Subscribe to trusted local news
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
30
May
Ripon boxer to compete for Yorkshire Elite Belt tonight
A Ripon boxer is preparing for the fight of his life tonight (May 30).
Ben Julian will compete for the Yorkshire Elite Belt tonight at the Ripon Bowling Club.
He will feature in the last of 16 fights at the event, which is hosted by Ripon Amateur Boxing club and H Hour Boxing Gym in Harrogate under the auspices of governing body England Boxing.
Julian will take-on Whitby fighter Kane Morrison for the vacant middleweight belt.
The Stray Ferret caught up with Julian yesterday, who told us how he got into boxing:
I got into it through a charity ultra white-collar boxing match when I was 19. My grandad had died from cancer, and I just wanted to raise some money.
I won the fight and enjoyed my training and realised that boxing was the answer to a lot of the questions and problems I had in my life.
White-collar boxing is a form of amateur boxing for fighters with little to no experience, usually done for charity events. It originated in New York in the 80s when Wall Street bankers fought in matches to stay fit, hence the name ‘white-collar’.
Concerns about white-collar boxing were highlighted in 2022 when 26-year-old Dominic Chapman died after a charity bout in Worcester.
Julian said:
People have mixed opinions on white-collar boxing and the charity scene. I see it as a good thing. My fight was run by really good people and done really safely.
I think it should be left as it is and kept for beginners. They get to do a good thing - they get to challenge and push themselves. Obviously, you want to win at the time. But it’s not about that, it’s about raising money and awareness.
[Charity boxing] was the exposure to the sport that led me to look for gyms to join. Maybe I wouldn’t have looked otherwise.
Ron Hopley
Representing Ron Hopley’s Ripon Amateur Boxing Club, tonight’s clash will be the 26-year-old’s 25th bout as an amateur boxer — and his most important.
Julian started boxing at H Hour Boxing Gym. He moved to Harrogate Amateur Boxing club then, a few years ago, moved to Ripon to train with Hopley.
A former professional fighter, known as the Ripon Rocket, Hopley now coaches around 30 amateurs, including Julian, from inside his unpretentious gym in Ripon.
Julian said:
Training with Ron has definitely elevated my boxing. If you removed that guy’s head there’d just be a boxing glove inside. He lives and breathes boxing.
He’s got the trust of all his fighters because he’s got their best interests at heart. When you don’t have a big fight coming up Ron’s really good at allowing you to enjoy your training. That’s a massive thing for me.
I was losing my way a bit with boxing, but when I moved up to Ron’s he first of all got me enjoying my training again. And I think a happy fighter is a dangerous one.
Ben Julian (right) trains with Ron Hopley at the Ripon Amateur Boxing Gym.
The apprentice electrician recently became a father and said Hopley had allowed him to strike a balance between boxing and family life.
Title fight
Julian has won more than half of his 24 fights. His highlights include winning the Ed Bilbey box cup and reaching the final of the Yorkshire development championships.
He told us that none of them would mean as much to him as a win tonight, though:
It’s such an important fight to me. One of the goals I’ve always had was to win one of these belts.
There’s a lot of naysayers in boxing, especially when you start late. So tomorrow, for me, winning this would be like winning a world title.
It would be my biggest achievement in my career to date. At the level I’m at now you don’t come up against any bad lads. It’s an elite level.
Ben Julian and Ron Hopley after Julian's Ed Bilbey Box Cup victory.
The Knaresborough-born fighter said he’s confident going into the fight and has ambitions of turning professional.
A win tonight would significantly boost his chances.
0