St Albans Amateur Boxing Club is planning to host more shows after its first one was hailed as “fantastic”.

Saturday’s show was first event the club has hosted since the new committee was instated and saw the city’s top amateurs take on fighters from clubs in Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Oxford in an action-packed afternoon.

Organiser Bob Anderson said: “It was a great show, there was a massive crowd of people and the support was amazing – it was so much more than what we’d expected.”

The club had six fighters on the 12-bout bill and returned with three losses and three wins.

“Fighting in front of their friends and family, they all really enjoyed it, even the ones that lost,” he told the Herts Ad.

“I’ve been inundated with messages from the other clubs saying what a great show it was and what a fantastic venue Harpenden Public Halls is – everybody was praised for their efforts.”

He added: “It all fell into place. I was stressed in the run up to the show but it was amazing.”

St Albans ABC used to have a reputation for putting on excellent shows and Anderson is hoping the club can build on the foundation laid by Saturday’s successful show.

“This is the start of getting the club back on the map, so to speak,” he said.

“The club raised the profile of the club and I’ve been contacted by people wanting to know more about the club and training times.”