HEAVYWEIGHT boxer Ryan Butler paid tribute to the team at Berry ABC after landing his third national title.

The Wickford teenager stopped Ryan Beswick in the second round of their National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs (NABGC) 80kg-plus final to add the crown to his two ABA titles.

And he was quick to salute the part played by the coaches and sparring partners at the Langdon Hills gym in his success.

“I have never had anyone else in my corner apart from Ned and Mark Quirey, except my first final when I had Jim Head from Billericay because they had a mishap getting to the bout,” said 16-year-old Butler.

“I couldn’t ask for better coaches. I’ve been here for seven years. I couldn’t do it without those two really.

“Sparring has also helped a lot,” the Seevic student added. “I have been sparring with Mark, Stuart St John and Damien Short and they have a lot of experience between them which I have learned from."

Following his consecutive ABA Junior Cadet titles, Butler switched to the NABGC championships this season.

And he enjoyed the experience, saying he had “much better” fights in the NABGCs. “The quarter-final was a tough fight, in the semi-final I had already boxed the kid but I beat him again,” added Butler.

“And the final was probably the easiest out of the lot, but they are all good quality opponents in the NABGCs.”

His class B final against Beswick, from Tyne & Wear’s Boldon ABC, saw Butler take victory in the second round after the northern champion was given a standing eight count.

All three of his titles have been by stoppages and his unbeaten 12-fight record has seen half of his opponents stopped.

“Most of them have been body shot stops and against Beswick, when he pulled his jab, I feinted and stepped round, landed the punch and he went down and that was the beginning of the end.”

Butler is now planning to get a season of three, three-minute rounds under his belt and is vowing not to rush into anything because he has only had 12 fights.

“I would rather do that than go straight into boxing for England at international level doing three, three-minute rounds never having done it before,” Butler added.