Rolling with the punches

LOCAL boxing prodigy Charles Joma has got his eyes on Commonwealth gold as he prepares for the national titles in late March.
The 22-year-old hails from Wonthaggi and has already made an impressive name for himself in the boxing world, amassing 65 amateur fights with only eight losses, as well as winning multiple state titles.
Across the weekend of February 19, Charles fought in the 71kg division for the state titles to qualify for the nationals, winning all his fights against tough competition.
His long-time coach, Scott Williamson, who owns Bass Coast Boxing based in Newhaven, said he is confident Charles will dominate the competition at the nationals.
“That’s the first of the Commonwealth Games’ selections. In four weeks’ time, we’ll be back at Burwood for a four-day event,” Scott said.
“He will fight every day and that’s against the number one and two (fighters) from each state.
“He’ll be up against all the best and that is the last qualifier in Australia for the Commonwealth Games, so he’s got to win.”
While momentum builds, there was an unfortunate COVID outbreak at the state titles, which forced Charles to isolate, subsequently impacting his strict training regime.
“Hopefully it won’t affect him too much,” Scott said.
“He’s still got a lot to work on to win the nationals; he made a few mistakes last weekend.”
While they focus on the Commonwealth Games, Charles is also exploring the possibility of going pro, as well as aspirations for the Olympics.
“We’ll sit down after all this and see where we’re heading,” he said.
“The professionals would suit him real well; he’s got a big engine and does 8 to 10 rounds with some of the pros now.”
Scott took Charles under his wing at the age of 13, where his passion for boxing was sparked.
“He knew nothing about fighting, and boxing just turned his life around,” he said.
“He’s still fighting under me, and we’ll always be a team but he’s actually living in Balwyn now.”