An 11-year-old juggling multiple sports, Pryde, who has trained at the Goulburn Valley Boxing Academy for four years, ventured north to the Sunshine Coast for his first official step in the ring.
And to quote his coach Zedda Harrington, it was “almost a flawless” performance.
Held at the Matrix Boxing tournament on November 15, Pryde, as well as GVBA boxer Izaiah Harrington, were thrown into the ring for a bout with the gloves.
All boxers have a plan when they step on the canvas to negate their opponent or get on the front foot in the fight, but how one continues to stick with their tactics once punches starts flying is another thing.
It’s why Harrington was so upbeat about Pryde’s display, with the young prodigy following through on the plans set for the fight.
“Everything we drilled into him and practised, he did right,” Harrington said.
“I couldn’t commend Kobe any more highly enough.
“The way he followed instructions throughout, it was amazing to see him execute - almost a flawless debut, really mature.”
Pryde dominated through the fight, defeating his opponent by unanimous decision.
And his 1-0 record has quickly doubled.
A second fight on Sunday saw Pryde defeat a Tasmanian opponent via second round stoppage, highlighting the youngster is capable of more than one way of getting the job done.
“He puts his cap in for every sport he can possibly play, so it’s a credit to him,” Harrington said.
“With all the chaos and commitment in his life, he’s always committed to coming to the boxing gym.”
At the mid-November contest, Izaiah Harrington too came home with a medal around his neck.
It was an intriguing battle for Harrington, fighting an English opponent trained by a well-known Australian boxing identity, but after a round to figure out the nuances of his rival’s strategy, Harrington got stuck into sparring.
“I was interested with Izaiah’s match-up because his opponent was trained by Paul Briggs,” Harrington said.
“It was interesting to see how our tactics fared against someone of that nature, and to see what tactics they came up with.
“Izaiah had to go find his man a lot, because they would’ve studied that Izzy’s bread and butter is when he goes toe-to-toe.
“They did well in the first round, but we set up traps once we learned what they were trying to do, and countered that to win the second and third rounds, so Izaiah ultimately won on split decision.”
On Sunday, 27-year-old Kailem Harrison also won his first fight under the GVBA banner.
Harrington said it identified the club’s growing status nationally, despite its country roots.
“With the continued success of our club, it is not only the best within our region and state, but a force nationwide,” Harrington said.
With the young brigade coming through, it’s understandable where Harrington gets his sense of pride.
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