Luke Kent narrowly misses out on championship bout in Elite Australian Boxing Championships

Broome’s own boxing prodigy Luke Kent has continued his meteoric rise, fighting his way to the semi finals at the Elite Australian Boxing Championships before narrowly missing out on the championship bout. Taking place from November 16 to 19 at the Dom Polski Centre in Adelaide, the 2022 Elite Australian Boxing Championships pitted 97 of Australia’s most promising up-and-coming boxers against each other in a battle for ring supremacy. Kent is no newcomer to the ring, impressing in previous tournaments with his technical proficiency and coming away as the Wheatbelt Boxing Champion in June. Holding his own against some of the best boxers in the country, Kent defeated Giulliam Drapac with a technical knockout in the second round during his first bout of the competition, earning his spot in the semifinal fight. Fighting out of the blue corner in the cruiser weight class, Kent battled against Commonwealth Games boxer Billy McAllister in semifinal, with the two fighters evenly matched in the first round. Kent continued his performance into the second round but his Queensland opponent started to outpace him towards the end. McAllister continued to control the ring into the third round, defeating Kent in the semifinal bout. Praising Kent for his efforts, Broome Boxing Club head coach Conor Gerrard said the loss would only fuel Kent’s determination in the ring. “I couldn’t be any prouder of his effort and to think where he is now after about 10 months in Perth, he’s not too far off the best,” he said. “Big things are coming his way as he is the type of person who will study this defeat and make it right.” Broome Boxing Club is set to hold its own sanctioned tournament on December 3 at the Broome Civic Centre, with boxers from as far as Alice Springs travelling to Broome for the fight night.