BoxRec

John McDermott suffered a suspected broken ankle during a second round stoppage defeat to Nikolay Popov in Dagenham.

McDermott was sent spinning to the canvas by a stunning left hand from Popov, and although he bravely got up he couldn't continue because of the injury.

Whether he would have been able to stave off the 17-stone Russian is another question though as he was badly hurt by the punch.

Popov had thrown two similar shots just seconds before, but McDermott didn't heed the warning and was caught flush by a monster of a left.

He was up on nine and signalled his intention to carry on, but immediately collapsed back to the canvas.

The stoppage was timed at 2'37, and although McDermott did walk from the ring - with the aid of medics and his opponent - the injury looked bad.

Popov now moves to 11-0, and could have secured himself a return to the UK, either in a return with McDermott or a shot at another Sports Network prospect.

"I would do a rematch no problem," said Popov's manager Philippe Fondu. It's a matter of discussions.

"I don't know if Popov would have won - it was a bad way for the fight to end. It's very bad luck for McDermott."

McDermott dominated the fight until the stoppage, opening a cut over Popov's left eye and backing him up from the centre of the ring.

Thanks, Chris.

Sounds like a bad night all round. McDermmots whiskers must be questionned and the Russian's didn't soud like much cop if he was being dominated.

others

kevin mitchell won in the first round

FOSTER TOO GOOD FOR ABRAMENKO
Stephen Foster Junior survived a second-round knockdown to stop Alexander Abramenko at the Goresbrook Sports Centre.

Fighting at featherweight for the first time, Foster was caught with a left hook with around a minute of the second remaining.

The punch put him on the seat of his pants in the middle of the ring, but he got up well enough and never looked like being stopped.

In fact the punch seemed to spur him on, and he proceeded to outbox the Russian for the remainder of the fight.

Between the fourth and fifth rounds Abramenko was retired on his stool by his corner after sustaining a bad cut to the right eyelid.

Trainer Philippe Fondu refused to allow him out for the fifth, and referee Ian John Lewis had no option but to wave the fight off.

Abramenko, his face reddending, may have struggled to make it to the end of the fight though so well did Foster box following the knockdown.

Using his economical style the former ABA champion picked his punches well and made Abramenko look more ragged as the fight progressed.

Scoring well with combinations and cultured left hooks, Foster stepped up a gear each round and appeared to have the fight well under control at the stoppage.

The first round had been much closer though, both boxers getting through with crisp shots to both head and body.

Abramenko - with just three fights to his name according to boxrec.com - impressed the watching ShoBox commentators, and looked as if he was more than a match for Foster.

But the Salford boxer eventually came through, in what would have been his first ten rounder had it gone the distance.

He will now eye a first title fight, probably at super-bantamweight where he began his career.

MARSHALL HOLDS MINTER
Ross Minter kicked off Fight Skool with a draw against John "Boy" Marshall at the Goresbrook Sports Centre.

Minter overcame a bad cut to the centre of his forehead - he picked it up in the third round - and Marshall's constant pressure to stave off only his second professional defeat.

Referee Lee Cook scored the mini-classic 58-58 in what was a very close contest, both boxers scoring freely .

Marshall had the better of the opening stages, frequently going to the body and catching the Crawley prospect on the inside.

He also caught Minter off balance on more than one occasion, and nearly flooried him that way at the end of the second.

Minter, who finished the fight with his right eye blackened and a large lump of vaseline blocking his cut, rallied in the closing rounds but looked tired.

Marshall's work rate was also slowing, and during the last there was more missing than hitting.

Neither boxer disputed the draw, which drew applause from the crowd.

Minter's joint-manager Frank Maloney did dissent though.

"I had Minter winning by two rounds," he complained.

McDermott talked of knocking his man out on allegedly's website the other day. I don't know whether he was just hyping things, but I found it strange that a talented BOXER was billing himself as a banger.
Sounds like he believed his own hype.

grenn- beyer will start on euro sport soon