Exciting three-day event sees top university boxers compete, with Portsmouth's Louis Silk winning gold.
Ravelin Sports Centre proudly hosted the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Boxing Championships last weekend for the third consecutive year. The event brought over 240 student boxers from 72 universities to Portsmouth. Around 300 spectators attended over the weekend to support their teams and enjoy the exciting matchups. It was a great spectacle of the best student boxers from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
The competition was split across three days:
- Quarter Finals - Friday 24 January 2025
- Semi-Finals - Saturday 25 January 2025
- Finals - Sunday 26 January 2025
The atmosphere was electric as boxers competed in intense matches, showing skill, determination, and strength. Every bout was full of action, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Doing Portsmouth proud
Five students from the University of Portsmouth competed in the championships. Cameron Stewart, Joshua Cambridge, Conrad Janjawa, and Beau Jolliffe all put in strong performances. They fought hard and showed great skill but narrowly missed out on qualification for the finals.
One of our students, Louis Silk, had an outstanding tournament. On Friday, he won against a strong opponent from Brunel in the quarter-finals. On Saturday, he moved past the semi-finals with a great victory against Leicester. In the final on Sunday, he faced another tough opponent from Leicester but came out on top to win gold in the 63.5kg category. Congratulations to Louis on this fantastic achievement.
My preparation for the BUCS Championships went well. It was difficult having 3 weeks off over Christmas which meant I had to tick over on my own until I got back to my coaches in Portsmouth. I was boxing regularly before so it was good to get back into the swing of it. I had to cut to my fighting weight of 63.5kg but that went well and I felt good leading up to the weekend.
It was really good to represent the University of Portsmouth at a National Championship event and fight here in Portsmouth. It was such a good set-up and made it a lot easier for me. During my bouts, I was buzzing. Because everyone was here, it was a great moment when my hand got lifted as the winner and was a really good bout. It was also nice to box my way to the final rather than have a bye.
My win means I've got the National Elite Championships coming up next with the first round in March.
A big thank you goes to all the staff, student volunteers, and event organisers who worked hard to make this event happen. Their efforts helped ensure everything ran smoothly, from setting up the venue to supporting the athletes and achieving that all-important Gold Medal. You can check out the full team and individual results on BUCS.org.uk.
The crowd played a big role in making the weekend special. The support and energy from the spectators created an incredible atmosphere. It was great to see so many people cheering for the boxers and celebrating their performances. The BUCS National Boxing Championships was a great start to the year, and we look forward to more exciting events at Ravelin Sports Centre in 2025. If you missed out, don't worry the BUCS National Boxing Championships will be returning to the University of Portsmouth in 2026.
Thank you to everyone who took part, and once again, congratulations to all the athletes, especially Louis Silk for his well-earned gold medal!