Anyway, right at the start of round 1, when Neil Dawson dropped his hands and pulled his head back I said "I bet he was an accomplished amateur, held numerous titles, etc."
Don't know about the titles bit, but hearing at the end how he had a good amateur background wasn't surprising - seeing how Daniel Teasdale and Marco Cittadini's wild performances are still in mind.
I remember doing that sort of shit at 15, and these guys are well into their 20's, flailing away with roundhouse punches and no defence?!?
More and more they all seem to come from accomplished amateur backgrounds and I think it might be time to really ask serious questions about the bridge between the amateur's and pro's having been broken down so much as to be completely ineffective.
Don't get me wrong - catching the odd flush punch and generally looking ragged is all part of starting out in the pro's for most prospects.
But some of the mistakes made are the most blatant rudimentary things imaginable. Maybe it's the presence of the TV camera for these guys, who knows.
Anyway, back to the fight, and wasn't Tony Moran suspended over a medical query not long after his devastating knockout loss to Mark Hobson? I remember there was a thread on here at the time questioning whether he should have been in there with Hobbo. I was AGAINST that night, and I think last night sort of validated that choice.
I don't think either of those guys last night were on British title level, though Dawson showed a good chin (in that he wasn't hurt despite being caught flush). Both guys seemed to tire with the wild, free swinging pace, which is no wonder considering they're nearly 13 feet tall combined!
Moran's stamina was worrying though, you could see he was out of it at the end of the 3rd. That hitting on the floor was naughty from Dawson, and Moran's reaction in almost attacking the referee reminded me a bit of the girl who attacked Hobbo after he chinned Tony.
That referee is worth looking out for; a very calm and responsible performance from Steve Gray.
