Bundaberg junior boxers Tyrone ‘Tbone' Owen and Aaliyah Watson came out on top in Boxing Australia’s national titles last week, winning gold in their respective weight classes.
Tyrone ,13, and Aaliyah, 14, from Deadly Boxing Academy were awarded the 57kg Schoolboy Champion and 42kg Schoolgirl Champion national titles respectively after their wins at the Gold Coast.
Head coach Malachi Johnson said the duo’s performance at the event was nothing short of amazing.
Malachi said Tyrone dominated his opponent through sheer power while Aaliyah’s technical skills had led to her win.
“Aaliyah is more technically sound while Tbone has tremendous strength,” Malachi said.
“I see a big future for them both.”
Aaliyah and Tbone’s boxing success
At just 14 years old and having only trained for three years, Aaliyah is already making her mark in the boxing world.
The Bundaberg boxer trains six days a week, before and after school and even on her weekends, stating hard work was what was needed to achieve her goals.
“I train two times a day,” she said.
“I do fitness in the morning and then technique in the afternoons.”
Aaliyah said winning a national title felt amazing, even if her nerves had slightly got to her before the action.
“I was scared about my fitness but I didn't need to worry about it because I was fine after the fight,” she said.
I had a lot of adrenaline before I went in. I was jumping around and warming up. I prayed to God firstly.”
It was the same feeling for Tyrone, who at 13 years old has a huge amount of strength to back his skill in the ring.
Tyrone trains just as much as Aaliyah and said it had all helped with his title win last week.
“It was just a different feeling from all of the other fights, it was a big achievement,” he said.
Bright future in boxing
The pair have now made a mark in history for Deadly Boxing Academy, being the first two boxers in the club to win a national title.
Malachi said it was an achievement that would shape the future of the organisation and its members.
“The academy is all about youth engagement, spreading cultural awareness of all aboriginal cultures and creating a future for Australian boxing,” he said.
“Tbone and Aaliyah’s win is motivation for the peewee’s and the younger kids of our club.
“It shows them if you work hard every day and challenge yourself to push to your limits you could end up winning a title.”
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