BASINGSTOKE boxer Jacob Gabriel enjoyed possibly the biggest win of his amateur career so far when he beat former England international Jimmy Cooper, of Southampton’s Golden Ring Boxing Club, on Cooper’s own show.

Gabriel, sponsored by Total Flooring Basingstoke, has only been boxing three seasons and was not expected to win, let alone in such style against a veteran of over 70 fights and with several national titles to his credit.

But Gabriel, pictured right, started strongly, circling the ring and letting the shots go every time Cooper was in range.

He scored a standing count in the second round, then repeated it in the third, sealing the win on all judges’ cards and surprising the crowd, who thought the result would be a foregone conclusion.

This was the Basingstoke boxer’s first bout of the new boxing season, which will hopefully see him in action several more times before Christmas. He will begin his ABA Elite Championship campaign in 2014.

Another name to watch out for is Will Nimako, who boxed no less than four times in the last two weeks, winning three.

Twice he defeated Portsmouth’s Ryan Cayford, and he also enjoyed a victory over Sturminster’s Sam Arnold.

It looks to be another busy season for the club, with around a dozen active boxers all training at the Essex Road gym.