It was a special night for three young boys from Underworld Boxing Club in La Zenia on Saturday as they all made their amateur boxing debut’s on the card of an event that was held at the Orihuela Costa Resort.
Fifteen year old Morgan John Flaherty, (70kg), is a student at Playa Flamenca School. Born in Spain Morgan has been training with Sam for a little over 18 months. Although not entirely sure, he has an idea of who he will meet on Saturday and was brimming full of confidence when I met him last Wednesday.
The second Underworld boxer on the Orihuela Costa card, also 15-years of age, is Polish born Adrian Kaminsky, (64kg) who has lived in Spain for 5 yrs. Adrian said that he too is very excited to be making his debut but he appreciates that being in with another boxer will be very different from sparring at Underworld.
The third debutante was Jayden Sambor, (67kg), the 14-year-old son of the club owner Lloyd (Sam), who first established Underworld 14 years ago in an effort to keep youngsters off the streets. Since that time Sam has put thousands of euros of his own money into the club, “every cent of which was absolutely worth it,” he told The Leader, especially now that he can start to see his son develop into a fine young athlete.
While Jayden builds his fitness at Underworld, ‘The Ring’ in Torrevieja is where he goes 2 or 3 times a week for quality boxing training and sparring.
“Some of our youngsters definitely have potential at Underworld but, although Jayden is yet to box officially, he is a little bit in front of them, so he needs rather more. The Ring gives him the opportunity to spar with experienced boxers, which he is beginning to find invaluable.”
Sam is a fully qualified ABA coach with many years of experience both as a competitor and as a coach at all levels of the sport. He said “Amateur boxing is one of the most rewarding, challenging and safe sports available to young people today. It isn’t about knocking people out, it’s about using your brain and your skills to outscore them. We show people how to develop a sense of intuition, quick thinking, a relaxed state and self-motivation.”
Underworld Gymnasium and Boxing Club is located just off the N332, by the side of Costa Cars, directly underneath the Mapfre offices. The club is open to all on Monday and Wednesday evening from 5-8pm, whether you just want to improve your fitness, keep yourself in shape or pick up the gloves under Sam’s guidance and supervision.
The gym is aimed at boys and girls over 12-years of age, and adults, costing just 5 euro a session, which includes personal fitness coaching from Sam, who can be contacted on 627 177 511 or 966 844 453. Sam is also available for ‘one to one’ Personal training.
