Florida and England Duke It Out at Amateur Boxing Show

Although there are 4,470 miles between Marco Island, Florida and Milton Keynes, England, last Saturday evening it was as if the two were just a short drive up I-75. What brought them together was the love of the sport of boxing and the dreams of those young men who competed that evening to be the best.

The Marco Island Boxing Club would once again act as the host for a traveling team of six young men from England who share the love of the sport that Rich Stoltenborg himself has been a part of for over four decades. Stoltenborg is well known throughout the community, as he has been a longtime member of the Marco Island Police Department as well as the founder of the Marco Island Boxing Club.

The Marco Club would host the Frank Gervin Memorial International Amateur Boxing Show which was held at the Marco Island Hilton Resort and Spa. The club was forced into a hiatus of sorts due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic but were elated when they were able to resume the opportunity to highlight the Olympic Sport of boxing once again.

Prior to coming to Marco Island, Stoltenborg had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement in Northern New Jersey. At the same time, he was deeply involved in boxing as a way to reach out to youngsters. He and his partner, Ed Leahy, started the Dover Boxing Club in New Jersey as part of his desire to help promote the art of boxing and what it can mean in the life of a young person. Leahy himself was a former Light Heavyweight Champion for the U.S. Marine Corps when in the service.

Today the Dover Boxing Club is an Olympic-Style Boxing Training Center and is widely respected, as are both Leahy and Stoltenborg, in the world of boxing.

When you ask Stoltenborg what the most misunderstood aspect of the sport is, he is quick to point out that it is more than the fight aspect. “It is about self-esteem, creating discipline in one’s life, fitness and cardio exercise. It encourages clean living, respect for oneself and improved hand and eye coordination,” said Stoltenborg. “This is a great workout for professionals; men and women both seeking to get into shape and even relieve stress and tension.”

That could be seen in the faces of those six young men who traveled to Marco last week and I thought it would be more useful to tell you all about them.

The visiting Bletchley Boxing Club would be accompanied by Coach Kevin McCarthy who started boxing when he was eight years old. He would have his twin sons participating in the matches over the weekend and would also be accompanied by his two daughters to cheer on their team of six boxers. The two young ladies, Freya and Casey McCarthy (who would assist with some coaching duties) were very excited to be here with their dad as well as their brothers and would quickly fall in love with the island. McCarthy had started the club almost 16 years ago after having fought himself in 100 amateur and 16 professional fights during his career.

Charlie Goodman who lives in the Town of Milton Keynes has been involved in boxing for the last four years. This would be his first trip to the U.S. and he doesn’t find much he doesn’t like, especially the weather and the food.

The second young fighter would be Joe Riley, another young man from Milton Keynes, England. He had only been involved in the sport for two years but was enjoying learning more about the sport and what he had learned so far. Previous to this he was an avid football (soccer) player though the concentration on building up one’s stamina helped in transitioning to boxing. 

The third member of the team was Dominic Ashman who had spent five years with the Bletchley Club and was very excited about being here in the States. When asked what he enjoyed most about the food it came as a surprise when he answered, “sushi.”  Dominic also found biking around the island was great fun.

The fourth member of the club was Felix Layton, also hailing from Milton Keynes in England. Felix would describe the weather here in Florida as being “brilliant,” or as we would say in the U.S., spectacular. When asked what he would like to bring back to England he would smile and say, “one of those trophies,” as he’d point and laugh.

The fifth and six members of the Bletchley Boxing Club were the twin sons of Kevin McCarthy. Callum would explain prior to taking up boxing they were avid fans of basketball with their friends, but upon going onto the “uni” (college) they would try their hand at their dad’s sport of boxing and fell in love with it. When we asked Callum what food he fell in love with here in the States he would say, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “You folks really make them good over here,” said Callum.

The second of the twins, Jessie McCarthy, would echo his brother’s love of the sport of boxing. “We both just fell in love with it and have been at it for about six years now.” When we inquired as to what had been the highlight of their trip Jessie would point out the hospitality of those that have acted as their hosts on the trip. “The people we’ve stayed with have been wonderful. They’ve treated us all like family, and the food has been wonderful as has the weather,” said Jessie with a wide smile.

The Hilton Resort and Spa would provide a great venue for the event as the crowd surrounded the ring and watched fighters from a number of the local gyms, from as far away as Miami on the east coast to north of Fort Myers put on a great show for the spectators who attended the event.

For Stoltenborg and his team, they were ecstatic at the turnout and the teams that came to put on a great show for all to watch. “The visiting teams, their coaches, the hotel, our sponsors, volunteers and the fans made this a great evening. From the first event we did over at Veterans Park a few years ago until tonight we’ve come a long way. There are so many people to thank. All of you made it happen and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Stoltenborg.