BOXING
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Rising Albion Park boxing star Sam Goodman is eyeing an national title to go with his NSW strap when he heads to Queensland for the Australian Championships in April.
A win at the nationals - his second national title after winning in 2012 - would see Goodman qualify for the Youth Commonwealth Games to be held in Samoa later this year. It comes after claiming his fourth NSW state title earlier this month.
"His year will depend on how he goes at nationals," father Steve Goodman said.
"If he wins the Australian title he gets to go to Youth Comm Games and there's also a development trip to the UK and he'll qualify for that as well, so that's the main goal."
Should he earn a trip to Samoa it won't be the first overseas trip for the 16-year-old, who began boxing at age 10 at Lake Illawarra PCYC under coach Louis Vallesini. Now a member of the NSW PCYC Academy, Goodman trains under Sean Fitzpatrick at the Sutherland PCYC.
The squad of 15 selected boxers - headed up by coach Joel Keegan - travelled to China last year while Goodman was one of just five selected for a trip to the UK.
It gave Goodman the opportunity to spar in the gyms of British boxing great Ricky Hatton and two-times world champion Amir Kahn, where he also got to share the ring with IBF bantamweight world champion Paul Butler.
"He probably got the most out of the sparring he did over there in the UK," Goodman said.
"He travelled to two different gyms a day and did some work with the UK national development team and went all over the north of England. They got looked after really well and Sam got a lot out of it."
The academy is planning trips to the US and New Zealand this year and will be on show at Albion Park on Saturday night at Centenary Field on a card that will also feature a host of local footballers. Goodman will be looking to better his impressive record of 32-7 as an amateur. Tickets are $25 at the door.
"It's the third night the we've held down here and whatever we generate down here goes back into the academy to fund their development," Goodman said.
