Entertainer Charles scores solid victory

Kyle Charles….had too much of everything for Edgars Sneidze

BOXING seems to have discovered a showman in Burntwood light-heavy Kyle Charles.

At the Chase Leisure Centre on Saturday night, Charles notched-up his first pro win at the second time of asking, mixing sharp shots with showboating and switch-hitting.

He punched out a landslide, 40-36 four round victory over Edgars Sniedze, a tall Latvian whose become a very familiar in West Midlands rings. Fans have rarely seen him have his hand raised, but the 37-year-old is a hard man to budge.  The Charles bout was his 70th contest and 63rd loss.

Charles, who fights out of the Trojan Academy, comes from a kick boxing background, but also fought on the unlicenced circuit. He’s being trained by Gavin Burrows and Dan Clews.

Gavin said: “It took him a year-and-a-half to get his licence with all the hoops he had to jump through. He’s not a ticket-seller so we plan to mix it up between away and home fights. He made his debut with a short notice job at York Hall (Bethnal Green).

Charles dropped a points decision to Samson Aiyegbusi.

“Get him a few good fights away from home and a few good wins – he’s capable of that,” Burrows added.

Sniedze certainly earned his corn against the newcomer. By the end, his flanks were flushed crimson by big body shots, his nose bled and there was a welt under his left eye.

Charles’ body work was impressive. He fired rights to midriff, then turned the shot into an uppercut.

Kyle (12st 11bs) was confident enough to theatrically wind-up his punches in the third, then detonate. Sniedze (13st 5lbs) could only hold to stifle the barrages.

The fourth was particularly tough for the visitor as Charles, hands low, buried a particularly hard right to the body, then a cuffing right to the head.

There are good light-heavyweight bouts out there for Charles, a late starter at 33 - contests that will tell us a lot more about his long-term potential than a win over Sniedze.