WHEN Jack Fay dropped his hands in the closing stages of his triumphant ABA National heavyweight senior novice title bout, it was a moment of over exuberance.

Fay had fought superbly against Gudgeon Antwi from Edmonton ABC at the iconic York Hall at Bethnall Green and was just moments away for the greatest win on his fledgling career.

It was the culmination of a series of fights that has seen him rise from club boxer to area champion and finally national title holder.

So the big-hitter from Darwen, who only turned 20 last month, could be forgiven for literally letting his guard down.

But his antics didn’t go down well.

The referee didn’t like it, his opponent wasn’t impressed but most of all his coach, Shaun Litherland, was none too pleased.

And on reflection, Fay wasn’t that keen on it either.

“I know now it is something I shouldn’t have done,” said Fay who took his impressive amateur record to 12 wins and two defeats. “I guess it was a little disrespectful but I have learnt my lesson. Shaun wasn’t happy and I can’t repeat what he said to me. But put it this way, I won’t be doing it again!”

Keep your guard up at all time is the boxing mantra and the match official dealt with it in the sternest way possible, administering a standing eight count for the Darwen boxer.

Thankfully, Fay was ahead on points and he won the contest on a split decision.

Litherland let his boxer know exactly how he felt.

“It could have cost him big time,” said the head coach of Techniques ABC in Blackburn. “One punch and it could have all been over. All that hard work, gone. But he knows now.

“The funny thing is, Jack is not that type of boxer. He doesn’t show boat, there are no airs and graces. What you see is what you get.”

While it didn’t cost Fay ‘big time’ as Litherland puts it, it did cost him as the standing eight count triggered an automatic 30-day suspension which meant he could not make his debut for the recently reformed North West squad.

“He was gutted to miss out,” added Litherland. “But thankfully, it didn’t cost him the title.”

But don’t let Fay’s moment of madness take anything away from what he has achieved in such a short space of time.

In just two years, he has twice won the North West ABA area title and has now added the national novice crown.

Fay’s success makes him one of the very few senior fighters from East Lancashire to hold a national ABA title.

The former Darwen Vale pupil is now working hard towards next year’s Elite ABA Championships.

But Litherland has warned his man that he no longer offers the unexpected.

“Jack will be a marked man now,” said Litherland who coaches the Techniques stable alongside Ricky Brindle. “As soon as he became national champion, I had seven or eight text messages from coaches saying they wanted him on there show.

“He’s fighting up in Newcastle next month and there was a club down in Birmingham who wanted him as well.

“People like what they see with Jack. He is all action, a big hitter.

“I know I pulled him up on what he did in the national final but that was just inexperience on his behalf and needed to be nipped in the bud.

“But what he has achieved his fantastic. East Lancashire is blessed with a very good amateur boxing scene and over the years there have been a lot of junior ABA national champions but I can’t remember the last time there was a senior champion from this area.”

Litherland believes there is still plenty to come from his young fighter who is now preparing to take the step up to the next level.

“Of course he is still raw, you would be after only 13 or 14 fights, but there is something about him too”, added the coach. “He is enthusiastic and is dedicated to his training.”

Fay himself knows the hard work has just begun - so it is a good job he is a fan of hard work!

For you’ll find him at the Chadwick Street Mill club four nights a week, two hours each time, and when he is not at the club, he is pounding the streets doing his road work.

“My aim is to be in the best shape possible for the Elite ABAs,” he said. “I’ll be competing at light heavyweight which is my best weight. So it will be a case of keeping my head down and getting on with the training.”

Fay is one of five senior ‘card’ fighters on the books at Techniques ABC, all at varying levels of their boxing journey.

Naheem Chaudrey, 20, is the most experienced in terms of bouts fought. The welterweight has a 21-14-8 record - the latest defeat coming in a narrow points loss appearing for the North West Select team.

Middleweight Jordan Zarac, 22, has won three of his four contests and is back to full fitness after breaking his hand last season.

Fellow middleweight Wayne Tierney, 26, is adapting from mixed martials arts and awaiting his first bout while Awais Zaman, 24, a light middleweight has won three and lost one of his fights.

Techniques ABC opens its doors three years ago in January and for the past two years as been affiliated to the ABA.

It is a rare boxing club where senior fighters outnumber juniors - something that Litherland wants to rectify.

“We don’t have as many juniors boxers as we would like and that is an area we are looking to build on,” he said. “You don’t normally find boxing clubs with more senior fighters that juniors but that is where we are at the moment.

“So the more young fighters the better!”

Any junior fighters who are interested in joining the club can contact Shaun Litherland on 07763 598818.