LOCAL Kilmore boxer Nate Long claimed gold at the Australian Junior Boxing Championships to become a three-time Australian junior champion.
Nate adds to his incredible CV, which has now seen him rack up close to 50 bouts, and establishing himself as a talent with worldwide interest.
Coach Adam Nahal said Nate does all the right things to stay on top.
“He’s been a year-in, year-out podium finish since 2022. He’s always winning gold or silver, he’s notched up three Australian titles and two runners-up,” he said.
“He’s been with Coburg since 2024.
“His consistency has been very good. He’s a good state representative, does well at the national level.
“He keeps himself busy, he does what’s required to be at the top level at such a young age.”
Mr Nahal said Nate’s work makes him an easy boxer to coach.
“Having the support services, such as strength and conditioning, sponsors and a supportive family make life a lot easier for a coach. He’s eating right, which makes him hold weight, increase weight or decrease weight. He’s always monitored, as there is little margin for error when it comes to what has to be done for preparing for a big tournament,” he said.
“I’m not worried too much about where he might be lacking in terms of preparation, or being organised with weight or nutrition, I can just focus on what I need to, which is the boxing side.”
Mr Nahal said the sky is the limit for Nate as he is ready to transition from under-17s to the youth category – whether that is in Australia or around the world.
“His medal tally is one of the most successful in Victoria and Australia currently. The willingness to go above and beyond to fight overseas – he’s fought in Fiji three times, New Zealand in September, he’ll compete against their 60-kilogram boxers,” he said.
“He’s been active – he’s had 12 bouts this year, and had 10 leading up to the Australian titles, which held him in good stead, because it’s frequent exposure to a competition environment, and gives him valuable experience, applying tactics, maintain or change, and win bouts on scorecards.
“He’s fast approaching 50 amateur bouts. For under-17s, it’s well above the average. A good one would be sitting around 30 to mid-30s, but he’s well above that.
“Next year, he moves up to youths. It’s a transitional year, so he is the bottom-age in that category, but I’m pretty sure, seeing how he transitioned from under-15s to under-17s, he’ll transition well.”
