OPPORTUNITIES VIP fight report, friday 22nd October

[Jamie Albrecht]

[b]Opportunities, Robin Park Arena Fight report[/b]
By Jamie Albrecht

Friday evening at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan was a memorable one indeed. An array of young talent embarked on their respective professional journeys with sometimes explosive results, with all concerned leaving the ring with an unblemished record and the satisfaction of feeling undefeated. To cap an excellent night’s boxing; Atherton’s Chris Johnson battled William Warburton in a fight that suitably headlined the high intensity of the occasion.

The opening bout of the evening saw Chris Betteridge face off against Sean Gorman over 6 rounds of 2 minutes at Welterweight. The opener saw Betteridge try to impose a rhythm on the contest by working behind the jab. The 20 year old tried to follow this up with rapid hooks and other power shots, to no avail as Gorman halted any momentum by tying Betteridge up. The 2nd round saw Betteridge try to set a quick pace by boxing in aggressive bursts of combinations. This was again neutralised with bouts of holding by Gorman, though this was practised much less than in the opening round. Betteridge was hindered by a slip in the 3rd which allowed Gorman to capitalise to some degree and have the better round of the 2 men. Betteridge had a much less turbulent 4th round following an eager start from both fighters, when they briefly traded work. After this spell, Betteridge settled down behind an effective jab that set up a period of pressure that worked in his favour. The 5th saw Gorman stunned by fast punching, in particular the use of a right hook. Such circumstances saw Gorman hold on to avoid added pain and last out to the final frame. Betteridge appeared energised in the 6th and was able to once again use this momentum to get his shots on target. A right hook was particularly eye catching towards the end of the round, and Betteridge’s arm was finally raised aloft for his first victory in as many fights. Final Result: Chris Betteridge win, on points (58-57)

The fight that followed the Betteridge win featured Kevin Satchell, who went up against tough journeyman Delroy Spencer in a 6 round Super-Flyweight encounter. Satchell started well, giving the Wigan crowd an exhibition of his evasive skills, as he cleverly slipped incoming jabs from Spencer and answered back with snappy counter shots that led to him comfortably taking the 1st. The 2nd round showcased Spencer’s strength and stubbornness. He was clearly not just in the ring to make up the numbers, and showed this by turning the tide of Satchell’s well thought out start. A few times in the round, satchel was forced to hold on as the wily Spencer hurt him with hooks and other spiteful work that seemed to warn Satchell that his first assignment was going to be far from easy. After holding on a few occasions, the tough round came to a close. The 3rd saw yet another change in the equilibrium of the contest, as Satchell improved his success rate with a number of eye catching combinations. A rigid jab seemed to momentarily stiffen Spencer’s legs late on, and the veteran looked content to glide around the ring whilst maintaining a low guard to avoid any real peril. Satchell continued to take advantage of his strong jab, pressing Spencer with it and staying clear of any possible re-percussions with great foot speed as he darted in and out of range. Spencer had a better 5th, as the fight progressed to close quarters. As both men traded shots, it became clear that Spencer was in his comfort zone, being able to fire off more effective punches and coming forward with his head in an attempt to unsettle Satchell. Spencer tried to force his opponent onto the ropes in order to impose his will, but despite his better round, this tactic was not enforced to any great effect. The 6th and final round began quickly, with Satchell displaying early head movement and trying to catch the scoring referee’s eye with an energetic work rate. Spencer, who at this point seemed to be overcome by tiredness, allowed himself to be muscled back to the ropes, where satchel carried out punishment to the head and body, trying to force a late stoppage. Spencer’s only comeback to this was to hammer the body in a pawed type attack that did little to make an impression on the Merseyside man, who was rightfully awarded the verdict at the final bell. Final Result: Kevin Satchell Win, on points (60-54)

Next up was Accrington’s Super-Middleweight Luke Blackledge, who contributed the night’s first early finish when he boxed Birmingham’s Stuart Tordoff in a 6 round fight. Blackledge began explosively, and looked like he was on a mission to destroy from the off. Following a heavy and sustained campaign to the body, Tordoff fell from a hard left hook that gave Blackledge the 1st 10-8 round of his career. The bombardment to the body continued in the 2nd, every shot from Blackledge looked like it was being thrown with the intention of registering an early night as he planted his feet and let the hooks rain down on Tordoff, who was visibly troubled by the onslaught. In the 3rd, Blackledge began to cut off the ring, and Tordoff was relegated to the corner of the ring on numerous occasions and beaten to a point where a stoppage did not seem an alien possibility. The 4th round saw Blackledge force Tordoff back with a right hook that rocked him and continued Blackledge’s headhunting regime. The hooks to the body carried on and by this point had left Tordoff with large red welts surrounding his ribcage area, which had now become particularly susceptible to an assault. This was especially evident in the 5th as Tordoff once again touched the canvas after a combination of right and left hooks to the body. Upon rising from the 8 count, Blackledge rushed in to Tordoff to end the fight, eventually doing so after the referee stopped the contest when the savage body attack continued. With such a powerful opening bout, Blackledge may have to be watched as a definite power player if performances such as the one on Friday night continue. Final Result: Luke Blackledge Win, RSF 0:41- round 5[/i]

Liverpool’s Terry Needham squared off against Swansea’s Joe Smith in a 4 round Welterweight fight. Needham started the bout quickly and immediately began to put his shots together well, utilising a useful jab and supplementing it with good hooks to the head. Though Needham had a largely dominant opener, there was a sense that he could have maybe made an even bigger impact on Smith if at times, he did not rush as he did. His eagerness to please and push his opponent back led to a clash of heads, resulting in a nasty cut over the left eye, giving cuts man Frank Hopkins his first job of the evening. Smith came alive somewhat in the second, probably spurred on by the cut and the sight of profuse bleeding. His most notable act in the show of resistance came in the form of a left hand, which appeared to make Needham consider adapting his work, and he began to keep his distance. The 2nd was also a good advertisement for Smith’s right hand, which landed a few times and highlighted a slight flaw in Needham’s make up - openness to the right. The 3rd saw no such worry for Needham however. He re-instated his “steaming in” style despite this causing the cut eye in the 1st. This paid dividends when he finally caused Smith to succumb to his fists with 87 seconds of the round remaining. Following a good spell of continual punching, the referee decidedly saw enough after Needham landed a 1-2 Left uppercut/right hook combination that finally signalled the end for Joe Smith. Final Result: Terry Needham Win, RSF 1:33 round 3[/i]

Ryan Farrag was next on the bill to get his professional career under way, and he fought Anwar Alfadli in a 4 round Bantamweight affair. Farrag began calmly, just getting a feel for the ring in the early stage of the fight. Alfadli was carrying his left hand dangerously low as the fight began and this on first glance could well have been an issue at certain points in the fight. Farrag landed a good left hook to the body in a perceived effort to slow down the slick Alfadli. The 2nd round proved that the low left hand from Alfadli was Indeed a worrying trait, as an initially patient Farrag landed a right hand that seated Alfadli on the canvas. Such an occurrence did little to improve Alfadli’s defence and he repeatedly felt the force of the Farrag right. He confidently stalked Alfadli, eventually cornering him and continuing to score points. Farrag concentrated largely on the body in the next round, getting punches in with both hands. Again, the right hand kept landing. It was strange that Alfadli had altered nothing to rectify the reason for Farrag’s achievements- the left hand was still held ridiculously low. The 4th and final round simply provided the metaphorical gloss on a pleasing first performance. Patience was the key trait of Farrag in this round. He focused on the body to further weaken an already struggling Alfadli and used the jab as a tool to link any attacks. Farrag finished strongly and aggressively, wobbling Alfadli once again, and ensuring that no doubt was cast as to the ultimate victor. Final result: Ryan Farrag Win on points (40-35)

The Penultimate match of the evening pitted Welterweight Craig Boardman up against Matt Seawright in a 6 round fight. The fight began in a promising fashion, with Boardman emerging from his corner nicely compact, showing a clear regard for defence and building up an early lead with a steady output of the jab. The 2nd round built upon Boardman’s solid opener, as he continued to employ the jab as an appetiser to more substantial shots and combinations. The 3rd saw the beginning of the escalation of the fight into what resembled a grappling contest at times. From this round onwards, Seawright looked desperate to merely survive rather than engage in any form of competitive combat. Boardman came out fast, swinging and naturally hoping for the same level of success as in previous rounds. However, he was instantaneously held and frustrated by a clinch. Boardman landed a right hook in this round that landed solidly enough to provide Seawright with a justification to hold once again, as he did so to reach the end of the round. The 4th saw even more evidence of Seawright’s survival instincts. Any potentially damaging work by Boardman was ruined by the sometimes irritating spectacle of Seawright repeatedly going into clinches. A left hand was successfully detonated by Boardman, as he won the round by providing the audience with the cleaner work. Boardman took a slower attitude to the 5th, which gave him a noticeably better round. Thought over haste prevented Seawright from tangling Boardman up. He didn’t rush and was able to re-establish the jab as a result. Boardman also used his freedom of movement to dig in his feet and land significant hooks with both hands. Boardman had really shaken Seawright, and the formula to do so had now become apparent: Slower work-rate=High success rate. The last round in the scrappy encounter had Boardman reverting back to form and fighting at a frenetic pace. This led to yet more holding, and as the final bell sounded, a left hand was the only instrument to dent Seawright’s untested armour in a contest that through no fault of Craig Boardman’s resembled a poor wrestling match rather than what it should have been, a healthy indication of a fledgling boxer’s talent. Final result: Craig Boardman Win on points (60-54)

The main event of the evening was a fight for the Vacant Welterweight championship of the Central Area between Leyland’s Chris Johnson (11-3,5KO’s) and William Warburton (3-12-2)

The 1st round was unexpected from Johnson as the apparent “puncher” in the fight. His only attempt at forcing any action came in the form of a tentative jab. William Warburton took advantage of the less than assertive start from Johnson and landed the more aggressive shots to win the round. In round 2, Warburton followed on from his well fought opener by bullying Johnson and making him uncomfortable by throwing hard and fast shots, ensuring that Johnson’s thought processes were suitably disrupted. As the round wore on, Johnson responded with stiff right jabs and straight lefts that gave the battle happy Warburton an early taste of Johnson’s considerable power. His confidence was growing and the 3rd round showed just this. The jab was used and landed well, giving Johnson a platform for harder punches to also land. Warburton’s response was to throw a number of flurries that warned Johnson that his increase in confidence would not dampen Warburton’s spirit. The 4th showcased Warburton’s movement ability, as many times in the round, he was pushed back to the corner by Johnson-looking to trap his opponent and tee off with the fight ending punches such as hooks and uppercuts. The theory did not match the practice however, Warburton responded to being trapped much like a wounded animal would. 4-5 straight punches were thrown at a time when he was cornered, pushing Johnson back himself, and forcing him to set up his work all over again. This was easier said than done also, as good lateral movement from Warburton mean he was able to adequately evade serious consequences even though he was being cornered frequently. Chris Johnson’s power punching began to make its mark from the 5th. After early success for Warburton, with his quick, straight punching methods Johnson landed a great left hook that shook Warburton from head to toe after he eased his own pressure work. The 5th was Johnson’s best round thus far, and it would see the start of his acceleration away from Warburton, who was visibly tired. He backed up this view when he slipped late on in the 5th. Nothing much was now forthcoming from Warburton. The 7th brought out the warning signs that perhaps the task was becoming too great for the brave warrior, who in this session had to take shots to the head freely due to his tiredness affecting his ability to provide himself with a proper defence other than the occasional movement around the ring. The 8th was little more than an exercise of the lower limbs for Warburton. He gamely fought back from an early Johnson storm of straights and hopeful hooks, and then wisely played the game of avoidance, staying mobile with the objective of not getting pummelled any more. The 9th and final round placed the exclamation mark on a contest that’s excitement is difficult to convey with the appropriate degree of justice in the context of a ringside report. Warburton ducked and weaved away from early danger until it was too late. Johnson finally found the punch his build up was waiting for when a right hook to the jaw sent Warburton to the floor. After this, the end was nigh. Warburton tried to move away from an advancing Johnson, and when that failed he attempted to clinch his way to the bell, but the referee wouldn’t be allowing such actions anymore and waved off the action in the 9th. Britain had a New Central Area Champion, and the night supporting audience got the kind of main event that such a great night of undercard boxing deserved. Final Result: Chris Johnson Win, RSF 2:56 Round 9

[jBacca]

Fantastic mate. Just what I was after.

[Jamie Albrecht]

Cheers J, much appreciated