Dempsee takes title in stunning fashion
Dempsee celebrates victory in the NABGCs championship final
I’LL be perfectly honest – I hadn’t heard of Dempsee Madden before the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs championships.
I – and many others – know about the 19-year-old now after he was crowned champion on Friday night.
His success is yet another honour for one of the Midlands most famous clubs, Triumph in Coventry.
Dempsee joins a long list of champions which includes amateur legend Errol Christie, Richard Evatt, who went on to be an exciting, heavy-hitting pro, England regular Steve Bendall, Jimmy Twite, James Mulhern…
Current top pro prospects Aaron Bowen, Bradley Goldsmith and Jamie Edwards are all old boys.
Dempsee has really shone in the NABGCs - he outpointed UK number two Aman Kumar in the Midlands final - and capped a superb campaign on Friday at Braxted Park Estate, Witham, Essex.
In the 65-67 kg (Class D) final, he overpowered Jaiden Waiden, from Harwich, in the third.
His delighted family told me: "We are immensely proud of Dempsee. In his first year as a senior boxer, his run at the NABGCs Championships was outstanding. He fought some really tough opponents and came out on top in spectacular fashion with a stunning knockout.
Despite being news to me, Dempsee is far from an unknown commodity. He’s a four-time Midlands champ, national youth finalist, Welsh finals runner-up, national semi-finalist and holder of the 67kg Youth Elite Midlands belt.
He’s also from fine fighting stock. Dempsee is part of Tile Hill’s Cooke family which has a proud, strong tradition in the sport.
His family said: “Dempsee’s incredible hard work and dedication to the sport are truly paying off. This is just the start for him. He is still young, hungry and focused on building from this success, knowing that every fight is valuable experience going forward.
“We are already looking forward to next year's Senior Elites. We also want to give a special thanks to the entire team at the Standard Triumph Boxing Club for all their phenomenal work and support.
“Dempsee’s dreams are coming true and we are behind him a million percent. We are proud of everything he has achieved.
“Remember the name, Dempsee Madden. #TeamMadden #TeamTriumph is going all the way to the top!"
Remember the name? I’m sure I’ll receive plenty of reminders in the future.