HUNTINGTON boxer Daniel Wright will begin his bid for national ABA novice championship success tomorrow night fresh from a victory in the United States.

Wright flew back from New York earlier this week having won his amateur contest for the Great Britain and Ireland Community Clubs team.

The former K&B Boxing Club fighter, who now competes for Hunslet, stopped his New Jersey opponent Todd Enksson in the second round, which should boost confidence as he starts his pursuit of the ABA title at Sheffield tomorrow night.

Wright was part of an eight-strong GB and Ireland team that took on New Jersey Community Clubs in the Big Apple but the hosts clinched a 5-3 win overall.

About his contest, the 27-year-old middleweight said: "He was game enough as I imagined and all their guys came out all guns blazing. Their team kept shouting 'the busiest fighter wins' but he went down twice and then it was stopped after that.

"The whole experience was really good and we had a look around all the New York sights."

Wright, who works at the Farm and Gardens site at Full Sutton Prison, also got to witness at first hand the 16-year-old American fighter Adam Lawrence, who is expected to be the next great heavyweight talent from across the Atlantic.

He said: "All the boxing promoters that want to sign him up were there and he's America's equivalent of Amir Khan. He was really slick but the Irish champion in our team Kieran Crossen gave him a hell of a fight.

"In fact, he hit him so hard the American's tooth came through his cheek and there's already talk of a rematch."

Updated: 11:06 Wednesday, March 23, 2005