British Army retains team title in captivating night at Inter Services Boxing Championships

The British Army have retained their team title at the Inter Services Boxing Championships after a captivating night in the boxing ring at RAF Honington.

Fresh off a successful training camp with GB Boxing a couple of weeks ago, the British Army team only needed to win two bouts to retain their Inter Services team title.

But it was the home team, the RAF, who bagged the first win of the night with Air Recruit Jaydon Johnson beating the Army’s Fusilier Matty Calderwood by a split points decision in the featherweight category.

• British Army snatches Inter Services trophy from Royal Navy in title deciding upset
• Le Crunch: How to watch Royal Navy v Marine Nationale live
• Watch: Weekly Forces Sports Show

That was followed by the only female bout of the night as Leading Physical Trainer Billie Matthews bloodied her Army rival, Captain Rachel Rose, to secure the Royal Navy’s first win of the night by a unanimous decision.

The Army then had their first successful bout of the evening with Private Dylan Swales beating the RAF’s Air Specialist 1 (Technician) Blaine Lambert at welterweight.

In the light middleweight category, the RAF’s Corporal Aaron Devine sparred against the Army’s Lance Corporal Marc Thompson, to claim the second win of the night for the light blues before the interval.

One of the most highly anticipated bouts of the evening featured Royal Marine Corporal Kyle Shaw-Tullin, who enjoyed a rapid rise in the world of military boxing in 2024 and is now an Olympic hopeful with the GB Boxing set-up.

Cpl Shaw-Tullin’s experience in the ring helped him beat his Army opponent, Sapper Marley Devitt, by a comfortable unanimous decision.

The RAF then claimed another win with Sergeant Cameron Lewis beating Royal Marine Connor Fanning by a split points decision.

The final round of the night was fought between heavyweights Private Kieran Cooper from the Army and Royal Marine Dominik Zieba from the Navy.

Pte Cooper hit the right spots in his bouts against an experienced opponent in Mne Zieba, and it was the Army boxer who came out on top with a unanimous decision.

The Army retains their title with five points overall, just edging out the RAF who fell short on four points.

The Royal Navy, who didn’t field enough boxers to contend for the team title, earned one point for their team total.

Full results

1. 57kg - Fusilier Matty Calderwood (Army) v Air Recruit Jaydon Johnson (RAF)
   • Winner: Air Recruit Jaydon Johnson by split points decision

2. 66kg – Captain Rachel Rose (Army) v Leading Physical Trainer Billie Matthews (Royal Navy)
   • Winner: Leading Physical Trainer Billie Matthews by unanimous decision

3. 67kg – Private Dylan Swales (Army) v Air Specialist 1 (Technician) Blaine Lambert (RAF)
   • Winner: Private Dylan Swales by split points decision

4. 71kg – Lance Corporal Marc Thompson (Army) v Corporal Aaron Devine (RAF)
   • Winner: Corporal Aaron Devine by unanimous decision

5. 75kg – Sapper Marley Devitt (Army) v Corporal Kyle Shaw-Tullin (Royal Navy)
   • Winner: Corporal Kyle Shaw-Tullin by unanimous decision

6. 80kg – Marine Connor Fanning (Royal Navy) v Sergeant Cameron Lewis (RAF)
   • Winner: Sergeant Cameron Lewis by split points decision

7. 92kg – Private Kieran Cooper (Army) v Marine Dominik Zieba (Royal Navy)
   • Winner: Private Kieran Cooper by unanimous decision