Boxing

3 PARA win their eleventh Army Boxing Final after seeing off 2 RIFLES' comeback surge

Watch: 3 Para put on a show against 2 Rifles at the Army Boxing Finals

The boxers of the Third Battalion, The Parachute Regiment are the Army Inter Unit Boxing champions 2026 after overcoming a considerable momentum swing in their showdown with 2 RIFLES.

The Colchester-based fighters took away an 11th title in the competition and their first since 2022.

Courtesy of a first-bout walkover and a dominant showing in the first half of the evening, 3 PARA went into the interval with a 4-1 lead.

The intensity in the ring reflected the atmosphere in the arena, as the night began in boisterous fashion, with both sets of supporters challenging each other in the volume stakes (as now seems customary in these most prestigious of annual finals). A member of the Parachute Regiment support had been ejected from the premises just before the boxing got underway.

On the eve of the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in the Second World War, the words of Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" echoed around the military boxing cauldron, while the presence of The Band and Bugles of the Rifles to herald the arrival of each RIFLES boxer added to the sense of ceremony.

In the first live battle of the evening – the 62.5kg category – PARA boxer Private Evans saw off his RIFLES opponent, Rifleman Camariosa with a unanimous points decision win.

Both men came out swinging hard from the off, setting the tone for a ferocious back-and-forth contest.

Evans egged on his partisan crowd in the red seats, to chants of "three, three, three Para" ringing in his ears.

Camariosa spent much of the final round on the ropes, looking more and more exhausted with each punch. Advantage PARAS.

Evans' teammate, Private de Vaux Balbernie, followed suit, using his range to make life difficult for Lance Corporal Grundy of the RIFLES, gaining the upperhand with a shot to Grundy's body.

Grundy would later receive the award for Most Gallant Boxer, but it was Balbernie whose precision and clinical showing won him the bout with a unanimous points decision.

Shane Sadler's Paras got themselves a 4-0 lead when Private Snow saw off Lance Corporal Harris in the 70kg fight, with a strong performance setting the tone in the first round, which he continued through the battle – yet another unanimous points decision and things suddenly looked ominous for the Northern Ireland-based 2 RIFLES team.

However, the comeback was on, through the gloves of Rifleman Als, with a clear height advantage and he turned the screws for his side in a competitive first round.

Private Crouch had success with mid-to-close range shots but was ultimately unable to do enough to convince the judges that his opponent deserved the victory.

It was another bout that went the distance, but this time, 2 RIFLES had something to shout about, and they headed into the break 4-1 down, but with a chance to put themselves in a winning position later in the night.

The second half of Forces Fight Night took a turn towards the sensational, as 2 RIFLES not only notched up their wins, but did so with breath-taking knockout blows.

First, Rifleman Kataryna – who was later awarded Best Boxer – tore into Private Readings and hurt the 3 PARA man, pinning him to the ropes only a minute-and-a-half or so into the contest, onto the ropes and then gesturing to the jeering PARA supporters, while cheered on by the jubilant RIFLES support.

Not wishing to be outdone by his lighter teammate, Rifleman Merchant flew out of the traps and stunned his PARA opponent, Private Willis, with another short knockout win in the 85kg category.

Two fights to go, and, at 4-3, the PARA supporters became noticeably quiet as they realised a 2 RIFLES win was not only a mathematical possibility, but they could sense a palpable swing in momentum.

Watch: Band and Bugles of The Rifles lead their boxers into the ring

In the eighth bout, for 90kg glory, Lance Corporal Tuilagi of the RIFLES came out with lots of lefts and rights straightaway; his southpaw style and stature forcing Lance Corporal Dobson into lots of defence in the first and second rounds.

Despite finding a way through Dobson's defences, Tuilagi was unable to clinch the bout and thus force a decider – Dobson won and so too his PARA team, with an unassailable 5-3 lead.

Perhaps in keeping with any disappointment felt by neutral fans over the fact the 100kg showdown would not be a decider on the outcome, it lasted under a minute, as Private Francis came out aggressively, hammering Rifleman McDonald with a flurry of shots, and McDonald’s team threw in the towel, retiring him and leaving 3 PARA with a 6-3 victory to win back the Army Inter Unit Boxing title.