Third time’s a charm for terrific Toby as Sparta ABC boxer gets revenge

It was a case of third - and fourth - time lucky for Sparta ABC’s Toby Herbert who took double revenge against an old foe in his 20th fight at a show in Cambridge.

Herbert stepped into the ring last Saturday against Reece Wade of Lowestoft, who had beaten him twice before, but the Sparta fighter didn’t let his record get the better of him and surged to a superb unanimous points victory.

The two young boxers’ rivalry was evident from the first round of the bout, as both flew out the blocks, landing punches on one another in a fierce three minutes.

Wade’s coach encouraged the Lowestoft lad to slow things down in the second round and Herbert capitalised with clusters of well-timed one-two shots that secured him the round.

Herbert continued to box tactically in the third and final round, and his accurate blows earned him a points victory – and the title of away fighter of the night.

Last weekend was a successful one for the March club, as Richard Smith also tasted victory in only his third fight.

Smith took on an opponent who vastly outweighed him in terms of experience, but the young puncher boxed with poise and prowess from the outset.

Smith defied his years and boxed methodically throughout the three round encounter, earning him an excellent unanimous points victory and the praise of his coach, Matt Lenton.

He said: “Both lads stuck to the plans which we’ve been practising in training and I’m very pleased with them.”

The competitive nature of Wade and Herbert’s bout led to a quickly-schedule re-match a week later, but the result stayed the same in Sudbury, Suffolk, with Herbert outclassing Wade on his way to a split decision triumph.