Wakefield warrior Andrea Cikalleshi wins fifth pro bout as his Trinity club faces uncertain future

​Cikalleshi beat Worcester’s Michael Mooney on a show at Sheffield’s double Tree Hilton Park Hotel organised by South Yorkshire promoters Scott Calow and Kas Hussain, writes James Bovington.

"I was delighted to win and show that all the hard work is paying off,’ said Cikalleshi.

"My contests so far have all been four rounders, so each win prepares me for longer bouts against more challenging opponents with the possibility of competing for area titles in the not-too-distant future.”

Twenty-four-year-old lightweight southpaw Cikalleshi has trained with Ric Bennett and Abdul Mghrbel at Trinity Boxing for four years since he arrived in England.

"I’d tried swimming, football, and other sports but none require boxing’s work ethic.

"I wanted a healthy lifestyle and when I moved from Italy to Wakefield in 2020 to join family I started juggling intensive almost daily training with warehouse work.

"I work, I train, I rest. I had six amateur bouts and then turned professional, and I need to progress quickly. I’m my family’s only athlete and I’ll make whatever sacrifices necessary to make family and friends, my team and myself proud.”

Having entered the Sheffield ring carrying the Albanian flag and with Imperia Glory emblazoned on his trunks, Wakefield’s self-described ‘Itallan-Albanian Warrior’ dominated the fight from the centre sustaining a fast pace through the 12-minute four round bout with flurries of punches including powerful hooks to his opponent’s body supported by frequent confusing feints.

The Wakefield boxer did not lose a single point to the delight of supporters largely from the Yorkshire Albanian community.

"We love him. He’s an honest warrior whose skills entertain but everyone appreciates him for being a humble dedicated person,” sais Andrea’s friend Eri.

"The guy’s passionate, he’s fast, he’s a role model for his community,” added another.

"Andrea’s local fanbase is getting stronger,” said trainer Ric Bennett. “And it’s well deserved as I’ve rarely met a boxer with a more positive mindset and complete dedication than Andrea.”

Bennett has been involved with Trinity Boxing Club since it opened six years ago and there are now 100 aged between eight and 65 regularly attending multiple classes.

He added: “We’re happily settled in Carlton Street, it’s a good location. But it seems that the landlord has other plans for the site meaning that we must re-locate by spring next year.

"The ideal would be a 250 sq metre site at most a mile from the city centre where we could stay indefinitely.

"If anyone has a potential solution or would like to sponsor Andrea, please contact us via the club’s Facebook page.”