successful career in the 1990s, getting one of the biggest cheers of the night when he put his opponent on the canvas in the first round.
Charlie Sutton – the sister of Southern Area Champion Aaron – became the first female boxer from Bristol to fight professionally in her home city since former world champion Jane Couch.
But welterweight Sutton’s fight lasted for less than half a minute with barely a blow landed, as her Serbian opponent Marija Zivkovic, who came into the ring with a heavily strapped right knee, started limping after an innocuous jab from Sutton and had to retire.
Sutton was given the victory by technical knock out, with even the referee shrugging in bemusement.
Charlie Sutton celebrates after winning her first professional fight – photo: Sanigar Events
Anton ‘The Joker’ Haskins moved to a 9-0 with a points victory against John Henry Mosquera – photo: Sanigar Events
Lockleaze’s Logan Dorrington made it three TKO wins out of three professional contests – photo: Sanigar Events
Sutton may have made history by boxing in Bristol, but she was not the only woman in the ring on Saturday night, with ‘ring girls’ sponsored by Urban Tiger strip club holding cards to signify the end of each round.
As Dorrington posed for photos in the ring, the night’s entertainment came to an end with the groups of mostly men in attendance walking back up the ramp to Fairfax Street.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- The Bristol boxing champion training the city’s rising stars
- Father and son boxers Lee and Anton Haskins to share same card
- Trailblazing Bristol boxer’s life story to be told in new TV series
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