Boxing Clever for a Star in the Ring 

WHEN Ellis Corrie kicked off his Thai boxing career to beat the bullies, little did he know just how successful his decision would be. Nearly four years ago, Ellis' mother, Joanne, took the Darlington youngster to the renowned Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy. Since then, Ellis, now 12, has not looked back. At the start of lastmonth, Ellis was part of a 38-strong party which travelled to the Far East to see where the sport started. During the two-week trip, Ellis defeated a leading young native fighter, Eak-Chai, a veteran of 100 bouts himself. Such was his performance, that a leading brand of Thai boxing equipment, MTG, has sponsored Ellis for future trips, training and kit. Buoyed by the news, upon his return to the country Ellis landed the UKMF title, with a points victory over John Haggerty. Now his coach in Darlington, Paul Hamilton, is mentioning Ellis in the same breath as Michael Dicks.

Dicks, also from Darlington, joined the gym at the age of 16 as a result of his own problems at school. His elevation to the pinnacle of the sport has been well-documented. A British and Intercontinental champion, he may be able to walk the streets of his hometown as a relative unknown, but he is a superstar in Thailand.

Mr Hamilton said: "It's massive really for a young kid of his age to impress people in Thailand and then come back and win the title in England. "The last person to win a junior title was Michael Dicks. He has gone on to be world class. "That is why MTG want to sponsor him, because they see him stepping onto world class when he is older."

Ellis, a pupil at Longfield School, near his home in the Rise Carr area of Darlington, has upped his training to five sessions a week.

He said: "I've enjoyed it ever since I started. "I like everything about it. You meet different people and learn loads of different techniques every day. I just practise all the time. "Like Paul said, I can go far but I never expected it when I started."

Mr Hamilton added: "It looks really good for Darlington that it's not just Ellis, but we have so many good kids coming through.

By Paul Cook