ROCKET Ronnie Nwakaeze paid the price for a slow start in the Under-63.5kilo National Boxing Senior Novice Championship final on Sunday.

The 23-year-old struggled to get out of the blocks against Birkenhead’s S Donn at the Elmbridge Sports and Social Club in Hainault, and found himself 7-0 down after the opening session via the computer scoring.

The Waltham Forest Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) fighter upped his work-rate in the second and had Donn inspecting the ref’s fingers with a standing eight count.

But with a big margin still to overturn in the final round, Nwakaeze went looking for a knock out blow, and with both fighters going toe-to-toe the crowd were up on their feet.

That telling shot failed to materialise though for the Forest puncher and he found himself on the wrong end of a 22-13 result.

Reflecting on events coach Chris Baker said: “Ronnie certainly paid the price for a slow start, as he was left chasing the fight.

“But he certainly didn’t embarrass himself against a very good fighter. It is just a shame you don’t get points for standing eight counts in this scoring system, because it was a lot closer in the end than the final result suggested.

“I was very proud of him and it has been a real team effort for him to get this far, with our coaches Paul and Jaz putting in a lot of work.

“We will now turn our attentions to the ABAs and hopefully he will show the same commitment to his training and preparations in those championships as well.”