Geale vs Barker Press Scores
Saturday 17th August - Atlantic City USA
Below is the press scores for the excellent battle for the IBF Middleweight title between Geale and Barker. My card read 115-113 Geale although 3-4 of the rounds could have went either way. Great fight. Would love to see a rematch in the future.
ESPN.com - 115-112 Barker
Wolfgang Schiffbauer (Sturm box promotions) - 114-113 Geale
Tim Starks (The Queesbury Rules.com) - 114-113 Geale
Dan Rafael (ESPN) - 114-113 Barker
Corey Quincy (BL Boxing.com) - 115-112 Barker
Matt Digi (Boxing Asylum.com) - 115-112 Geale
Mark Ortega (Ring Magazine) - 114-113 Geale
Phil D Jay (World Boxing News.net) - 114-113 Barker
Mile Coppinger (USA Today Sports) - 114-113 Geale
Boxing Opinions.com - 115-114 Barker
Eric Raskin (Boxing Monthly Mag) - 115-112 Barker
Shaun Brown ( Live fight.com) - 114-113 Geale
Danny Flexen ( Boxing News Mag) - 115-114 Barker
Brian Campbell (ESPN) - 115-112 Barker
ATR Boxing Tipster.com - 114-113 Barker
Andy Paterson (Boxing Asylum.com) - 115-112 Geale
Steve\Zemach (Transnational Boxing Rankings) - 115-112 Barker
Checkhookboxing.com - 114-113 Barker
Alex Morris (KTC Boxing.com) - 114-113 Barker
UK Fighthype.com - 114-113 Barker
Adam Abramowitz ( Saturday Night Boxing.com ) - 115-112 Geale
Jake Donovan (Boxingscene.com) - 114-113 Barker
Ernest Gabion ( The Boxing Lab Podcast) - 114-113 Barker
Scott Christ (Bad Left Hook.com) - 114-113 Barker
Steve Weisfeld (HBO) - 115-112 Barker
Fightnews.com - 114-113 Barker
Jim Watt (Sky TV) - 115-112 Barker
Gabriel Montoya (MaxBoxing.com) - 114-113 Barker
John Evans (Live Fight.com) - 115-115 DRAW
Ciaran Shanks (Irvine Times.co.uk) - 115-114 Barker
Tommy Allan (Boxing Asylum.com) - 115-114 Barker
3MoreRound.com - 115-112 Barker
Steve Kim (Maxboxing.com) - 114-113 Barker
George Jimenez (Geo Images) - 115-114 Barker
Michael Woods (The Sweet Science.com) - 116-111 Barker
Darren Velsaco ( Fight Domain.net) - 115-114 Barker
Kasim (UKFighthype.com) - 114-114 Draw
Paul Daley (Topclassboxing.com) - 115-114 Barker
Beau Denison (Sports Page Magazine.com) - 114-113 Barker
Tom Gray (Ring Magazine) - 114-113 Barker
Bob Mee (Sky Sports) -114-113 Barker
Ryan Bivins - https://sites.google.com/site/sweetboxing/ - 114-113 Barker
Ray Markarian (The Sweet Science.com) - 114-113 Barker
Box Royalty - 115-113 Barker
Luis Sandoval (The Boxing Lab Podcast) - 114-113 Barker
Kieran Mulvaney (ESPN) - 114-113 Barker
Victor M Salazar - (Tha Boxing Voice Podcast) - 114-113 Barker
Ryan Burton - ( The Boxing Lab Podcast) - 114-113 Barker
Christopher Carlson - (Ropeadope Radio Podcast) - 114-113 Barker
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Chisora Wins In Count Controversy
By Bobby Hunter
Dereck Chisora with one huge overhand right hand salvaged his heavyweight career by stopping previously unbeaten American Malik Scott at the Wembley Arena last night. The fight ended in controversy though as Scott misjudged Referee's Phil Edwards count by rising to late therefore losing the fight by KO. The American didn't look that bothered when the fight was over although his corner team went crazy.
Scott from Philadelphia had started the fight well by using his superior footwork to avoid most of Chisora's bombs. Chisora was getting close to Scott but was not letting his shots go as the American simply tied him up. Many before hand had predicted Scott winning the early rounds before Chisora would come on late looking for stoppage. After three rounds it certainly followed that plan as Chisora was limited to landing the odd combination to the body whilst Scott would catch the Brit with some hard right uppercuts as he shuffled his way in. Round four saw a change in the action as it was Chisora now landing more by trapping Scott on the ropes. Scott couldn't really escape the pressure as he was forced to cover up as Chisora rushed him then battered away.
In the fifth Scott returned to sharp footwork that had worked so well for him earlier in the fight. The jab was landing more and you could see he was trying to time Chisora with the big right hand. Chisora had dropped his intensity which had won him the fourth and on my card was two rounds down.
The sixth started with the pressure being applied by Chisora again. Scott looked as if he was tiring, not a major worry but his punch output dropped as again and again he was forced to take shots on the ropes as Chisora bullied him around. The end came very suddenly as Scott got trapped on the ropes and Chisora detonated that huge over hand right that caught Scott high on the side of the head. It didn't look at huge shot but down went Scott. Referee Edwards took up the count, Scott remained on one knee until the count reached nine. He then stood up to continue to fight, BUT the fight was over. Scott had been counted out. It was a terrible misjudgement by the American as Chisora began to celebrate. Team Scott went crazy although Scott himself didn't look that bothered, even in his post fight interview on Boxnation TV the American seemed calm and not that angry at the referee or losing his unbeaten record.
Dereck "Del Boy" Chisora will now fight on September 21st according to Promoter/Manager Frank Warren probably defending his newly acquired WBO International Heavyweight title. A rematch with Scott was mentioned by Warren but it wont take place in Chisora's immediate future.
Below is my scorecard along with all the Press scored i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-10 Draw
Round 2.... 10-9 Scott
Round 3.... 10-9 Scott
Round 4.... 9-10 Chisora
Round 5.... 10-9 Scott
TOTAL : 49-47 Scott at the time of stoppage
DERECK CHISORA WINS BY 6TH ROUND KO
Press Scores
Kasim - (UKFighthype) : 48-47 Scott
Fight Ghost : 49-46 Scott
Alex Morris - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Adam Abramowitz - (SNBoxing) : 48-47 Scott
Tommy Allan - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Wolfgang Schiffbauer - (Sturm-Boxpromotion) : 48-47 Scott
Danny Flexen - (Boxing News) : 48-47 Scott
BoxingOpinions : 48-47 Scott
ATR Boxing Tipster : 49-47 Scott
Scott Christ - (Badlefthook) : 48-47 Scott
Phil D Jay - (WorldBoxingNews) : 49-46 Scott
Daniel Vano - (Checkhookboxing) : 48-47 Scott
Victor M Salazar - (Thaboxingvoice) : 48-47 Scott
FightersRated : 49-48 Scott
John Evans - (Livefight) : 48-47 Scott
Beau Denison - (SportsPageMagazine) : 48-47 Scott
Andy Paterson - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Boxbet : 49-46 Scott
Corey Quincy - (BLBoxing) : **48-47 Chisora**
Lyle Fitzsimmons - (Boxingscene) : 48-47 Scott
Darren Velasco - (FightDomain) : 48-47 Scott
Ryan Bivins - (SweetBoxing) : *48-48 DRAW*
By Bobby Hunter
Dereck Chisora with one huge overhand right hand salvaged his heavyweight career by stopping previously unbeaten American Malik Scott at the Wembley Arena last night. The fight ended in controversy though as Scott misjudged Referee's Phil Edwards count by rising to late therefore losing the fight by KO. The American didn't look that bothered when the fight was over although his corner team went crazy.
Scott from Philadelphia had started the fight well by using his superior footwork to avoid most of Chisora's bombs. Chisora was getting close to Scott but was not letting his shots go as the American simply tied him up. Many before hand had predicted Scott winning the early rounds before Chisora would come on late looking for stoppage. After three rounds it certainly followed that plan as Chisora was limited to landing the odd combination to the body whilst Scott would catch the Brit with some hard right uppercuts as he shuffled his way in. Round four saw a change in the action as it was Chisora now landing more by trapping Scott on the ropes. Scott couldn't really escape the pressure as he was forced to cover up as Chisora rushed him then battered away.
In the fifth Scott returned to sharp footwork that had worked so well for him earlier in the fight. The jab was landing more and you could see he was trying to time Chisora with the big right hand. Chisora had dropped his intensity which had won him the fourth and on my card was two rounds down.
The sixth started with the pressure being applied by Chisora again. Scott looked as if he was tiring, not a major worry but his punch output dropped as again and again he was forced to take shots on the ropes as Chisora bullied him around. The end came very suddenly as Scott got trapped on the ropes and Chisora detonated that huge over hand right that caught Scott high on the side of the head. It didn't look at huge shot but down went Scott. Referee Edwards took up the count, Scott remained on one knee until the count reached nine. He then stood up to continue to fight, BUT the fight was over. Scott had been counted out. It was a terrible misjudgement by the American as Chisora began to celebrate. Team Scott went crazy although Scott himself didn't look that bothered, even in his post fight interview on Boxnation TV the American seemed calm and not that angry at the referee or losing his unbeaten record.
Dereck "Del Boy" Chisora will now fight on September 21st according to Promoter/Manager Frank Warren probably defending his newly acquired WBO International Heavyweight title. A rematch with Scott was mentioned by Warren but it wont take place in Chisora's immediate future.
Below is my scorecard along with all the Press scored i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-10 Draw
Round 2.... 10-9 Scott
Round 3.... 10-9 Scott
Round 4.... 9-10 Chisora
Round 5.... 10-9 Scott
TOTAL : 49-47 Scott at the time of stoppage
DERECK CHISORA WINS BY 6TH ROUND KO
Press Scores
Kasim - (UKFighthype) : 48-47 Scott
Fight Ghost : 49-46 Scott
Alex Morris - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Adam Abramowitz - (SNBoxing) : 48-47 Scott
Tommy Allan - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Wolfgang Schiffbauer - (Sturm-Boxpromotion) : 48-47 Scott
Danny Flexen - (Boxing News) : 48-47 Scott
BoxingOpinions : 48-47 Scott
ATR Boxing Tipster : 49-47 Scott
Scott Christ - (Badlefthook) : 48-47 Scott
Phil D Jay - (WorldBoxingNews) : 49-46 Scott
Daniel Vano - (Checkhookboxing) : 48-47 Scott
Victor M Salazar - (Thaboxingvoice) : 48-47 Scott
FightersRated : 49-48 Scott
John Evans - (Livefight) : 48-47 Scott
Beau Denison - (SportsPageMagazine) : 48-47 Scott
Andy Paterson - (BoxingAsylum) : 48-47 Scott
Boxbet : 49-46 Scott
Corey Quincy - (BLBoxing) : **48-47 Chisora**
Lyle Fitzsimmons - (Boxingscene) : 48-47 Scott
Darren Velasco - (FightDomain) : 48-47 Scott
Ryan Bivins - (SweetBoxing) : *48-48 DRAW*
Saturday, 13 July 2013
One Hit Wonder - Derry Snatches The Title
By Bobby Hunter
Trailing on points, severely winded and being totally out boxed. Derry Mathews rescued his career AGAIN by stopping home town favourite Tommy Coyle in the tenth round to win the vacant Commonwealth Lightweight title. The lively Hull crowd packed into the Craven Park Stadium hoping to roar Coyle to victory and for nine rounds it had looked like the younger, fresher man was going to give the fans their wish and he totally baffled his more experienced opponent. Mathews then unloaded one big left hook after a clinch to silence the crowd and leave a dejected Coyle to wonder how he had thrown away what had looked like a certain victory.
In the first few rounds it was plain to see what Coyle's tactics would be. At 23 he was six years younger than Mathews but more importantly a hell of a lot quicker than the man from Liverpool. Coyle easily darted in and out of range early in the fight landing flurry after flurry. Mathews chased Coyle around the ring but he had no answer for the Hull man's movement and quick attacks to the body. Mathews probably nicked round 3 as Coyle slowed down just a little. Mathews began to land his jab followed by a few hurtful right hands. Coyle again took charge in the middle rounds. The jab was now keeping Mathews at bay as the Liverpool man plodded after Coyle, Mathews was also being caught with a slashing right hand by Coyle, similar to the right hand Ricky Burns the WBO 135lb champion throws. The more experienced Mathews just could not get into the fight.
The trend continued in rounds seven and eight where Mathews was having some success but was simply being over powered in punch connects by Coyle. For every decent punch Mathew was landing, Coyle was landing two, maybe three. One of the impressive attributes that Coyle was showing was his head movement on the ropes. Mathews would keep the pressure on for most of the fight sometimes trapping Coyle on the ropes but he rarely landed. Coyle's jack in a box movement was driving Mathews crazy. Derry just couldn't let the combinations go.
Coyle looked to have the fight tied up in the ninth as Mathews seemed to be losing steam fast. Body shots rained in on the former British champion as it was now his turn to be pushed against the ropes. The end looked near although not in the way many expected as under pressure and taking punches Mathews unleashed a massive left hook that caught Coyle high on the head and slammed him to the canvas. The crowd fell silent as Referee Phil Edwards gave the Hull man an eight count. Coyle looked shaky so Edwards called the fight off to the obvious delight of Mathews.
The Warrior from Liverpool had came back again when defeat looked likely. Mathews can now look forward to more paydays defending his newly acquired Commonwealth crown although he did offer Coyle a rematch if he wanted it. Coyle who was in complete shock as he was well ahead on the cards said he would love the rematch but was visibly upset when giving his interview to Sky TV.
Rocky Lives.
Below is my scorecard along with the press and fan scores i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 2.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 3.... 9-10 Mathews
Round 4.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 5.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 6.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 7.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 8.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 9.... 10-9 Coyle
TOTAL : 89-82 Coyle at the time of stoppage.
DERRY MATHEWS WINS BY 1OTH ROUND KO
Press and Fan Scores
Phil D Jay - (WorldBoxingNews) 88-83 Coyle
Kasim - (UKFighthype) 88-83 Coyle
Shaun Brown - (Boxing-Monthly) 87-84 Coyle
Danny Flexen - (Boxing news) 89-82 Coyle
BoxingOpinions - 89-83 Coyle
Scott Smith - (UKFighthype) 89-82 Coyle
Matt Digi - (BoxingAsylum) 88-83 Coyle
FightersRated - 88-83 Coyle
ATR Boxing Tipster - 88-83 Coyle
Livefight.com - 88-83 Coyle
Alex Morris - (BoxingAsylum) 89-82 Coyle
Paul Daley - ( TopClassBoxing) 88-83 Coyle
By Bobby Hunter
Trailing on points, severely winded and being totally out boxed. Derry Mathews rescued his career AGAIN by stopping home town favourite Tommy Coyle in the tenth round to win the vacant Commonwealth Lightweight title. The lively Hull crowd packed into the Craven Park Stadium hoping to roar Coyle to victory and for nine rounds it had looked like the younger, fresher man was going to give the fans their wish and he totally baffled his more experienced opponent. Mathews then unloaded one big left hook after a clinch to silence the crowd and leave a dejected Coyle to wonder how he had thrown away what had looked like a certain victory.
In the first few rounds it was plain to see what Coyle's tactics would be. At 23 he was six years younger than Mathews but more importantly a hell of a lot quicker than the man from Liverpool. Coyle easily darted in and out of range early in the fight landing flurry after flurry. Mathews chased Coyle around the ring but he had no answer for the Hull man's movement and quick attacks to the body. Mathews probably nicked round 3 as Coyle slowed down just a little. Mathews began to land his jab followed by a few hurtful right hands. Coyle again took charge in the middle rounds. The jab was now keeping Mathews at bay as the Liverpool man plodded after Coyle, Mathews was also being caught with a slashing right hand by Coyle, similar to the right hand Ricky Burns the WBO 135lb champion throws. The more experienced Mathews just could not get into the fight.
The trend continued in rounds seven and eight where Mathews was having some success but was simply being over powered in punch connects by Coyle. For every decent punch Mathew was landing, Coyle was landing two, maybe three. One of the impressive attributes that Coyle was showing was his head movement on the ropes. Mathews would keep the pressure on for most of the fight sometimes trapping Coyle on the ropes but he rarely landed. Coyle's jack in a box movement was driving Mathews crazy. Derry just couldn't let the combinations go.
Coyle looked to have the fight tied up in the ninth as Mathews seemed to be losing steam fast. Body shots rained in on the former British champion as it was now his turn to be pushed against the ropes. The end looked near although not in the way many expected as under pressure and taking punches Mathews unleashed a massive left hook that caught Coyle high on the head and slammed him to the canvas. The crowd fell silent as Referee Phil Edwards gave the Hull man an eight count. Coyle looked shaky so Edwards called the fight off to the obvious delight of Mathews.
The Warrior from Liverpool had came back again when defeat looked likely. Mathews can now look forward to more paydays defending his newly acquired Commonwealth crown although he did offer Coyle a rematch if he wanted it. Coyle who was in complete shock as he was well ahead on the cards said he would love the rematch but was visibly upset when giving his interview to Sky TV.
Rocky Lives.
Below is my scorecard along with the press and fan scores i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 2.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 3.... 9-10 Mathews
Round 4.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 5.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 6.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 7.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 8.... 10-9 Coyle
Round 9.... 10-9 Coyle
TOTAL : 89-82 Coyle at the time of stoppage.
DERRY MATHEWS WINS BY 1OTH ROUND KO
Press and Fan Scores
Phil D Jay - (WorldBoxingNews) 88-83 Coyle
Kasim - (UKFighthype) 88-83 Coyle
Shaun Brown - (Boxing-Monthly) 87-84 Coyle
Danny Flexen - (Boxing news) 89-82 Coyle
BoxingOpinions - 89-83 Coyle
Scott Smith - (UKFighthype) 89-82 Coyle
Matt Digi - (BoxingAsylum) 88-83 Coyle
FightersRated - 88-83 Coyle
ATR Boxing Tipster - 88-83 Coyle
Livefight.com - 88-83 Coyle
Alex Morris - (BoxingAsylum) 89-82 Coyle
Paul Daley - ( TopClassBoxing) 88-83 Coyle
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Crolla Edges Past Rees In A Thriller
By Bobby Hunter
With a promised WBO Lightweight title shot against Ricky Burns for the winner, Gavin Rees and Anthony Crolla produced an excellent fight in front of a packed Bolton Arena Saturday night. The fight was also screened live on Sky Sports here in the UK. Just before the fight Burns who was working for Sky let slip that the winner could very well fight him late November, early December.
This fight was for the WBO Intercontinental Title, basically the two guys were fighting for a WBO ranking which would make it easier for Matchroom Boxing to set up the winner against Burns. Rumours before the fight also pointed to Rees preparation. Although quite a big favourite to win the fight, some at the weigh in questioned if the Former WBA 140 Champion has trained at 100% for the fight. Rees to his credit came out buzzing in Round one jabbing his way in and then landing flurries of body shots. Crolla was covering up well and seemed to be content boxing behind his high guard. Round two was the same, Rees throwing more, moving in and out and Crolla working the jab. Manchester's Crolla then broke through in Round three as he timed Rees coming in no less than four times with left hooks. Rees work rate dropped as Crolla began to land his straight right also.
Crolla took the fourth as after a clash of heads Rees got cut above his left eye. Rees was now being pushed back by Crolla obviously worried about a premature end due to the cut. On my card Crolla took the fifth as Rees had a dishevelled look about him. Were those rumours true about Rees condition? It certainly looked that way as Crolla without doing too much easily took the round.
During the fight on the twitter network many online boxing writers and fans were unhappy about the commentary coming from the Sky team of Adam Smith and Glen McCrory. Many felt they were far to biased in favour of Crolla. I have to agree here as there was many times where Rees would land some nice punches but both commentators wouldn't mention Rees scoring. When Crolla had success it was different as both Sky guys were quick to praise the Manchester man. As the fight hit the halfway stage Rees took the sixth as it looked like Crolla was now feeling the pace. Rees was quicker to the punch and was again landing some nice combinations to the body.
Round seven was Rees best round and he brought his straight right into play knocking Crolla's head back on at least four occasions. Crolla's only punch of note back was a straight right back. In round eight Crolla got his second wind, he was now throwing more and was able to keep Rees off him with his jab. This continued in round nine where the jab from Crolla was hitting its target more and more. The timing from earlier was back and it seemed that he was beginning to pull away from Rees again. In the last 30 seconds of the round both guys went at it hell for leather. The crowd went crazy for both fighters, great end to a very good round of boxing.
Joe Gallagher, Crolla's trainer was wanting more and more from his man as the fight was close. It had been a busy night for Gallagher as he was in the corner before hand for Scott Quigg and Paul Smith who had both won on this Matchroom promoted show. Crolla responded in the tenth and eleventh round by continually beating a tired looking Rees to the punch. In the eleventh Crolla looked to have hurt Rees to the body. The Welshman took cover on the ropes as Crolla came at him trying to end the fight. Rees survived and somehow came out stronger in the first half of the twelfth round. Rees then began to clown with Crolla by using some old Naseem Hamed antics. Crolla though responded late in the round by again forcing Rees back to the ropes. Rees round but had the Welshman done enough to win the fight AND a shot at Ricky Burns Title???.
As expected the Judges scores were quite close. Steve Gray had the fight a Draw 115-115 but he was over ruled by both Ritchie Davies and Davie Parris who scored for Crolla 115-113 and 116-113 respectively.
Crolla now looks like he will get that title fight after a stirring underdog performance. Both Crolla and trainer Gallagher know it will be a tough fight against Ricky Burns and mentioned this in their post fight interview on Sky. Burns though will need to come through on Sept 7th against Ray Beltran for the fight to happen but going by what was said in Bolton last night, then the fight looks a certainty for late November early December.
Below is my scorecard for the Rees-Crolla fight followed by all the press/fans scores i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-9 Rees
Round 2.... 10-9 Rees
Round 3.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 4.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 5.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 6.... 10-9 Rees
Round 7.... 10-9 Rees
Round 8.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 9.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 10.. 9-10 Crolla
Round 11.. 9-10 Crolla
Round 12.. 10-9 Rees
TOTAL: 115-113 Anthony Crolla
Judges Scorecards : Dave Parris (Eng) 116-113 Crolla
Ritchie Davies (Eng) 115-113 Crolla
Steve Gray (Eng) 115-115 Draw
ANTHONY CROLLA WINS BY MAJORITY DECISION
Press and Fan Scores
Glen McCrory (Sky Sports) : 117-112 Crolla
Ryan Bivins (Sweetboxing) : 118-110 Rees
Adam Abramowitz (SnBoxing) : 117-111 Rees
Ciaran Shanks (Scotboxnation) : 115-114 Crolla
Corey Quincy (Saddoboxing) : 115-113 Crolla
Shaun Brown (Livefight) : 115-113 Rees
Scott Smith (UKFighthype) : 114-114 Draw
Fight Ghost : 115-113 Crolla
Danny Flexen (BoxingNews) : 116-114 Crolla
Boxing Opinions : 115-114 Crolla
ATR Boxing Tipster : 115-115 Draw
Steve Lillis (Boxnation) : 115-114 Crolla
Fighters Rated : 117-111 Crolla
Paul Daley (Topclassboxing) : 114-114 Draw
Ron Lewis (The Times) : 117-112 Crolla
The Title Fight : 114-114 Draw
Danny Winterbottom (Secondsout) : 115-115 Draw
Phil D Jay (Worldboxingnews.net) : 115-114 Crolla
Tommy Allan (BoxingAsylum) : 115-113 Crolla
Victor M Salazar (ThaBoxingvoice) : 115-113 Rees
Alexi Sucachev (Boxingscene) : 116-112 Crolla
Tom Gray (Ring Magazine TV) ; 117-112 Crolla
John A MacDonald (ThaBoxingVoice) :115-113 Crolla
Roe (CheckHookBoxing) : 115-113 Crolla
Michael Dawson (Twitter Fan) : 116-114 Rees
Matt Verity (Twitter Fan) : 117-112 Crolla
Andy Neill (Twitter Fan) : 115-113 Crolla
Mariuz Vibe (Twitter Fan) : 117-111 Rees
Tim Cartwright (Twitter Fan) ; 115-113 Crolla
John Hoolan (Twitter Fan) : 115-115 Draw
Jack Broadley (Twitter Fan) ; 116-113 Crolla
Saddoboxing Forum ; 115-113 Rees, 116-112 Crolla
Ringnews24 Forum ; 115-113 Rees
Boxrec Forum : 115-113 x3 , 116-114, 115-114 all for Crolla
116-112, 115-114 all for Rees , 114-114 Draw
Eastsideboxing Forum ; 116-113 X2, 118-110 all for Crolla
114-114 Draw
BoxingScene Forum : 116-114 , 115-113 all for Crolla
114-114 Draw
Checkhookboxing Forum : 116-112 x3, 116-113 all for Crolla
116-113 Rees , 114-114 Draw
By Bobby Hunter
With a promised WBO Lightweight title shot against Ricky Burns for the winner, Gavin Rees and Anthony Crolla produced an excellent fight in front of a packed Bolton Arena Saturday night. The fight was also screened live on Sky Sports here in the UK. Just before the fight Burns who was working for Sky let slip that the winner could very well fight him late November, early December.
This fight was for the WBO Intercontinental Title, basically the two guys were fighting for a WBO ranking which would make it easier for Matchroom Boxing to set up the winner against Burns. Rumours before the fight also pointed to Rees preparation. Although quite a big favourite to win the fight, some at the weigh in questioned if the Former WBA 140 Champion has trained at 100% for the fight. Rees to his credit came out buzzing in Round one jabbing his way in and then landing flurries of body shots. Crolla was covering up well and seemed to be content boxing behind his high guard. Round two was the same, Rees throwing more, moving in and out and Crolla working the jab. Manchester's Crolla then broke through in Round three as he timed Rees coming in no less than four times with left hooks. Rees work rate dropped as Crolla began to land his straight right also.
Crolla took the fourth as after a clash of heads Rees got cut above his left eye. Rees was now being pushed back by Crolla obviously worried about a premature end due to the cut. On my card Crolla took the fifth as Rees had a dishevelled look about him. Were those rumours true about Rees condition? It certainly looked that way as Crolla without doing too much easily took the round.
During the fight on the twitter network many online boxing writers and fans were unhappy about the commentary coming from the Sky team of Adam Smith and Glen McCrory. Many felt they were far to biased in favour of Crolla. I have to agree here as there was many times where Rees would land some nice punches but both commentators wouldn't mention Rees scoring. When Crolla had success it was different as both Sky guys were quick to praise the Manchester man. As the fight hit the halfway stage Rees took the sixth as it looked like Crolla was now feeling the pace. Rees was quicker to the punch and was again landing some nice combinations to the body.
Round seven was Rees best round and he brought his straight right into play knocking Crolla's head back on at least four occasions. Crolla's only punch of note back was a straight right back. In round eight Crolla got his second wind, he was now throwing more and was able to keep Rees off him with his jab. This continued in round nine where the jab from Crolla was hitting its target more and more. The timing from earlier was back and it seemed that he was beginning to pull away from Rees again. In the last 30 seconds of the round both guys went at it hell for leather. The crowd went crazy for both fighters, great end to a very good round of boxing.
Joe Gallagher, Crolla's trainer was wanting more and more from his man as the fight was close. It had been a busy night for Gallagher as he was in the corner before hand for Scott Quigg and Paul Smith who had both won on this Matchroom promoted show. Crolla responded in the tenth and eleventh round by continually beating a tired looking Rees to the punch. In the eleventh Crolla looked to have hurt Rees to the body. The Welshman took cover on the ropes as Crolla came at him trying to end the fight. Rees survived and somehow came out stronger in the first half of the twelfth round. Rees then began to clown with Crolla by using some old Naseem Hamed antics. Crolla though responded late in the round by again forcing Rees back to the ropes. Rees round but had the Welshman done enough to win the fight AND a shot at Ricky Burns Title???.
As expected the Judges scores were quite close. Steve Gray had the fight a Draw 115-115 but he was over ruled by both Ritchie Davies and Davie Parris who scored for Crolla 115-113 and 116-113 respectively.
Crolla now looks like he will get that title fight after a stirring underdog performance. Both Crolla and trainer Gallagher know it will be a tough fight against Ricky Burns and mentioned this in their post fight interview on Sky. Burns though will need to come through on Sept 7th against Ray Beltran for the fight to happen but going by what was said in Bolton last night, then the fight looks a certainty for late November early December.
Below is my scorecard for the Rees-Crolla fight followed by all the press/fans scores i was able to collect for this fight.
Round 1.... 10-9 Rees
Round 2.... 10-9 Rees
Round 3.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 4.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 5.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 6.... 10-9 Rees
Round 7.... 10-9 Rees
Round 8.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 9.... 9-10 Crolla
Round 10.. 9-10 Crolla
Round 11.. 9-10 Crolla
Round 12.. 10-9 Rees
TOTAL: 115-113 Anthony Crolla
Judges Scorecards : Dave Parris (Eng) 116-113 Crolla
Ritchie Davies (Eng) 115-113 Crolla
Steve Gray (Eng) 115-115 Draw
ANTHONY CROLLA WINS BY MAJORITY DECISION
Press and Fan Scores
Glen McCrory (Sky Sports) : 117-112 Crolla
Ryan Bivins (Sweetboxing) : 118-110 Rees
Adam Abramowitz (SnBoxing) : 117-111 Rees
Ciaran Shanks (Scotboxnation) : 115-114 Crolla
Corey Quincy (Saddoboxing) : 115-113 Crolla
Shaun Brown (Livefight) : 115-113 Rees
Scott Smith (UKFighthype) : 114-114 Draw
Fight Ghost : 115-113 Crolla
Danny Flexen (BoxingNews) : 116-114 Crolla
Boxing Opinions : 115-114 Crolla
ATR Boxing Tipster : 115-115 Draw
Steve Lillis (Boxnation) : 115-114 Crolla
Fighters Rated : 117-111 Crolla
Paul Daley (Topclassboxing) : 114-114 Draw
Ron Lewis (The Times) : 117-112 Crolla
The Title Fight : 114-114 Draw
Danny Winterbottom (Secondsout) : 115-115 Draw
Phil D Jay (Worldboxingnews.net) : 115-114 Crolla
Tommy Allan (BoxingAsylum) : 115-113 Crolla
Victor M Salazar (ThaBoxingvoice) : 115-113 Rees
Alexi Sucachev (Boxingscene) : 116-112 Crolla
Tom Gray (Ring Magazine TV) ; 117-112 Crolla
John A MacDonald (ThaBoxingVoice) :115-113 Crolla
Roe (CheckHookBoxing) : 115-113 Crolla
Michael Dawson (Twitter Fan) : 116-114 Rees
Matt Verity (Twitter Fan) : 117-112 Crolla
Andy Neill (Twitter Fan) : 115-113 Crolla
Mariuz Vibe (Twitter Fan) : 117-111 Rees
Tim Cartwright (Twitter Fan) ; 115-113 Crolla
John Hoolan (Twitter Fan) : 115-115 Draw
Jack Broadley (Twitter Fan) ; 116-113 Crolla
Saddoboxing Forum ; 115-113 Rees, 116-112 Crolla
Ringnews24 Forum ; 115-113 Rees
Boxrec Forum : 115-113 x3 , 116-114, 115-114 all for Crolla
116-112, 115-114 all for Rees , 114-114 Draw
Eastsideboxing Forum ; 116-113 X2, 118-110 all for Crolla
114-114 Draw
BoxingScene Forum : 116-114 , 115-113 all for Crolla
114-114 Draw
Checkhookboxing Forum : 116-112 x3, 116-113 all for Crolla
116-113 Rees , 114-114 Draw
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Clinical Cobra Gets His Revenge
By Bobby Hunter
It not very often that a fight lives up to expectations. 2013 has been a very good year for great fights with the likes of Bradley-Provodnikov and Rios-Alvarado to name a few. Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler served up the expected war to match their first fight in Herning Denmark three years ago. This time Froch roared on by a 19 Thousand crowd gained revenge with a hard fought, close but clear victory over the Danish Icon over twelve rounds.
The self styled "Cobra" started fast using his under rated jab to control the first round. Sky Sports PPV stats had Froch landing sixteen jabs in the first to Kesslers one. The second and third round was the same with Froch dominating with the jab but also throwing the odd right to keep Kessler away from him. A great start by the home favourite. Froch in the first fight started slow probably losing the first three rounds, this time determined to learn from his mistakes Froch stayed calm and using that jab but also a high work rate to continually keep the WBA champion from landing anything of note.
Round four was very close. Froch was still landing his jab although the small bursts of combinations used in the first three rounds were now gone as Kessler had managed to get in close. Kessler began to dig the body with hooks. It was the first signs of success for the Dane. Kessler took the fifth and sixth rounds too. Froch was beginning to ship some hurtful looking right hands and the occasion left hooks from the determined Dane. The "Cobra" was staying cool and collected, the jab was still firing but he would need to do something else to change the fight as Kesser was right back in the mix.
Froch began Round seven by stepping forward and being more aggressive. He was now pushing Kessler back with quick combos punctuated with a solid right hand. Kessler fought back as they both traded up close. Right hooks bounced off each other chins as the crowd went crazy. Froch's round due to the aggression. The pattern stayed the same in the eighth as Froch still aggressive went after Kessler. A jab, straight right, left hook bounced off the Dane before Froch took a big right hand back. Froch then retaliated by forcing Kessler to the ropes, he was winning the war of wills now as another huge straight right spread spray across the ring from Kesslers head. The ninth was a quieter round as the IBF champion Froch went back to the jab. Both were still landing their right hands but the two champions seemed to be happy taking a break due to the previous two rounds.
The tenth was also a close round, a pick em round as both had their successes up close. The straight rights were landing by both fighters but Froch was still the guy pushing Kessler back. In fact Froch's leg strength at this point looked superior as when pushed back Kessler looked a little shaky. Round Eleven was a cracker with Froch staring the better landing straight rights and left hooks. The Danish warrior responded with some hurtful body shots before moving up stairs with the left hook. Kessler then hurt Froch with a huge right hand. Froch's solid legs buckled for a few seconds. Kessler went after Froch for thirty seconds trying to end the fight but simply didn't have the energy to finish the job. Froch then showing THAT warriors heart fired back at the Dane forcing him back to the ropes. At this point the crowd were going absolutely nuts.
The last Round must be a "Round of the Year" contender as after a slow first thirty seconds both guys began to trade furiously. Kessler was still faster to land the punches but Froch swallowed them all up and fired back even harder. As both guys were swapping left and right hook a massive right made Kesslers legs buckle before Froch was on him like a rash. Kessler was being battered in the corner by Froch, Referee Pete Podgorski looked like he was going to stop the fight but Kessler again showed defiance by fighting out of the corner making Froch back off and go back to the jab. What a war. The crowd were on their feet as the final bell rang, both WARRIORS were exhausted after such an intense battle. All we needed now was the judges cards.
All three judges scored the fight for the New WBA and IBF champion Carl "The Cobra" Froch by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and a far too wide 118-110. Froch got his revenge and now wants Andre Ward who beat him in the final of the super 6. Kessler left the arena with an offer. Who knows if he will take it? but many would hope that Kessler takes Froch's offer of a "Rubber Match" seriously especially when Froch said that any third fight between them should be on neutral territory. Here's hoping.
It not very often that a fight lives up to expectations. 2013 has been a very good year for great fights with the likes of Bradley-Provodnikov and Rios-Alvarado to name a few. Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler served up the expected war to match their first fight in Herning Denmark three years ago. This time Froch roared on by a 19 Thousand crowd gained revenge with a hard fought, close but clear victory over the Danish Icon over twelve rounds.
The self styled "Cobra" started fast using his under rated jab to control the first round. Sky Sports PPV stats had Froch landing sixteen jabs in the first to Kesslers one. The second and third round was the same with Froch dominating with the jab but also throwing the odd right to keep Kessler away from him. A great start by the home favourite. Froch in the first fight started slow probably losing the first three rounds, this time determined to learn from his mistakes Froch stayed calm and using that jab but also a high work rate to continually keep the WBA champion from landing anything of note.
Round four was very close. Froch was still landing his jab although the small bursts of combinations used in the first three rounds were now gone as Kessler had managed to get in close. Kessler began to dig the body with hooks. It was the first signs of success for the Dane. Kessler took the fifth and sixth rounds too. Froch was beginning to ship some hurtful looking right hands and the occasion left hooks from the determined Dane. The "Cobra" was staying cool and collected, the jab was still firing but he would need to do something else to change the fight as Kesser was right back in the mix.
Froch began Round seven by stepping forward and being more aggressive. He was now pushing Kessler back with quick combos punctuated with a solid right hand. Kessler fought back as they both traded up close. Right hooks bounced off each other chins as the crowd went crazy. Froch's round due to the aggression. The pattern stayed the same in the eighth as Froch still aggressive went after Kessler. A jab, straight right, left hook bounced off the Dane before Froch took a big right hand back. Froch then retaliated by forcing Kessler to the ropes, he was winning the war of wills now as another huge straight right spread spray across the ring from Kesslers head. The ninth was a quieter round as the IBF champion Froch went back to the jab. Both were still landing their right hands but the two champions seemed to be happy taking a break due to the previous two rounds.
The tenth was also a close round, a pick em round as both had their successes up close. The straight rights were landing by both fighters but Froch was still the guy pushing Kessler back. In fact Froch's leg strength at this point looked superior as when pushed back Kessler looked a little shaky. Round Eleven was a cracker with Froch staring the better landing straight rights and left hooks. The Danish warrior responded with some hurtful body shots before moving up stairs with the left hook. Kessler then hurt Froch with a huge right hand. Froch's solid legs buckled for a few seconds. Kessler went after Froch for thirty seconds trying to end the fight but simply didn't have the energy to finish the job. Froch then showing THAT warriors heart fired back at the Dane forcing him back to the ropes. At this point the crowd were going absolutely nuts.
The last Round must be a "Round of the Year" contender as after a slow first thirty seconds both guys began to trade furiously. Kessler was still faster to land the punches but Froch swallowed them all up and fired back even harder. As both guys were swapping left and right hook a massive right made Kesslers legs buckle before Froch was on him like a rash. Kessler was being battered in the corner by Froch, Referee Pete Podgorski looked like he was going to stop the fight but Kessler again showed defiance by fighting out of the corner making Froch back off and go back to the jab. What a war. The crowd were on their feet as the final bell rang, both WARRIORS were exhausted after such an intense battle. All we needed now was the judges cards.
All three judges scored the fight for the New WBA and IBF champion Carl "The Cobra" Froch by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and a far too wide 118-110. Froch got his revenge and now wants Andre Ward who beat him in the final of the super 6. Kessler left the arena with an offer. Who knows if he will take it? but many would hope that Kessler takes Froch's offer of a "Rubber Match" seriously especially when Froch said that any third fight between them should be on neutral territory. Here's hoping.
Round 1.... 10-9 Froch
Round 2.... 10-9 Froch
Round 3.... 10-9 Froch
Round 4.... 9-10 Kessler
Round 5.... 9-10 Kessler
Round 6.... 9-10 Kessler
Round 7.... 10-9 Froch
Round 8.... 10-9 Froch
Round 9.... 10-9 Froch
Round 10.. 10-9 Froch
Round 11.. 9-10 Kessler
Round 12.. 10-9 Froch
TOTAL : 116-112 Carl Froch
Judges Scores : Carlos Sucre : 116-112 Froch
Jean Francois Toupin : 115-113 Froch
Adalaide Byrd : 118-110 Froch
CARL FROCH WINS BY UNANIMOUS DECISION
Boxing Press , Twitter and the Boxing Forums Scores
Steve Zemach (Queensbury Rules) : 116-112 Froch
Jim Watt (Sky TV) : 116-112 Froch
Phil D Jay (Worldboxingnews.net) : 117-111 Froch
Phil D Jay (Worldboxingnews.net) : 117-111 Froch
Jenna Jay (Ontheropesboxing Radio) : 118-110 Froch
Tommy Allan (BoxingAsylum) : 116-112 Froch
Matt Digi (BoxingAsylum) : 118-111 Froch
Shaun Brown (Boxing-Monthly) : 117-112 Froch
Paddy Cronan (Onthegrindboxing) :115-113 Froch
Paddy Cronan (Onthegrindboxing) :115-113 Froch
Ryan Bivins (Sweetboxing) : 115-115 DRAW
Ben Weisman (BoxingAsylum) : 116-112 Froch
Ciaran Shanks (CardonaldCourier) : 118-113 Froch
Dan Rafael (ESPN) : 117-111 Froch
Harold Lederman (HBO) : 117-111 Froch
Dan Hunter Boxing : 115-113 Froch
Tom Gray (Ring Magazine) : 116-113 Froch
Tom Gray (Ring Magazine) : 116-113 Froch
Lem Satterfield (Ring Magazine) : 117-111 Froch
Brian Campbell (ESPN) : 117-111 Froch
Kieran Mulvaney (ESPN) : 115-113 Froch
Andy Paterson ( BoxingAsylum) : 115-113 Froch
Mike Coppinger (USA Today) : 117-111 Froch
Luis Sandoval (BoxingScene) : 115-113 Froch
Danny Flexen (Boxing News) : 116-113 Froch
Scott Christ (BadleftHook) : 115-113 Froch
Steve Kim (Maxboxing) : 116-112 Froch
George Jimmenez (Boxing Estelar Radio) : 115-113 Froch
ESPN : 117-111 Froch
John Chavez (The Boxing Truth Radio) : 115-113 Froch
Daniel Vano (Cheekhookboxing) : 115-113 Froch
Fight Ghost : 116-112 Froch
David Griesman (Boxingscene) : 117-111 Froch
Victor M Salazar (ThaBoxingVoice) : 116-112 Froch
Paul Daley ( TopClassBoxing) : 115-113 Froch
BoxingOpinions : 116-113 Froch
Ray Markarian (TheSweetScience) : 116-112 Froch
Michael Woods (TheSweetScience): 118-111 Froch
Eric Raskin ( RingTheory Podcast) : 117-111 Froch
Jake Donovan (BoxingScene) : 115-113 Froch
BoxBet PL : 116-112 Froch
Matt Christie (Boxing News) : 117-111 Froch
Corey Quincy (SaddoBoxing) : 115-113 Froch
David Fraser (Saddoboxing Forum) : 116-112 Froch
Anthony Larger (Twtter Fan) : 116-112 Froch
Jim Hardingham (Twitter Fan) ; 116-112 Froch
Joe Silke (Twitter Fan) : 115-113 Froch
Andy Neill (Twitter Fan ) : 115-113 Froch
Boxing Jem (Twitter Fan) : 115-112 Froch
Steve C (Twitter Fan) : 116-112 Froch
Izzy Ironic (Twiter Fan) : 116-112 Froch
Matt Andrejewski (Twitter Fan) : 115-113 Froch
Spartan Paddy ( Twitter Fan) : 117-111 Froch
Will Backhouse (Twitter Fan ) : 115-113 Froch
Cole Christensen (Twitter Fan) : 116-112 Froch
Miguel Rodriguez (Twitter Fan) : 114-114 DRAW
Markus Vibe ( Twitter Fan) : 116-112 Froch
Gee Force (Twitter Fan) : 115-114 Froch
John Hoolan (Twitter Fan) : 115-113 Froch
Saddo Boxing Forum (All for Froch) 115-113 x6, 116-112 x2, 116-113, 117-112 , *114-114 DRAW*
Boxing Asylum Forum (All For Froch) 116-112 x6, 118-111, 115-113
Fighthype Forum (All for Froch) 116-112 x2, 115-113 x2, 116-115
FightJudge Forum (All for Froch) 1117-111 x3, 116-114, 115-113, 117-112, 119-109
Doghouse Forum (All For Froch) 116-113 x3, 118-110 , ***115-114 KESSLER***
TheSweetScience Forum - 117-111 Froch
Boxrec Forum (All for Froch) 115-113 x4, 116-114 x3, 116-112 x2, 117-112, 116-113, 117-111 x2
(All Draws) *114-114 x3, 115-115
Eastsideboxing Forum (All for Froch) 115-113 x23, 116-112 x8, 117-111 x6, 115-114 x4, 116-113 x2
117-112
(All Draws) *114-114 x7* , ****115-113 KESSLER****
Boxingscene Forum (All for Froch) 115-113 x12, 116-112 x7, 117-111 x2, 116-113 x2, 115-114
*114-114* DRAW, ***115-113 KESSLER***
Checkhook Forum (All for Froch) 116-113 x4, 115-113, 117-113
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Ricky Burns - The Heart Breaker
By Bobby Hunter Reporting for Ringnews24
Ricky Burns successfully defended his WBO lightweight Title in Glasgow last night but boy was he made to work for it by crafty No 1 contender Jose A Gonzalez. The Puerto Rican challenger dramatically pulled himself out of the fight after the 9th round claiming a broken wrist. Many at ringside, twitter and all over the boxing world felt it was more of a heart problem. Gonzalez was 87-84 up on all three judges cards when he called time on the fight. Watching from ringside I couldn't believe those scores as I had Burns up 87-85. Most guys around myself on press row had it similar with scores of 86-85 Burns and 87-84 Burns. Now comes the confession. When I arrived home I viewed the fight again. BUT this time i had Gonzalez in front by 86-85. Strange as my scores from Ringside usually match up when I later watch on TV. Today as I'm writing this report, some of the guys who had Burns ahead at Ringside Tweeted saying they had re-watched the fight and now had Gonzalez ahead.
Going round the boxing sites and reading the press reports showed just how wrong My ringside score was as just about everybody had Gonzalez in a handy lead when he quit. I was able to see the Sky Sports TV monitors where i was at the fight and i was amazed that Jim Watt had Gonzalez up 5-1 in rounds after 6. I even took some stick as I posted my score on twitter after the fight.
Now to the fight. A technical affair where the Puerto Rican challenger showed he belonged at world class by being able to match and probably better a proven world champion for most of the fight. Gonzalez as the fight was about to start didn't looked fazed by the loud Scottish crowd, he reminded me of the calm nature of Eusebio Perdroza before he fought Barry McGuigan at Loftus Road all those years ago. My God he fought like him too using an under rated jab and excellent defensive skills to neutralise the champions attacks.
The only footage of Gonzalez before last nights fight showed Gonzalez to be a crude styled banger, something Ricky Burns mentioned in his post fight interview with Sky Sports. The early rounds were close. Burns was throwing more but was being forced to reach in with his punches as Gonzalez cleverly Lent back to avoid. Gonzalez was the more accurate early as he was able to counter Burns with quick right hands to the body before going up to the champions head. It was a battle of the jabs in the third with both having limited success. Burns took the fourth as he upped the pressure and began to get that little bit closer to Gonzalez. All the way through Gonzalez remained clam, he was looking a very classy fighter.
Gonzalez took the fifth as he stunned Burns with a right hand mid way through the round. The challenger then blasted away at Burns on the ropes before the champion fired back in defiance. The challenger continued where he left off in the sixth by aiming more hurtful hooks at Burns body early in the round. Gonzalez jab was also beginning to land more as the champion was becoming impatient.
Round seven was the best of the fight. Gonzalez hurt Burns with a huge right early in the round and went for the knockout. Referee Russell Mora looked closely as Burns was being beaten on the ropes before the champion showed the championship qualities to come back firing when clearly hurt. A huge right uppercut from Burns forced Gonzalez to hold on before a wild left hook changed the tune of the round again for the challenger as he hurt Burns again. The round ended with both guys trading shots on the ropes. Surprisingly Burns looked the fresher??
In round eight Burns began to push Gonzalez back with the jab, it looked like the challenger was taking a round off due to his efforts in the seventh but in the 9th it appeared from ringside that the Puerto Rican might have shot his bolt. His legs looked shaky as Burns again forced Gonzalez to the ropes. Gonzalez defence was still good though as Burns was still finding it hard to land solid blows. During the interval Gonzalez refused to put his gum shield back in. We knew that he was tired but this was a world title fight he was winning. Gonzalez then refused to come out at the bell , his team were rightly raging. HE QUIT probably due to Burns breaking his heart in the seventh by coming back after being in bad trouble.
Credit has to go to the champion. He was behind on the cards, hurt and was being frustrated BUT he showed the heart of a true champion to come back , keep trying and showed WILL can overcome SKILL. Ricky Burns will now move forward with his next planned title defence in Glasgow in September. Gonzalez will have to live with his decision for the rest of his life. Gonzalez looked world class tonight. His decision to quit wasn't.
By Bobby Hunter Reporting for Ringnews24
Ricky Burns successfully defended his WBO lightweight Title in Glasgow last night but boy was he made to work for it by crafty No 1 contender Jose A Gonzalez. The Puerto Rican challenger dramatically pulled himself out of the fight after the 9th round claiming a broken wrist. Many at ringside, twitter and all over the boxing world felt it was more of a heart problem. Gonzalez was 87-84 up on all three judges cards when he called time on the fight. Watching from ringside I couldn't believe those scores as I had Burns up 87-85. Most guys around myself on press row had it similar with scores of 86-85 Burns and 87-84 Burns. Now comes the confession. When I arrived home I viewed the fight again. BUT this time i had Gonzalez in front by 86-85. Strange as my scores from Ringside usually match up when I later watch on TV. Today as I'm writing this report, some of the guys who had Burns ahead at Ringside Tweeted saying they had re-watched the fight and now had Gonzalez ahead.
Going round the boxing sites and reading the press reports showed just how wrong My ringside score was as just about everybody had Gonzalez in a handy lead when he quit. I was able to see the Sky Sports TV monitors where i was at the fight and i was amazed that Jim Watt had Gonzalez up 5-1 in rounds after 6. I even took some stick as I posted my score on twitter after the fight.
Now to the fight. A technical affair where the Puerto Rican challenger showed he belonged at world class by being able to match and probably better a proven world champion for most of the fight. Gonzalez as the fight was about to start didn't looked fazed by the loud Scottish crowd, he reminded me of the calm nature of Eusebio Perdroza before he fought Barry McGuigan at Loftus Road all those years ago. My God he fought like him too using an under rated jab and excellent defensive skills to neutralise the champions attacks.
The only footage of Gonzalez before last nights fight showed Gonzalez to be a crude styled banger, something Ricky Burns mentioned in his post fight interview with Sky Sports. The early rounds were close. Burns was throwing more but was being forced to reach in with his punches as Gonzalez cleverly Lent back to avoid. Gonzalez was the more accurate early as he was able to counter Burns with quick right hands to the body before going up to the champions head. It was a battle of the jabs in the third with both having limited success. Burns took the fourth as he upped the pressure and began to get that little bit closer to Gonzalez. All the way through Gonzalez remained clam, he was looking a very classy fighter.
Gonzalez took the fifth as he stunned Burns with a right hand mid way through the round. The challenger then blasted away at Burns on the ropes before the champion fired back in defiance. The challenger continued where he left off in the sixth by aiming more hurtful hooks at Burns body early in the round. Gonzalez jab was also beginning to land more as the champion was becoming impatient.
Round seven was the best of the fight. Gonzalez hurt Burns with a huge right early in the round and went for the knockout. Referee Russell Mora looked closely as Burns was being beaten on the ropes before the champion showed the championship qualities to come back firing when clearly hurt. A huge right uppercut from Burns forced Gonzalez to hold on before a wild left hook changed the tune of the round again for the challenger as he hurt Burns again. The round ended with both guys trading shots on the ropes. Surprisingly Burns looked the fresher??
In round eight Burns began to push Gonzalez back with the jab, it looked like the challenger was taking a round off due to his efforts in the seventh but in the 9th it appeared from ringside that the Puerto Rican might have shot his bolt. His legs looked shaky as Burns again forced Gonzalez to the ropes. Gonzalez defence was still good though as Burns was still finding it hard to land solid blows. During the interval Gonzalez refused to put his gum shield back in. We knew that he was tired but this was a world title fight he was winning. Gonzalez then refused to come out at the bell , his team were rightly raging. HE QUIT probably due to Burns breaking his heart in the seventh by coming back after being in bad trouble.
Credit has to go to the champion. He was behind on the cards, hurt and was being frustrated BUT he showed the heart of a true champion to come back , keep trying and showed WILL can overcome SKILL. Ricky Burns will now move forward with his next planned title defence in Glasgow in September. Gonzalez will have to live with his decision for the rest of his life. Gonzalez looked world class tonight. His decision to quit wasn't.
Burns - Gonzalez Full Under card Report
By Bobby Hunter Reporting For Ringnews24
Heading the six fight under card at the new Emirates Arena was the popular and well supported John Simpson of Greenock who was fighting the Mongolian warrior Choi for the vacant WBC Silver International Title. Beforehand many pundits and fans thought this would be the fight of the night. They were right. Both guys are warriors and for twelve rounds took turns of battering away on each other before Simpson was awarded the decision.
Simpson (9st 3lbs) edged the first as his speed of punch and foot was a little too much for the forty one year old Choi. The Mongolian warrior did have his moments though especially with the overhand right as he chased Simpson around the ring. The second was and even better round with Choi (9st 1lb 8oz) scoring with a right hand that drove Simpson to the ropes, the Greenock man responded with his very own right hook before both guys exchanged furiously for twenty seconds. The expected war had broken out. Round 3 was similar, it was give and take. Choi was having success with body shots now, Simpson would wince as the ripping hooks from Choi battered into his side. Simpson then got on his bike and started to box his older and slightly slower opponent using his jab as the main weapon keeping Choi at bay.
The aggressive Choi took the fourth on my card as he bullied Simpson to the ropes landing left and right hooks. Simpson was then sporting a bloody nose no doubt caused by the pressure he was being put under from the old man. The action continued in the fifth , sixth and seventh rounds, Choi would go after Simpson, trap him on the ropes, whack away then Simpson would respond by spinning away landing his jab and straight right knocking Choi's head back. The best punch of these rounds were in the sixth when both guys were in close Simpson planted a right uppercut that sent sweat spraying for the Mongolians head.
Choi on my card won the eighth and the tenth rounds as his pressure began to pay off. One overhand right in the eighth forced Simpson to the ropes when he then had to cover up from huge looking body shots. Choi was in command here but Simpson fought back in the ninth using that jab to set up his straight rights. Everything was coming off the jab now for Simpson, the left hook to body and head was now coming off for Simpson as the fight took another turn. As the final round approached the fight was close. Both guys had given their all and that showed in the last as for the first ninety seconds it was a slow affair with Simpson getting the better of thee exchanges due to his jab and extra speed. Choi again came back hurting Simpson with a right uppercut late in round. It was a better last minute for the forty one year old man.
My card read 116-113 Simpson at the end with the judges agreeing with my score although the 117-112 score from Steve Gray seemed a bit unfair on Choi. Scores were 116-113, 116-112 and 117-112 to the New WBC International Silver Champion John Simpson. Victor Loughlin officiated.
Stephen Simmons is the Edinburgh Cruiserweight collected his first title as a professional as he forced Irishman Michael Sweeney retire on his stool at the end of third round therefore collecting the vacant Celtic Title. Simmons (14st 1lb 1/2 oz) in his most impressive showing of his career started the first at a high pace looking for those trademark hooks to the body which stopped his last opponent at the Gorbals Centre back in February. Very late in round one a big left hook planted Sweeney (14st 3lbs 1/2 oz) on his back side. Sweeney to his credit got up but the bell basically saved him from taking any more punishment. The second saw Simmons continue the pace as he pushed Sweeney around the ring landing the straight right after some good work with his jab. Sweeney landed a decent right hand mid way through the round, definitely his best punch of the fight. Simmons though continued to work over Sweeney whacking him to the body. The third was all Simmons as he stunned his Irish opponent with the right hand before digging in those body shots. Simmons had looked very compact and composed and it was no surprise that Sweeney pulled himself out after the third round as it was just a matter of time before the Simmons landed the knock out punch. Steve Gray of Fleetwood was the Ref.
To the chants of "Rocky, Rocky" Liverpool's Rocky Fielding made Short work of his Polish import Michael Nieroda (12 st 3lbs 8 oz) by stopping him with body shots after only fifty nine seconds of the first round, Fielding (12st 5lbs 10 oz) went after his opponent from the first bell targeting the body with vicious looking hooks. Nieroda who had went three rounds with WBO 168lb champion earlier in the year crumbled under the pressure Fielding was putting on him under and a huge left hook after a barrage put Nieroda down for the Eight count. The man from Poland was in immense pain and Referee Victor Loughlin correctly waved the fight off as Nieroda was in no condition to continue.
David Brophy the Caldercruix middleweight upped his pro record to 7-0-1 with a hard fought points win over game Gary Boulden (11st 6lb 2oz) of Surrey. Boulden started the fight much better than Brophy using a high work rate and a good left jab to keep the unbeaten prospect away from him. I gave Boulden the first two rounds, the upset looked on. To his credit Brophy (11st 9lbs 1/2 oz) came back into the fight in the third and fourth by matching Bouldens work rate and by landing some very nice jab, straight right, left hook to the body combinations. The pattern continued in the fifth with Brophy planting his feet more as the body shots rained in on Bouden. The sixth was a crowd pleasing round as Boulden still tried to work away but Brophy was cleaner. A jab straight right set up another left hook to the body although this time Boulden came back and landed his own body shot. Referee Kenny Pringle scored this fight 58-57 Brophy. Certainly a fair score and a good test for Brophy.
Barlornock's Michael Roberts got all he could handle from Poland's Mariusz Bak as he won a close points decision on Referee Dougie Campbell's card 58-57. Bak (9st 5lb 10oz) started the better as he was able to confuse Roberts with his crouching style. Roberts (9st 7lbs) sporting tartan trunks came back in to the fight in the next few rounds using his superior movement. Roberts was also picking his punches better especially the jab , straight right. In the fifth Bak was still landing that right hand, the visitor won the round on my card as Roberts seemed more interested in trying to switch hit and play to the fans. The Barlornock man got down to business in the sixth as the left hook coming of the jab began to land more frequently followed by Roberts moving to the body. A close fight where Robert probably just done enough but will need to improve his performances if he is to go any further. Roberts moves to 12-0.
Opening the show at the Emirates arena was Glasgow's Jon Slowey (9st 3lbs 6oz) fighting for the third time this year out pointing tough Belfast man Eddie Nesbitt over six rounds at Featherweight. Slowey was the better man in the first as his jab was giving Nesbitt (9st 4lbs ) problems.. Nesbitt took the seconds as he scored with the jab straight right a few times. Nesbitt was also landing cleaner when up close. In the third Slowey scored a flash knockdown when Nesbitt touched down. It was hard to see what cause the knockdown as both were in the middle of an exchange before Nesbitt touched the canvas with his glove. The Belfast man had his best round in the fourth as he couldn't miss the straight right hand. The fifth was scrappy and a close one but Slowey working from the out side after a rough fourth won it for me by controlling the distance and using that jab. Nesbitt took the sixth on my card as Slowey looked tired, it was Sloweys jab vs the harder punches from Nesbitt. At the end my card read 57-56 Slowey with the knockdown being the difference. Referee Dougie Campbell scored 58-56 Slowey.
By Bobby Hunter Reporting For Ringnews24
Heading the six fight under card at the new Emirates Arena was the popular and well supported John Simpson of Greenock who was fighting the Mongolian warrior Choi for the vacant WBC Silver International Title. Beforehand many pundits and fans thought this would be the fight of the night. They were right. Both guys are warriors and for twelve rounds took turns of battering away on each other before Simpson was awarded the decision.
Simpson (9st 3lbs) edged the first as his speed of punch and foot was a little too much for the forty one year old Choi. The Mongolian warrior did have his moments though especially with the overhand right as he chased Simpson around the ring. The second was and even better round with Choi (9st 1lb 8oz) scoring with a right hand that drove Simpson to the ropes, the Greenock man responded with his very own right hook before both guys exchanged furiously for twenty seconds. The expected war had broken out. Round 3 was similar, it was give and take. Choi was having success with body shots now, Simpson would wince as the ripping hooks from Choi battered into his side. Simpson then got on his bike and started to box his older and slightly slower opponent using his jab as the main weapon keeping Choi at bay.
The aggressive Choi took the fourth on my card as he bullied Simpson to the ropes landing left and right hooks. Simpson was then sporting a bloody nose no doubt caused by the pressure he was being put under from the old man. The action continued in the fifth , sixth and seventh rounds, Choi would go after Simpson, trap him on the ropes, whack away then Simpson would respond by spinning away landing his jab and straight right knocking Choi's head back. The best punch of these rounds were in the sixth when both guys were in close Simpson planted a right uppercut that sent sweat spraying for the Mongolians head.
Choi on my card won the eighth and the tenth rounds as his pressure began to pay off. One overhand right in the eighth forced Simpson to the ropes when he then had to cover up from huge looking body shots. Choi was in command here but Simpson fought back in the ninth using that jab to set up his straight rights. Everything was coming off the jab now for Simpson, the left hook to body and head was now coming off for Simpson as the fight took another turn. As the final round approached the fight was close. Both guys had given their all and that showed in the last as for the first ninety seconds it was a slow affair with Simpson getting the better of thee exchanges due to his jab and extra speed. Choi again came back hurting Simpson with a right uppercut late in round. It was a better last minute for the forty one year old man.
My card read 116-113 Simpson at the end with the judges agreeing with my score although the 117-112 score from Steve Gray seemed a bit unfair on Choi. Scores were 116-113, 116-112 and 117-112 to the New WBC International Silver Champion John Simpson. Victor Loughlin officiated.
Stephen Simmons is the Edinburgh Cruiserweight collected his first title as a professional as he forced Irishman Michael Sweeney retire on his stool at the end of third round therefore collecting the vacant Celtic Title. Simmons (14st 1lb 1/2 oz) in his most impressive showing of his career started the first at a high pace looking for those trademark hooks to the body which stopped his last opponent at the Gorbals Centre back in February. Very late in round one a big left hook planted Sweeney (14st 3lbs 1/2 oz) on his back side. Sweeney to his credit got up but the bell basically saved him from taking any more punishment. The second saw Simmons continue the pace as he pushed Sweeney around the ring landing the straight right after some good work with his jab. Sweeney landed a decent right hand mid way through the round, definitely his best punch of the fight. Simmons though continued to work over Sweeney whacking him to the body. The third was all Simmons as he stunned his Irish opponent with the right hand before digging in those body shots. Simmons had looked very compact and composed and it was no surprise that Sweeney pulled himself out after the third round as it was just a matter of time before the Simmons landed the knock out punch. Steve Gray of Fleetwood was the Ref.
To the chants of "Rocky, Rocky" Liverpool's Rocky Fielding made Short work of his Polish import Michael Nieroda (12 st 3lbs 8 oz) by stopping him with body shots after only fifty nine seconds of the first round, Fielding (12st 5lbs 10 oz) went after his opponent from the first bell targeting the body with vicious looking hooks. Nieroda who had went three rounds with WBO 168lb champion earlier in the year crumbled under the pressure Fielding was putting on him under and a huge left hook after a barrage put Nieroda down for the Eight count. The man from Poland was in immense pain and Referee Victor Loughlin correctly waved the fight off as Nieroda was in no condition to continue.
David Brophy the Caldercruix middleweight upped his pro record to 7-0-1 with a hard fought points win over game Gary Boulden (11st 6lb 2oz) of Surrey. Boulden started the fight much better than Brophy using a high work rate and a good left jab to keep the unbeaten prospect away from him. I gave Boulden the first two rounds, the upset looked on. To his credit Brophy (11st 9lbs 1/2 oz) came back into the fight in the third and fourth by matching Bouldens work rate and by landing some very nice jab, straight right, left hook to the body combinations. The pattern continued in the fifth with Brophy planting his feet more as the body shots rained in on Bouden. The sixth was a crowd pleasing round as Boulden still tried to work away but Brophy was cleaner. A jab straight right set up another left hook to the body although this time Boulden came back and landed his own body shot. Referee Kenny Pringle scored this fight 58-57 Brophy. Certainly a fair score and a good test for Brophy.
Barlornock's Michael Roberts got all he could handle from Poland's Mariusz Bak as he won a close points decision on Referee Dougie Campbell's card 58-57. Bak (9st 5lb 10oz) started the better as he was able to confuse Roberts with his crouching style. Roberts (9st 7lbs) sporting tartan trunks came back in to the fight in the next few rounds using his superior movement. Roberts was also picking his punches better especially the jab , straight right. In the fifth Bak was still landing that right hand, the visitor won the round on my card as Roberts seemed more interested in trying to switch hit and play to the fans. The Barlornock man got down to business in the sixth as the left hook coming of the jab began to land more frequently followed by Roberts moving to the body. A close fight where Robert probably just done enough but will need to improve his performances if he is to go any further. Roberts moves to 12-0.
Opening the show at the Emirates arena was Glasgow's Jon Slowey (9st 3lbs 6oz) fighting for the third time this year out pointing tough Belfast man Eddie Nesbitt over six rounds at Featherweight. Slowey was the better man in the first as his jab was giving Nesbitt (9st 4lbs ) problems.. Nesbitt took the seconds as he scored with the jab straight right a few times. Nesbitt was also landing cleaner when up close. In the third Slowey scored a flash knockdown when Nesbitt touched down. It was hard to see what cause the knockdown as both were in the middle of an exchange before Nesbitt touched the canvas with his glove. The Belfast man had his best round in the fourth as he couldn't miss the straight right hand. The fifth was scrappy and a close one but Slowey working from the out side after a rough fourth won it for me by controlling the distance and using that jab. Nesbitt took the sixth on my card as Slowey looked tired, it was Sloweys jab vs the harder punches from Nesbitt. At the end my card read 57-56 Slowey with the knockdown being the difference. Referee Dougie Campbell scored 58-56 Slowey.
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