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BLOOD BROTHERSThe Bond of Cambridge BoxersTaking part in a Varsity Match is one of the greatest honours for any university sportsman, though this honour doesn’t come cheap. Over the course of an average season, a varsity boxer will spend about 700 hours in the gym, on the running track or in the weights room—all whilst juggling demanding academic commitments. However, for the hardened nine members of the squad who read their names on the team sheet come March, there is a measure of reward. And every member of the squad takes satisfaction in knowing that they have made a crucial contribution to the development of the final varsity team.

Though boxing can often be the loneliest of sports, our club is different. The teamwork at CUABC, forged over the course of 107 campaigns against

Oxford, ensures that no member of the squad ever feels alone.

Every boxer in the gym today is struggling with the same challenges that have faced previous generations of Cambridge Blues. Stepping through the ropes and into the ring is an experience that separates us from other members of the University and unites us in an enduring bond. It is this connection which exists between every squad member, past and present, that has animated the formation of the CUABC Alumni Association to support the current squad of boxers, as they strive to build on the club’s 110 year history.

As a first step, the quarterly Black & Blue newsletter will act

as the focal point of our activities and help keep us all up to date with the club. We’re planning on holding a number of alumni events over the course of the upcoming season and have some great plans in store all in order to reinvigorate and strengthen our club and support the new generation of boxers.

Therefore please accept this as a standing invitation; the club

is here and always open. Write in, meet up at the shows, and even come down for a training session. We have an unparalleled history and tradition, we hope to give you a platform to celebrate it.

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VM107 Lightweight Theo Alli is Victorious in Oxford

“Every boxer in the gym today is struggling with the same challenges that have faced previous generations of Cambridge Blues.”

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Preparing for warin the ringBy Steven McGregorAs president for the upcoming season, I would like to introduce myself to all alumni and extend a heartfelt invitation for you to attend our training, matches, and events this year. Already, the highlight of my summer has been a dinner in Bury St Edmund’s with Ian Horseman-Sewell, VM79.

In a previous life, I was a captain in the 101st Airborne Division. Although I am no longer the army, I am fortunate to have found the same sense of brotherhood and commitment at

CUABC, a culture I am committed to strengthening.

This season I plan to uphold the high standard of training and professionalism established by last year’s team. Men give their lives for two things: beliefs or brothers. The proud tradition of Cambridge Boxing is what I want our team to believe in. Alumni dinners in London and Cambridge will teach us more about this history. Training together, suffering together, boxing together will make us brothers. I hope that all members of the team, old and new, will part of the family of the Cambridge Amateur Boxing Club.

Countdown to VM108training has already begun in earnestBy Seb Pender, VM105, VM106The coming season promises to be one

of the most important in the history of CUABC and this year’s squad is already started preparing. At the end of

last season, Cambridge was forced to concede the lead to Oxford for the first time in the competition’s history. With the overall score now standing at 54-53

in Oxford’s favour, we can’t fail to lift the Truelove bowl come VM108.

Accordingly, preparations are

already being made to ensure that the oldest annual club boxing trophy will be on display when the Hawks’ Club

hosts next year’s Annual Dinner.Outlining his strategy to

accomplish this goal, newly elected captain, Christopher Hooton, told Black

& Blue that he ‘would like the whole club, not just the blues’ squad, to really refocus on their love of the sport and

use that to really bring out the competitiveness in everyone this coming season. The other club leaders and I are

looking to put together a team with members that really want to be there on varsity night and who show that in training’.

With a strong contingent of last year’s squad already finding their way back in the gym to continue working

with Head Coach, Lee Mitchell, and his excellent training staff it is clear that

many boxers are stepping up to meet Hooton’s challenge. The squad this year is determined to write their names in gold leaf on the club’s famous oak team

boards which have watched over countless competitors as they have trained to win boxing’s oldest interclub

trophy for CUABC. A crucial addition to this year’s

training schedule will be the inclusion of

a Christmas Training Camp. The past few years has seen Oxford travel to various European destinations for an intensive week long skills and

conditioning camp. Cambridge now hopes to offer a similar week of concentrated training for our own

boxers. It is hoped that this addition to the training schedule will help prepare the squad for the most intense term’s training ahead of March 2015, and

VM108. If you have any ideas for how the club could attract personal or business sponsorship to help fund this

Christmas Training Camp then we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email Club President, Steven

McGregor on sm2007@cam.ac.uk. Also, to keep alumni informed on our latest news we will be publishing this newsletter quarterly with competition

results and training milestones as they occur throughout the season.

“I am looking to put together a team with members that really want to be there at varsity and who show that in training.”Chris Hooton, VM107Captain 2014-2015

Pictured: Tinashe Murozoki against Oxford in VM107.

Steven McGregor, President“I hope that all members of the team, old and new, will feel part of the family of the Cambridge Amateur Boxing Club.”

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Paresh Lal Roy represented CUABC in 1914 and won his bout to become India’s first Cambridge Blue. Educated at London’s St Paul’s School, Roy learnt how to box as a school boy and won the Public School Championships at Featherweight before joining Trinity College, Cambridge. Following WWI, during which Roy served in the Royal Artillery, he returned to India where he continued to box.

On one particularly memorable occasion some years later in Calcutta, Roy was watching a large boxing show held at the Empire when the withdrawal of one of the boxers prompted Roy to ‘gulp down his scotch and soda’ before stripping down to his underpants and volunteering to replace the injured boxer. As one surprised member of the crowd later recounted, those at ringside watched incredulously as ‘dress bow, stiff shirt and dress suit were peeled off and into the ring stepped a man with black silk socks and patent leather shoes’.

If the build up was surprising then the result was unbelievable. Wearing just his pants and patent leather shoes, the slightly built and intoxicated Roy looked like an easy target for his experienced and much larger opponent, however in the very first round, Roy delivered a series of unanswered blows which left his opponent face down on the canvas and the referee scrambling to pull the ‘little Indian’ off his powerfully built opponent.

Though never turning professional, Roy perhaps showed the extent of his sporting prowess when, in 1924, he fought Edgar Bright, the reigning Bantamweight Champion of India. Knocking him down repeatedly including, on one occasion, through the ropes and into the crowd, the controversial decision in favour of Bright was probably more a reflection of the political climate than of the fight itself.

Today, Roy is remembered by many as the ‘father of Indian boxing’, less for his time in the ring and more for a lifetime spent popularising the sport in the subcontinent. With a number of

monuments dedicated to his memory, and with a large stadium named after him, Roy is rightly remembered among the greatest of CUABC’s alumni.

“With a number of monuments dedicated to his memory... Roy is rightly remembered among the greatest of CUABC’s alumni.”

India’s first Cambridge Bluefrom the archiveBy Seb Pender, VM105, VM106

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In Memoriam A bust of Roy is kept in his stadium in Sealdah.

ServicemenParesh Roy is pictured rear left with his brother, Indra, rear right, in December of 1914.

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Courage and DirectionCoaching at CUABCBy Rob Liu, VM107I am delighted to be able to confirm that Lee Mitchell and all his coaching staff have confirmed that they will be

leading the club next season. With a wealth of knowledge to share, all of us at CUABC are delighted to know that

the club will be in safe hands next year.Personally, I would like thank all of

the coaches for their great contribution over their time with the club. All of the

coaches have given so much over the

past season, not only in time and effort but also of themselves. I cannot feel more honoured or privileged than to have trained under the guidance of

such dedicated and down to earth people. Personally, I will be forever grateful to have had them in my life

here at Cambridge; I have been the richer for it.

N is for Never QuitFight of the SeasonBy Chris Hooton, VM107Stef Lavelle, Captain 2013-2014, put on an outstanding performance at VM107 to beat a determined opponent and win the plaudits for fight of the season.

Leading from the front during every session throughout last year’s campaign, Lavelle has quietly but

assuredly led by example, demonstrating to the less experienced members of the squad just how

important fitness, power and technique are to the amateur boxer. Favouring a counterpunching style, Lavelle is also

known for his stamina and ruthlessness, never letting up in his sparring matches or his many amateur bouts. Earlier in the season he delivered an amazing

performance in London while fighting against a premier member of the King’s College London team.

Special recognition deserves to be given, however, to his varsity match. As the suspense mounted in the Oxford

Town Hall, it remained to be seen how his skills would fare against the enemy. With the whole season coming down to just six minutes in the ring, Lavelle

made use of the opportunity to not only demonstrate the essential aspects of boxing to his own squad, but to also

show them to a capacity Oxford crowd.

He began by executing a series of combinations and most importantly, by

remaining just outside of his opponent’s reach. Quick on his feet, Lavelle moved into range to strike and

then returned to a safe distance several times during the opening exchange of shots.

Piling on the pressure in the third round, Lavelle was able to pick his man apart with short sharp combinations which soon saw his

opponent beginning to struggle. As Lavelle took the game but out-classed Richard Beck into the deep waters of

the final round, there was only one man who was going to have his hand raised when the final bell rang.

Though not captaining the side this year, the squad is excited by the prospect of Lavelle returning for his third season at the club. OUABC is not.

“Lavelle has quietly but assuredly led by example.”

Pictured: Stef Lavelle lands a strong backhand against his opponent.

Lee Mitchell, Head CoachStern guidance is given ringside.

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“Tickets are selling fast for our first annual dinner, which will be held on the 31st of October at the Oxford and Cambridge Club. A champagne reception begins at 7pm, followed by a dinner at 8pm. Dress is black tie and all alumni are welcome to bring family or friends. The price is £60 per ticket.”

RSVP to CUABCalumni@gmail.com

Be it at Varsity matches, or informal meetings, many members of CUABC have expressed their frustration at a lack of organisation at the alumni level. We recognise that this is an area where, as a club, we need to do better; and, we will do better. As such we will publish Black & Blue, the new club newsletter. It will be sent out quarterly in an effort to keep in touch with as many alumni as possible. We will also be holding a series of socials, such as the alumni dinner, Christmas drinks, and events for Town vs. Gown and VM 108 - which will provide some great opportunities to catch up, share anecdotes and reminisce on the glory days with past and present members alike.

Tickets are selling fast for our first annual dinner, which will be held on the 31st of October at the Oxford and Cambridge Club. A champagne reception begins at 1900, followed by a dinner at 2000. Dress is black tie and all alumni are welcome to bring family or friends. The price is £60 per ticket. Rsvp to CUABCalumni@gmail.com.

It must also be said that we are always looking for more members to get involved and if you have any ideas, or can spare just a bit of time to help develop the club and alumni, then again we would be delighted to hear from you.

Steven McGregor, the club president, is actively identifying and engaging with a number of potential

sponsors, so that so that we are able to mirror Oxford’s Christmas training camp and provide a much need addition to the Varsity preparations. We would be grateful for any members who can offer some guidance or might be able to introduce a sponsor.

Most importantly we are eager to reach as broad a number of CUABC alumni, as is possible. We currently have the contact details for around 800 members, but we know that there are many more out there and, accordingly, we would greatly appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter on to any other club members who you may be in contact with, and ask them to get in touch in orderto receive all future newsletters and communications. Thank you for taking some time out to reconnect with the club. We hope to continue generating momentum and interest, while we build our CUABC community, and look forwards to hearing from, or seeing you, at an event sometime soon.

Together Outside the RingOur First Annual Alumni DinnerBy Chris Kelly, VM104, VM105

SINE LABORE NIHILCUABC Alumni Team

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