Izaiah and Urijah Harrington with their nationals medals.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Goulburn Valley Boxing Academy coach Zedda Harrington couldn’t be prouder of the performances of his schoolboys products, and the reasons go beyond the surface of the bouts both Urijah and Izaiah Harrington fought at the Boxing Australia School Nationals in Darwin.
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The pair returned to the biggest fixture on the under-age boxing calendar and brought home silverware to boot - although for Urijah that silver was gold.
The under-15 44 kilogram fighter won the same division in 2024 and backed it up comprehensively this year, defeating New South Welshman Dion Siettis via unanimous decision in the semi-final, before the referee stopped the contest in the third round to see Harrington defeat Queensland’s Jharral Simpson for gold.
However, coach Harrington’s pride stems from more than just the on-canvas results.
"The boys Urijah faces in the ring are rubbing shoulders with your (Australian professional boxer) Justis Huni's, and high level accomplished boxers both elite amateur and pro, and have that on a weekly basis in the gym,“ he said.
“That alone is worth its weight in gold and Urijah doesn’t have that, he just has his own vision, and his discipline sets him apart.
“Few people can achieve what he has achieved, let alone to do it from the bush, so what he’s achieved is really, really great.”
Urijah Harrington celebrates as the referee stops the nationals gold medal fight.
Photo by
Supplied
The younger of the pair, Izaiah, left the Top End with silver, but his fight was a golden experience to reflect on.
The number one boxer in his 34 kilogram weight division, Harrington had no opponents in Darwin for the second year running, with Western Australia and NSW not fielding their talents in the nationals event.
Desiring a match-up to cap off his year of bouts, Harrington went up a weight class to take a fight against a 36 kilogram opponent, who was also without a fighter to face.
A contentious decision saw Harrington’s opponent claim the fight on decision, three votes to two, and while coach Harrington argues the result should have fallen in his fighter’s favour, the strong effort in a class above will be priceless for the 13-year-old.
“It was bizarre scoring, but it is what it is, like we were just happy to compete,” the GVBA owner said.
“Isaiah had a couple of standing eight counts on his opponent, so we were scratching our heads, but we really respected our opponent.
“We really like their gym and he's a really good little boxer, and he was grateful Izaiah gave him the chance because otherwise he wouldn’t have fought as well.
“It was a really, really busy fight, a really good watch.
“Izaiah may be small, but he is really strong, which butted against our opponent’s game plan of trying to use his weight and strength.
“Being smaller, he (Harrington) had to use his speed to his advantage too, and he did that really well."
With nationals being the peak of the schoolboys sport, the pair of Goulburn Valley boxers take a mental reset as the fixture restarts for season 2026.
But the break will be short-lived for Urijah, aiming to fight a junior-aged fighter given the lack of availability of fighters his age in the Gold Coast on November 15.
“Urijah’s getting really hard to match now because he’s a 14-year-old two-time nationals gold-medallist, he's had 27 fights, which for a 14-year-old to have 27 around here is being very, very active,” coach Harrington said.
“The only people that I think will accept his fights now are juniors (15 and 16-year-olds) and seniors (17 and older).
“I've got to really step up, we had a 16-year-old deny a fight in Queensland, so I've just got to get busy behind the scenes and make it all work and just wait for the opportunities for him.”
Although the pair have both had their share of suffering from success, the GVBA duo’s ability to adapt on the fly has highlighted their resilience and mental fortitude.
That alone makes it all the more unsurprising that Urijah and Izaiah have been so dominant in the sport they love, despite their geographical setbacks,.
In the unpredictable sport of boxing, those two traits may be the most important of all.
