A Mount Isa junior boxer will make his name known nation-wide when he competes in the Golden Gloves boxing competition in Brisbane next month.
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Linkyn Macmillan, 12, will compete in the amateur boxing event in August, that attracts boxers of all ages and classes from right across the country and overseas.
"I've trained hard and I'll give it all my best shot," Linkyn said.
"I am very excited to compete in the Golden Gloves, I feel ready and looking forward to see what I can do in the ring."
Linkyn started boxing to build his fitness while playing football.
But when he started progressing he took the competition papers home to his mum.
"She took a bit of convincing and was a bit hesitant, but signed me up and I have been boxing since," he said.
Linkyn started training at nine-years-old and has developed a strong training schedule to prepare him for his upcoming fights.
"You have to have the right mindset to do this because it is not something you can just jump in and give it a go, you have to put the hard work in," he said.
"You may have a team to train with, but you have to do the work to back yourself in the ring."
Head trainer of Mount Isa's Golden Oak boxing club, Viliame Temo said he had seen Linkyn progress very well in a short amount of time.
"The amount of work that he puts in, I am not surprised to see the results," Mr Temo said.
"This year he has already competed in competitions at the Gold Coast and Townsville as well as the Great Western Games in Charters Towers.
"These fights have been good experience and exposure especially coming from Mount Isa, we are very limited to those types of opponents.
"He puts in the hard work and we need to take him to that kind of level so it can bring the best out of him."
Mr Temo said Linkyn would go into the Golden Gloves competition with a lot of experience.
"I entered him in this challenges because I know the work he had put in and he was ready to start travelling more for competitions," he said.
"At our local club we do not have many young boxers, so Linkyn has been sparing with the adults and learning from them.
"He likes sparing with the adults and mostly spars with Lem Alderton, because they are almost the same height and he can learn a lot from Lem.
"Linkyn has learnt to handle some heavier punches and different techniques, so we are hoping he will do well in this competition."
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Samantha Campbell
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
