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Wapling said Eastwood only started the sport a few years ago with the aim of improving his fitness, but found a competitive edge after training through the pandemic and overcoming a knee injury. .<\/p>\n
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\u201cAll the boys have been training since before COVID. Joel hurt his knee badly right before he started his debut, and then COVID hit,\u201d Wapling said.<\/p>\n Full focus: Joel Eastwood training with LG Boxing.Photo by Brenden Paddock <\/p>\n “They were down, they were doing it for fitness and it turned out like that. I asked him and a few others if they were keen to start a fight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eastwood felt at home in the ring at the Regional Masters playoff, said Wapling, with a dominant victory over a larger opponent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSeveral fighters have been going[to the Regional Masters]for a while, but Joel got his chance,\u201d Wapling said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “He fought well. He worked hard with me and some others to get the opportunity. The guy he was up against was taller, had a lot more reach and looked bigger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOver four two-minute rounds, I felt he won each round convincingly, but in the final round his fitness really kicked in and he really dominated what sealed it. “<\/p>\n Joel Eastwood recently won the Regional Masters 71kg title.Photo by Brenden Paddock <\/p>\n Eastwood’s victory caps off a remarkable year for LG Boxing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In March, 23-year-old Tom Newton finished runner-up in the Australian team’s National Selection Tournament, and in December, Paul Christie won the Australian Amateur Boxing Championship to become Super Middleweight Champion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wapling said last year was a very successful year for boxing with a fair amount of training and hard work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “A lot of people don’t understand what these boys are sacrificing to maintain their weight and stay fit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “It’s one of the hardest forms of fitness. You train as hard outside the ring as you do in the ring, where you deal and deliver punches.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSome people may not get the chance[to compete competitively]but I was lucky to get three wins in 2022. I was aiming to get out a little more to compete, which is good. That’s it.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Events at the next Masters in Wodonga, Cobram and Melbourne are gearing up for the not too distant future.<\/p>\n
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