Malachi Towns wins maiden amateur boxing title

Nor has he had a faultless life - nobody has. But if the Tamworth resident has one strength, it is his ability to get back up and keep moving forward, no matter what.

"I think my best attribute would be my heart," Towns said.

"I'm not generally a talented guy, I just persevere. I want to show people that anything can be done."

Nowhere was that more evident than on Saturday night, when Towns won a split decision victory against Jacob Kennedy in Newcastle for the North West regional middleweight title.

After the first round, which Towns dominated, One2Boxing coach Jamie Carroll thought they were in for an easy night.

But Kennedy fought back, and forced the challenger to scrap for a hard-earned win.

Carroll was thrilled for his fighter, and said Towns' journey to the first title of his amateur career was "everything our gym's about".

"Getting knocked down, and getting back up," Carroll said.

"He went through a rough trot last year, other boys were winning and he was always short.

"He was always the bridesmaid and just missing out. This year, he's the fittest in the gym, he hasn't stopped training."

Beating Kennedy is a feather in Towns' cap, as the Newcastle native is a highly-touted talent from the reputable Boxcamp gym.

"It feels really good," Towns said.

"I was able to get the win, get the belt. Glory to Jesus Christ, but also to Jamie Carroll, Anthony Rogers, and Kirsty Koutoulas - having them in my corner was wonderful."

The title victory marks a sharp turnaround from where Towns started the year.

Just a few weeks ago, he was told by Carroll that he would not be competing in the King of the Ring tournament held in Sydney. The coach reasoned that the 24-year-old was not ready to face the likes of Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Callum Peters, who was in the same division.

"That's a life lesson in itself," Carroll said.

"For me to tell Mal that he couldn't fight in King of the Ring ... because he was going to come up against guys that were out of his class.

"He just wasn't quite ready for that, and breaking that news to him and then watching him come in and work even harder, I was tempted to take him down there."

Towns and Kennedy will rematch for the belt later this year. Though the date is yet to be confirmed, Carroll hopes to book the bout on the fight night card slated for Tamworth on July 1.

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