Nick Hylton has sights set on next season’s famous Amateur Boxing Association Championships after ending the current campaign by regaining the Yorkshire middleweight belt.
The Huddersfield fighter from the Colne Valley-based Gladiators academy was a unanimous points winner over old rival and holder Vinny Atkins, from Halifax, at the Sports Centre.
Newsome-based university graduate Hylton, who works in engineering, is considering a tilt at the professional ranks, but wants to fight in the ABAs first.
“It’s a historic event which still has a lot of prestige,” explained the 26-year-old former All Saints and Kirklees College student, who began his boxing with Rawthorpe ABC.
“It’s a bit of a cliched story, but I was quite chubby as a kid and I used to get picked on because if it,” he said.
“I had a friend who went to Rawthorpe, so I gave it a go. It was really to lose some weight and get fitter, but I found I enjoyed the boxing.
“I thought about turning pro in my late teens, but decided to go to university (in Manchester) and while I continued boxing as a student, I couldn’t devote that much time to it.
“When I came back to Huddersfield, I joined Gladiators and it’s really taken off again, and while it’s hard combining work and training, it’s something I really enjoy.
“There’s a big mental side to boxing, and I think the way it teaches you to think on your feet and hold your nerve helps you in everyday life.”
It was Atkins who took the title off Hylton in the first place, so winning it back on his own club’s show in his home town was a memorable moment.
“Vinny is a tough opponent, he’s very strong, but I was able to use my counter punching, and land some good scoring shots,” added Hylton.
“It feels great to have the belt back, and being around the gym and seeing people like Tyrone Nurse (Huddersfield’s English light-welterweight champion) in action has got me thinking.
“It’s given me an insight into what is required as a professional, and it is something which tempts me, but I really want to give the ABAs a go first.”
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