FELD Barlow is the new English lightweight kickboxing champion after winning in front of a packed audience at the Groves Sports and Social Club on Sunday.
And the 18-year-old is lining up a world title shot – after making his first defence of the national title later this year.
The Ellesmere Port fighter’s promoter and coach Brian Nelson said the performance matched the electric atmosphere.
“Feld was amazing,” said Nelson. “The room was bouncing and the noise was incredible because he is a local lad.
“But I told him to shut it all out, not to do it for the crowd, but to focus and do it for himself.
“What happened next was fantastic. He did everything right and was on top from start to finish.”
Barlow’s opponent was Huddersfield’s Niko Gjoka, a tough fighter proficient in a number of styles who only the week before warmed up for this bout with a cagefighting victory.
“He was really strong and awkward,” said Nelson. “But Feld knew the angles and got on top of him.
“There was no big knockout blow but there was not a single point of the bout where I could honestly say that Feld looked behind, he controlled it from start to finish and it was a mature performance.
Barlow will now face a mandatory defence of his English title, potentially to a North Wales fighter, later this year before setting up a world title shot.
“We want to hold that in Ellesmere Port because that is where Feld is from,” said Nelson. “But if we do we may have to find a bigger venue because he attracted such a big crowd that a world title fight would take things up a level.”
Also on the bill on Sunday night were Port fighters Steve Babb, Phill Thomas and Chris Jones, who all won their bouts.
