Live International Boxing, Saturday 1st October: Darren Barker vs Sergio Martinez

WBC Middleweight World Title: Sergio Martinez KO10 Darren Barker

This was always going to be a tough night for Barker against a man some people rate as the third best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. He was taking only 300 fans to Atlantic City meaning the crowd was staunchly pro-Martinez and expecting a show to be put on against someone that few of them would be familiar with.

After a cagey first round Barker settled into the fight and it was clear to see what his gameplan was. He kept his guard high and his chin low and pressed forward relentlessly. Whenever Martinez started to throw punches he'd either cover up or quickly shift backwards before springing forward again to keep the pressure on. Martinez seemed happy to cede the centre of the ring and from early on was dropping his hands completely and boxing on the counter using his reactions.

The first half of the fight was a fairly even affair. Martinez had a busier look about him, but could only penetrate the guard with isolated punches. He was spending a lot of time trying to taunt Barker into opening up but Barker remained disciplined and kept to his plan. Though Martinez landed a few heavier punches, Barker was landing more regularly, and in the third round he busted the Argentinian's nose, which bled for the rest of the fight. Beyond this Martinez was never in great trouble from Barker's punches, but they were points-scoring shots.

Shortly before the bell sounded at the end of the sixth round Martinez landed the biggest punch of the fight, a solid left. It seemed to inspire him because in the seventh he became far more active and started to pin Barker down behind his guard. Whilst most punches were still being blocked Barker was unable to throw many shots of his own, and for the first time someone was clearly on top in the fight. Barker regrouped in the eighth but was throwing fewer punches and taking a lot more, still moving forward but just onto Martinez's fists, rather than with purpose as before.

In the tenth it looked like Barker was going to go down after taking a big shot and having to cover up for the best part of a minute. He made it to the bell but it was only a one-ro0und reprieve as a succession of clubbing punches lead to a right hook behind the ear the put him down and he was unable to beat the count. It wasn't the punch on its own that did the damage, more the weight of punches in the previous two rounds.

Despite losing Barker can leave with his head held high. He boxed well to a plan and could easily have been level on the judges scorecards at the midway point. When Martinez stepped up a gear in the second half of the fight Barker was unable to live with it, whether though conditioning or not quite being good enough. If it's the former then it can be worked on in the gym, but if it's the latter then there's no shame in being beaten by a world class fighter.

Middleweight: Alan Lee UD10 Brian Vera

This was a revenge mission for Alan Lee and one that he executed with aplomb. In 2008 he took a perfect record into the ring against Vera, who he then floored in the first round and dominated early on. As the fight progressed however he ran out of steam in and the eighth he was out on his feet and being battered around the ring before the referee rightly stepped in. In the intervening years Lee has rebuilt, going unbeaten, and was back to right the one wrong on his record.

At the start of the fight he once again took control, boxing behind his southpaw right jab, occasionally following with heavy lefts, and always looking to move away out of trouble rather than stand and trade, a trap he fell into in the first fight. Vera was trying to close the gap and work inside where he was able to be effective at times, but too often Lee would catch him coming in, counter, and then move away again, being happy to box on the back foot and avoid using up too much energy.

Lee was comfortable throughout the fight, putting Vera on the floor with a semi-flash knockdown in the second, and nearly repeating the feat in the sixth and ninth. Vera had isolated successes with single punches, but Lee never looked in any trouble, covering up well when Vera was up close and taking most of the punches on his arms.

By the end of the fight it had become a clear mismatch, with Vera throwing wild, off-balance shots and Lee punching with clinical accuracy and then moving out of range again. Where Lee was finding both head and body regularly, Vera was mainly punching fresh air. As the final bell sounded Lee sunk to his knees in knowledge of certain victory as it was hard to make the case for Vera winning more than one or two rounds. A world title shot should be on the cards for Lee in the near future.

Fight Night, Saturday 17th September: Stephen Smith vs Lee Selby

British Light Featherweight Title: Lee Selby KO8 Stephen Smith

This was a show that was meant to celebrate Liverpool's fighters, with unbeaten home favourite Steve Smith the clear favourite in his home town, his brother to follow on the bill, and Tony Bellew and David Price in the studio for Sky. Unfortunately no-one had given Lee Selby a copy of the script. Selby came in as a major underdog in a fight where Smith was expected to showcase his boxing skills, but instead it turned into a straight-up scrap from start until finish.

The fight started at a frantic pace and rarely let up with neither boxer that interested in defence, preferring instead to rely on their ability to out-punch their opponent. Selby was trying to land big, single punches from outside in the first round and Smith was trying to get inside and do his work up close. Neither were that effective. As the fight progressed though Selby starting picking his punches and putting together combinations and was landing the more eye-catching punches.

It was a fight that was very difficult to score because Smith was showing more aggression and pushing forward, but he was regularly being picked off by some quality shots, albeit ones that appeared to be having little effect on him. It was largely toe-to-toe stuff though and a test of stamina as it is impossible to keep taking punches and not have them sap your energy. Given the tightness of the fight and the fact that he was in Smiths' backyard, Selby probably knew he needed a knock-out and it came dramatically in the eighth.

Smith had just started to show signs of being tired when he was caught flush with a big left hand and crumpled to the floor. It was obvious from the way he fell that he'd not be getting up, and was possibly even unconscious, with the ref quick to wave it off and call in the medical team, but thankfully within a couple of minutes he was back on his feet for the official result. It was a massive upset but a well deserved win for Selby, who had been the cleaner puncher throughout.

Super Middleweight: Paul Smith TKO1 Paul Samuels

After seeing his brother knocked unconscious there were questions as to how Smith would be affected when his fight started. Turns out the answer was 'not much'. Samuels is a veteran who may have been good enough for this fight once, but certainly isn't now. Smith was happy to draw him on, pick his punches from the back foot, and then open up once he saw the opportunity. The referee rightly stopped the fight when Samuels was knocked down for the second time.

In his post-fight interview it was obvious how much the earlier fight had affected Smith and it is testament to his professionalism that he was able to block it out once the bell rang. He then called for a match with George Groves, which would be a far more competitive occasion than this one.

Light Middleweight: Liam Smith KO3 Barrie Jones

The youngest of the Smith brothers was the first up on the card and put on an impressive performance against a decent journeyman. He was clean and precise with his punches, always looking to move forward, and kept a high guard which absorbed most of Jones' jabs. After a good couple of rounds he hurt Jones in the third and then showed class in his finishing, hunting him down around the ring and picking his punches, before ending it with a left to the ribs. An impressive performance.

Live International Boxing, Saturday 17th September: Tyson Fury vs Nicolai Firtha

Heavyweight Fight: Tyson Fury TKO5 Nicolai Firtha

Tyson Fury is developing a reputation for roller-coaster fights and this one was no different, but it ended with another KO and the retention of his perfect record. He was fighting only eight weeks after beating Derek Chisora and against an opponent that stepped in at two weeks' notice and has eight defeats on his record, so Fury was rightly the pre-fight favourite.

The fight started with Fury looking every bit the better fighter as he established the jab early on and was able to land it largely at will. At times he'd follow it with the over-hand right and shook Firtha with one mid-way through the round, before going looking for the finish with combinations; though he landed well Firtha was able to make the bell. The second round followed a similar pattern with the jab being dominant and Firtha unable to get inside. Fury looked comfortable and in control.

As ever though, nothing is that simple when Fury fights. In the middle of the third Firtha landed a big over-hand right and followed it up with a solid left-right combination and Fury was rocked. His legs were shaky and he retreated to the ropes with Firtha coming after him and looking to end the fight. Fury covered up, held at times, and was able to make it to the end of the round.

The break between rounds was long enough for Fury to recover and in the fourth he found his jab again to keep Firtha at range, before starting to land more heavy rights. Towards the end of the round he landed another big shot and Firtha stumbled forward trying to hold, but went to the canvas and ended the round being given an eight count. Fury kept the pressure up in the fifth and a minute in landed a right flush on the chin, and with a number of combinations landing the referee stepped in to end the bout.

Firtha was still on his feet as the fight was stopped, but he was throwing fewer and fewer punches and taking more and more damage. Too many fights have been allowed to go on too long so I'm not going to criticise a ref for possibly stepping in a little early. Fury will need to learn not to ship big punches if he's to continue winning as he steps up the levels. He took heavy shots from Firtha and stayed on his feet, but he'd be unlikely to do the same against a Klitschko. Though that seems a way off still his promoter is talking of taking on the world within 18 months, and there's no doubt it would add excitement to a relatively dull division.

Prizefighter Semis and Final, The Light Middleweights, Thursday 15th September

Semi-Final 1: Robert Lloyd-Taylor TKO3 Peter Vaughn

A classic contrast of aggression and volume versus quality of punches, and in the end it was the quality that won out. As in his quarter-final Vaughn looked to move forward but this time he was a little more circumspect. Lloyd-Taylor boxed on the move for the first round, working the jab and following up with a straight or cross right, but a lot of it was absorbed on Vaughn's high guard. Vaughn kept the guard up until he was at close range when he'd unload a barrage to the body then head, but Lloyd-Taylor blocked a lot of the shots.

In the second Lloyd-Taylor changed tactics and was happy to fight up close, and landed a number of decent punches, notably some stinging left upper cuts. Vaughn continued to fight in bursts and after six minutes it was a tough fight to score, depending if the judges preferred the quality of Lloyd-Taylor or aggression of Vaughn. As the final round progressed in the same manner it looked like another split decision was on the cards until Lloyd-Taylor produced the punch of the night with another left upper cut that took Vaughn's legs from under him and dropped him like a stone.

Vaughn made it up but Lloyd-Taylor went after him and with twenty seconds left he started unloading, landing two flush shots, and the referee stepped in to stop it. Vaughn was not happy with the decision, but his left eye was swollen, he was most likely losing the fight, and even though there were only 13 seconds left another knockdown was looking likely. Robert Lloyd-Taylor has advanced to the final with a combination of quality and grit and has done so without taking any major punishment.

Semi-Final 2: Nick Quigley UD3 Kris Agyei-Dua

A barn-stormer of a fight! A nine minute shoot-out with very little in the way of defence, hardly a backwards step taken out of choice, and more punches thrown than in some 12 rounders. It was scored 30-27 on all three scorecards but that doesn't really do Agyei-Dua justice. There's no analysis to be done because both fighters kept their guards low and their fists swinging.

The first two rounds were very close but Quigley shaded them because Agyei-Dua looked in trouble in each of them, with legs stiffening, but he rode the storm each time and came back throwing punches. In the third it all took its toll and as it went on Quigley dominated to the extent that it was close to being stopped. It's testament to Agyei-Dua's heart that he made it to the final bell still throwing shots but the decision was a correct one. Quigley took a lots of punches and has had a harder route to the final, which coupled with having the second semi-final means it's a big ask for him to win it all.

Final: Robert Lloyd-Taylor UD3 Nick Quigley

Lloyd-Taylor opened the fight behind the jab again against an opponent who was quicker than his previous fighters. He kept Quigley largely at distance early on, but the scouser showed he was dangerous by landing a few rights. However it became clear pretty quickly that Quigley's tank was close to being empty whereas Lloyd-Taylor had a fair few rounds left in him, and all he'd need to do was manage the fight, which he did in an accomplished manner.

Quigley was able to get some decent punches in during the course of the fight, but he was lacking in power. Whether that was because he was tired or is something a little deeper will remain to be seen, but Lloyd-Taylor was never in any trouble. Being the fresher man his movement was sharper and he was able to stay at range when he wanted to, but was also able to put in good work up close, landing some particularly stinging body punches that served to slow Quigley down further.

Lloyd-Taylor kept out of trouble in the third whilst Quigley tried to push the pace, doing enough to steal the last round, but losing 29-28 on all the cards. Lloyd-Taylor only made it into the tournament on a coin toss with an hour to go, was drawn against the second favourite in the quarter-final, then the favourite in the semi-final, yet dispatched them with enough left in the tank to dominate the final, and all with a makeshift team in the corner as his trainer was not in the building. A great effort which should now see him given the chance to prove that he has a future at British level.

Prizefighter Quarter Finals, The Light Middleweights, Thursday 15th September

Robert Lloyd-Taylor SD3 Takaloo

Robert Lloyd-Taylor was a last minute stand-in and showed himself to be well worthy of his place. He started well with the jab early on and didn't let Takaloo into range until the final round. The veteran was second favourite for the whole tournament coming into the fight but was unable to land anything of significance early on. He looked every one of his 35 years and was unable to produce any of the form that took him to a world title shot, falling short when throwing from range and getting tied up when he made it inside. All the crisp punches came from Lloyd-Taylor, with the sharp jab being backed up by a decent right hook. All three rounds were fairly close and the punch counts were near identical, but the quality of the punches was the key factor in a deserved win for the substitute.

Peter Vaughn SD3 Wayne Goddard

A decent match-up that threatened to be a tear-up but turned into something more cat and mouse. The pattern of the fight was the same all the way through with Vaughn charging forward and Goddard boxing on the back foot. For the first couple of rounds Goddard was moving well and boxing smart, catching Vaughn on the counter and slipping away when backed towards the ropes. Vaughn was unable to land anything firm because the movement from Goddard was too good. They both tired towards the end of the second and with Goddard slowing down he was caught in the third and at one point looked as if he may be in trouble, but he survived until the bell and should have won 29-28. However two judges at ringside saw it the other way, including one with the ridiculous score of 30-27 to Vaughn. There were boos at ringside and dissent in the studio. Vaughn was undoubtedly lucky to get through but it may have taken more out of him than he would have liked as he was knackered at the end.

Kris Agyei-Dua SD3 Jeff Thomas

A cracking bout between two fighters with contrasting styles but who were both out to attack with little thought to saving energy for the semi-final. Agyei-Dua was comfortably on top in the first couple of minutes, looking slick and comfortable, landing some crisp combinations and moving well. It all changed in an instant though as Thomas landed a flush left hook which put Agyei-Dua on the canvas. He made it up but looked unsteady. In the one minute between rounds Agyei-Dua seemed to recover fully and for the next six minutes imposed his class on the fight. He was stringing together combinations and moving away before Thomas had the chance to counter. Thomas looked for more big, single shots to try to repeat the early success, but despite landing a couple he was unable to further trouble Agyei-Dua and . The fight went to the judges who scored it a majority draw meaning referee Terry O'Conner had the casting vote, and he scored the first round as a 10-9 to Thomas, meaning Agyei-Dua took the fight 29-28. Thomas was gracious enough to admit in the post-fight interview that the better man won.

Nick Quigley SD3 Steve Harkin

A scrappy fight, partially caused by the fact that Harkin seems an awkward fighter who doesn't look to have great balance or movement, meaning that the boxers were tangled up a lot of the time. Quigley was comfortably the better fighter, being first to the punch and able to move out of trouble when needed. He probably should have done it a bit more in the final round because there were a lot of head clashes towards the end of the fight as the two men tired. Somehow it was a split decision but thankfully the right man went through. Not an encounter for the ages.

Fight Night, Saturday 10th September

WBC Heavyweight World Title: Vitali Klitschko TKO10 Tomasz Adamek

This was pretty clearly a mismatch from the opening bell. It looked like a Heavyweight vs a Cruiserweight and that's pretty much how it panned out. From the opening bell Klitschko was relaxed and in control, feeling out his opponent before landing a heavy right after a couple of minutes. Adamek's knees buckled but he stayed on his feet, however any thought of an upset had already been put to bed.

The second round took a similar course to the first with another big right rocking Adamek and after that the fight settled down to a pattern of steady dominance. Adamek put in a bit of a burst in the fourth landing a number of punches to the body and head, but none of them made a noticeable impact. Instead Klitschko kept chipping away with solid shots that all took their toll.

As the fight entered the later rounds it started to get difficult to watch. Klitschko was regularly landing and facing very little coming back. Adamek took an eight-count in the sixth after only the ropes kept him up and there was no reason the fight should have gone on another four rounds. He was never going to stand a chance of winning and was taking a lot of punishment, and either his corner or the referee should have stopped the fight in the ninth at the latest. In the end it was waved off near the end of the tenth, by which time even Kitschko had eased off the pace, understanding that it was no longer a contest.


Light Welterweight: Paul McCloskey UD12 Breidis Prescott

This was a world title eliminator between two men who are best known amongst casual fight fans as opponents of Amir Khan. McCloskey is a man who fights behind a low guard, relying on reactions and counter-punching and was unlucky to lose to Khan with a cut eye. Prescott on the other hand is famous for winning his fight within a round in a manner that will forever have people questioning the Khan's chin, irrespective of what Maidana threw at him without a KO.

Since that fight however, Prescott has made the point that he has good boxing fundamentals as well as power, and the first half of this fight bore that out. He was on top early on, able to land the right regularly and hurt McCloskey more than once. He scored a knockdown in the first round but it seemed more a push and a clash of legs, then bust McCloskey's nose in the second and with the blood flowing it seemed everything was going for the Colombian. McCloskey was able to get into the fight for the first time in the fourth round, but was still struggling to impose himself and was a fair way down on the cards by halfway.

As the second half started the fight began to change around. Prescott started to slow down and with that McCloskey was able to go on the offensive. He upped his work rate and started to pursue Prescott around the ring, landing more often and taking less in return. With the increased success the home crowd became more vocal and this inspired him further. Prescott was able to fight in bursts, often at the beginning of the round, but he was unable to keep the pace up and McClosky would finish rounds stronger, which always counts on the judges scorecards.

As the final round began there was a feeling that it was still up for grabs and they both went for it. They each had decent spells but McCloskey was again able to keep going all the way to the final bell, and in the end won by either two or three rounds on all the cards. There were no great protests from the Prescott camp but they will be disappointed that after the fast start it looked like a stamina problem caught up with him. McCloskey on the other hand will take great heart after digging deep to earn himself a world title shot.


Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight Title: Carl Frampton TKO4 Mark Quon

This was meant to be a European Title fight but Frampton's opponent pulled out, and after a number of others turned down the fight eventually Quon stepped up. Unfortunately he was out of his depth and Frampton was a class apart from the beginning. Quon never seemed to be balanced when throwing punches, mostly doing so on the lunge, and so when any did land they were arm shots that lacked any power.

Frampton on the other hand was impressive in his speed and movement. Early in the fight he would step in, fire off a couple of punches, then retreat to distance, all before Quon could throw anything of substance. As the rounds went by he went through the gears and put together combinations that Quon had no answer for. It ended in the fourth when Frampton landed a big right that put Quon down, then shortly afterwards the ref stepped in to save him from further punishment. A decent workout for Frampton, but not a lot to be learnt against a game but limited opponent.

Fight Night, Saturday 3rd September

British, Commonwealth and European Bantamweight Titles: Jamie McDonnell UR12 Stuart Hall

This was the first main event of the new season and it provided every bit the spectacle that was needed. This was being called a pick 'em by all the pundits amongst much discussion of whether Hall's power would win out or if McDonnell's work-rate and movement would be too much for the older man.

Given that the two men are roughly the same height and weight they cut very different figures in the ring. Hall has a compact appearance with elbows tucked in and chin down as he steadily edged forward early on. McDonnell on the other hand looks rangy, slimmer and angular as he moved around constantly, both with feet and head, staying largely on the back foot. For those first few rounds there was nothing to split the boxers. McDonnell was landing better combinations and more punches, but the heavier-looking shots came from Hall.

In the fourth McDonnell started to land to the body with some quality punches and it was notable that Hall tucked his elbows in more to protect his ribs. The shots seemed to have an effect as Hall started to look slower with both punch and movement. From here the fight steadily moved in McDonnell's favour as the stream of punches took their toll. McDonnell was moving as well as at the beginning of the fight and Hall was left punching thin air far too often.

Towards the end of the fight Hall found a second wind and tried to take the fight to McDonnell, but was unable to make any real impact. Whenever he landed he'd face three or four punches coming back at him and was unable to get the better of any exchange. In the last minute Hall put together flowing strings of punches that underlined a difference in class between the two boxers. Hall is game and can walk take a lot of punishment but McDonnell just had the look of someone who has higher gears to go through. He may need to add power to compete at the highest level, but everything else seems in place.

Super Middleweight: Tony Jeffries RD8 Paul Morby

A disappointing opening fight to the new Sky boxing season. Tony Jeffries was making something of a comeback having stepped down a weight but was matched against a tricky southpaw who had come to survive. It says a lot about the quality of the fight that watching it on the replay I missed half the fight as they skipped rounds 3, 4, 6 and 7. What I saw was enough to know that Jeffries isn't about to challenge at a decent level any time soon.

Jeffries was comfortably the better fighter with Morby hardly throwing any punches, let alone landing any, but he was able to spoil fairly easily. Though Jeffries landed a few decent shots they didn't appear to hurt Morby. The only time Jeffries was troubled was when a clash of heads opened up a cut over his right eye. It has been this problem that has kept him to only one round in the previous 14 months, and it seems another spell on the sidelines awaits, though based on this fight we're not missing much.

In the post-fight interview there seemed to be bickering between the fighter, his trainer and Frank Malony. Jeffries was complaining about being switched to a southpaw opponent on a week's notice, his trainer was telling him to listen to instructions, and Malony was criticising him for fighting the same way all fight. A intriguing end to a highly disappointing outing.

British Heavyweight Title Fight, 23rd July

British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Titles: Tyson Fury UR12 Derek Chisora

After the Haye disappointment British heavyweight fans were in need of two people to come out fighting and they were not let down. Both fighters came into the ring with perfect records after 14 bouts, but one came in after having two World Title fights cancelled and the other saying he wasn't ready to box at that level. The beauty of boxing is that when the first bell sounds all of that become irrelevant and it's purely down to who can produce the goods.

Chisora stoked the atmosphere up a bit by coming into the ring to Irish music, something not overly appreciated by Fury, but he also seemed to come in with a few extra pounds around the waist. He was the heaviest he's ever weighed and it may have been an attempt to counter the size of Fury, but it didn't look like he was in the right shape for the fight. Fury by contrast looked in good condition, his large frame easily taking his weight.

The first round saw Fury in control. He was looking to box at range, keeping the left jab out as Chisora steadily moved forward. Fury looked relaxed and confident to box on the retreat, throwing a few combinations as the round went on that allowed him to be the aggressor at times. There were questions coming in as to how solid his chin would be but these were answered in the second round. A big left from Chisora landed flush and he followed up with some wild swings, a number of which also landed. Fury took the punches on the retreat and recovered enough to be throwing punches back by the end of the round.

From there on in Fury took control of the fight. Chisora abandoned any pre-fight tactics he may have had and went for single big punches, often lunching in with a left hook as an opening, and throwing wild over-hand rights. Fury however stuck to boxing and regularly landed scoring punches with the left jab and short rights when Chisora came within range.

Fury also dominated physically, often marching Chisora half way across the ring to trap him on the ropes, then proceeding to lean on Chisora to sap his energy. Fury was also better at the inside work when on the ropes, landing regularly to the body and with the occasional uppercut whilst Chisora tended to just cover up and wait for his chance to move away with a big punch.

Whilst Fury was in control of the fight, there were still questions about his punch power. He landed a lot of shots but Chisora never wobbled, and only once looked slightly hurt. Whilst he was comfortably ahead on the scorecards due to work rate and number of punches landed Chisora was able to walk through a lot of shots.

The last test for Fury came in the tenth. Chisora had been trapped in the corner for over half a minute when he broke out with a big left that connected well, and put Fury on the back foot. Chisora followed up with a flurry of punches, most of which were half-blocked, but given how tired both boxers were by then it had the potential to be damaging if he landed flush. To his credit Fury was smart enough to trap Chisora on the ropes and hold him down for ten seconds before the ref stepped in to break them up. After that he was back in control and soon had Chisora trapped against the ropes legally until the end of the round.

The last two rounds was back to Fury dominating both physically and technically and there was no doubt which way the judges would call the fight. Chisora didn't throw enough punches to stand a chance of winning on points, essentially going looking for the big punch all fight and neglected the fundamentals, and Fury was able to take his best shots and stay on his feet.

Fury on the other hand looked impressive in his ability to control the fight. The jab worked well to keep Chisora at range, his size enabled him to bully the smaller man, and he showed good instincts to gain himself a breather when in trouble. His inability to knock an obviously tired Chisora out may be a concern for the future, but he's earned the right to step up a level. He's not ready for a Klitshko yet, but a European level fight should be on the cards in due course. Alternatively a domestic showdown with David Price would be another great night for domestic boxing.

Eurosport Live, Friday 15th July

IBF International and IBF Pan-Asian Cruiserweight Title: Firat Arslan TKO5 Lubos Suda

A 35 year old Czech and a 40 year old German fighting for the Pan-Asian Title? If they can't be arsed to take it seriously then nor can I.

Arslan was busier and more active early on, getting up close and personal with Suda from the start and not giving him any space at all. He worked well at the close distance with choppy upper cuts and cuffs to the sides of the head. Suda was throwing isolated combinations but didn't have the power to hurt Arslan. A lot of the bout was fought up against the ropes with the guards up against each other and Arslan laying into Suda.

In the fourth a body shot put Suda down. He made it up on 8 and carried on, only to be put down again with another body shot at the end of the round. Bravely coming out for the fourth he remained under relentless pressure, but another left to the side of the ribcage floored him with one minute to go. The fourth time he went down the ref did the right thing and waved it off.

Both boxers are too old to make any impact, but Firat Arslan can be proud to call himself IBF Pan-Asian Cruiserweight Champion.


WBC International Super-Middleweight Title: Nikola Sjekloca UD12 Khoren Gevor

A bout between two contrasting fighters. Sjekloka is a tall, rangy, orthodox stylist who is on the up whereas Gevor is a short, stocky, southpaw brawler who has been in with world class fighters, but lost to them all recently. Such contrasts often make for entertaining fights, but this one ended up more on the scrappy side.

Initially Sjekloka kept the fight at distance behind a probing jab that was also a range-finder for a right cross, while Gevor was unable to get inside the range and land anything of consequence. When he did make it inside Sjetloka held and the punches looked busy but of limited value.

As the fight wore on Gevor managed to close the gap more often and land a few solid punches. He was helped by Sjetloka starting to tire and not moving away after he had delivered punches, meaning he was an easy target for the smaller man. He was starting to throw the fight away by playing into Gevor's hands. In the last couple of rounds however he re-established the jab and found a second wind giving him enough movement to stay out of trouble. It was these last two rounds that won the fight for him, with two of the judges scoring it to him by a single point.

Overall a disappointing fight and Sjetloka will need to learn to box smarter if he's to break into the top ten. Gevor's career at the top level now looks to be as good as over.


WBC Mediterranean Heavyweight Title: Erkan Teper TKO9 Jakov Gospic

This was a 10 bout for a Mediterranean title between two boxers who had never previously fought more than a 6-rounder, neither of whom were from the Mediterranean - one was German and one was Croatian. Accordingly it was fairly low-calibre fair.

Teper set up camp in the middle of the ring and Gospic spent the whole fight circling around him. In the first few rounds there was very little of note, with the first itself being a no-score draw and the next two allowing both boxers to slowly wake up. The fourth saw the first real action as Teper landed an upper cut which, after a second or two delay, saw Gospic go down on one knee. He reacted well though, catching Teper and stunning him later in the round, however beyond that one occasion Gospic never looked to have the power to hurt Teper.

The second half of the fight consisted of Gospic landing a few decent punches that made no impact on Teper, and Teper landing some big punches that were taking their toll. Eventually in the ninth he landed another upper cut flush on Gospic's chin, and the Croat cumpled to the canvas. He made it up but was rightly ruled in no fit state to continue.

Tidy though Gospic was he didn't have enough power to do any damage. In contrast Teper's right upper cut may have enough in it to carry him a little higher up the levels.

Saturday Fight Night, July 17th.

WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Title: Kevin Mitchell TKO8 John Murray

The previous two fights on this card had both been disappointing in their own way so the crowd (and those at home) were very much in need of a decent fight and thankfully Murray and Mitchell provided just that.

Murray came forward from the opening bell. From behind a high guard he rarely took a backwards step early on as he hunted Mitchell down around the ring. Mitchell had come to box on the run, looking sprightly and energetic but happy to stand his ground when he was ready to trade punches, before slipping away again. The contrast of styles made for a great match-up with Murray unloading when he managed to close the gap or trap Mitchell on the ropes.

The first couple of rounds were fairly even though Mitchell's punches were noticeably crisper whilst Murray looked to outwork him inside. In the third round Murray caught Mitchell and slowed him down, allowing him to close the gap and apply some pressure in an attempt to wear him down. By the fourth though Mitchell was back moving quickly and holding his own in the close exchanges with the left upper cut starting to do serious damage, especially when thrown two or three at a time. By the sixth the clean punches were starting to take their toll on Murray as he began to mark up around the eyes.

In the seventh it became clear that Murray was starting to tire. The snap had gone out of his punches, the eyes were closing up and he was visibly tired. Mitchell was still looking fresh and moving well meaning that Murray was left punching fresh air. With under a minute to go Mitchell landed with a left and Murray started to wobble. He recovered only to be rocked again but was saved by the bell. As they came out for the eighth it was clear that he'd not recovered and Mitchell was looking to finish it. He landed a solid left hook and Murray dropped to his knees, making the count but only just convincing the referee that he was fit to fight on. Mitchell came straight at him and landed four decent shots, at which point it was waved off with Murray on the brink of going down again.

It was a great fight from the opening bell between two fighters with great respect for each other. Murray showed great heart and determination but was beaten by a technically better fighter as Mitchell showed the class that took him to a world title shot. At this rate another one surely won't be too far away.


WBO Super-Featherweight Title: Ricky Burns TKO1 Nicky Cook

An astonishing fight which had Cook's corner throwing in the towel in the first round without a serious punch being landed. With six seconds gone Burns landed an innocuous punch to the side of the head and Cook collapsed to the canvas holding his back. He took an 8-count whilst hobbling around and trying to stretch himself on the ropes before declaring himself ready to go on.

Before another punch had been thrown he dropped to one knee again and took another count whilst again holding his lower back, but once more decided he wanted to go on. Burns then managed to land a few punches to put Cook down for a third time, but somehow he was allowed to go on again, only to be saved from further embarrassment when his corner threw the towel in.

It was a farce of a fight which ended with Cook being stretchered out of the ring. Whilst one must have every sympathy for him, how could he have been passed fit to fight with a back in such bad condition? Burns has been robbed of the chance to have a proper defence of his title and the crowd were likewise short-changed.

British and Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight Titles: Tony Bellew UD12 Ovill McKenzie

This was the opening fight on the card and started with great cheers for the local boy Bellew but ended with isolated chants of 'boooo-ring' from the crowd. These two had previously been involved in a barnstormer of a fight, but as is so often the case, the sequel failed to live up the the original.

The fight settled into a pattern early on with Bellew looking to keep the fight at a distance and McKenzie close him down. Bellew was on the move for the entire time, happy to box on the retreat and occasionally step forward with a couple of jabs. McKenzie on the other hand was regularly moving forward and when he closed the gap threw punches in bunches, though in a wild manner rather than controlled aggression. Neither boxer was able to land anything of consequence in the first six rounds with Bellew doing enough half-decent work to be comfortably ahead on the cards.

As the bout wore on a few more punches were landed. A big right from McKenzie in the sixth threatened to spark the fight into life, but it soon settled back down again. In the eighth Bellew started to string a few punches together, but was still happy to stay at range and pick McKenzie off, towards the end of the fight holding centre-ring and cruising through the last few rounds.

Given that he was knocked down twice in their previous meeting it's understandable that Bellew wanted to be a little circumspect, but it became obvious early on that McKenzie wasn't a great threat and that should have precipitated a change in tactics. He rightfully won by a large margin on all the cards, but very few people watching would have been impressed, least of all Nathan Cleverly who had a ringside view of a disappointing contest.

WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Title : Frankie Gavin SD12 Curtis Woodhouse

Difficult to say much about this because Sky only showed edited highlights but after the fight Barry McGuigan said "[Frankie Gavin] could turn out to the the biggest waste of talent we've ever had". He laboured to a victory over a limited fighter and later admitted to not preparing properly, which has echos of failing to make the weight for the Olympics. If the talk of him being a potential world champion is to be accurate then it will require him to dedicate himself properly to the sport.

Eurosport Live, Thursday 14th July.

IBF International Bantamweight Title and WBA Intercontinental Bantamweight Title - Lee Haskins UD12 Mohammed Boulegcha

This was a strange bill from marketplace in Marakesh. There were no stands, just some VIP seats near the ring and then some steel barriers a little further back, behind which stood the spectators. They were about five deep in places but were augmented by a passing trade from people going about their every day business and stopping to see what was going on. The sort of thing that you only see on Eurosport.

The fight turned out to be a comfortable one for Haskins. He worked out very early on that Boulegcha didn't have the pace or power to hurt him and by the third round he had dropped his guard and was relying on reactions to get him out of trouble when needed. He was comfortable switching between southpaw and orthodox and did so regularly, a tactic that left Boulegcha struggling to work out how to hit him. Boulegcha on the other hand attacked largely in straight lines with no great speed, and was on the back foot for the majority of the fight.

As the fight entered the middle rounds it had turned into an extended sparring session for Haskins, and it was needed as he was scrappy at times. He threw a lot of single shots, a significant number of which missed what was a fairly static target. He was hurting Boulegcha with body shots but failed to persue that line of attack, instead looking for eye-catching shots to the head, but leading with a left hook is rarely going to pay great dividends.

Credit has to go to the Moroccan for lasting the course. He was bleeding from the nose from the third and another cut opened under his left eye in the tenth. He also took two 8 counts but aside from the odd body shot was never hurt, just battered. In the end it was a comfortable victory for Haskins but he looked ring rusty and ill-disciplined at times. A more controlled and less flashy performance and he could have saved the judges the hassle of totting up the scores.


EBA Cruiserweight Title - Rachid El Hadak UD12 Rene Hubner

This was as easy a fight to score as you could ever ask to watch, though if given the choice I suggest you don't. Hubner had very little to bring to the fight and El Hadak dominated from start to finish. The veretan German held a high defence and inched forward early on, but El Hadak regularly found a way through with his left jab, and was also landing combinations to head and body. Hubner was throwing the odd single shot but nothing was landing to any effect and by the third round El Hadak was in total control and he knew it. From there he started to back Hubner up more often and continued to work both body and head.

By the end of the third the commentators had gone off on a tangent about the role of journeymen boxers and it was far more interesting than what was happening in the ring. At the end of the sixth my recorded programme ended and I was left not knowing what the final result was, though there was very little suspense as I ventured onto the internet to find out. All three of the judges scored every round to the home fighter and there could be no argument based on the six I saw.

Haye - Klitschko, Saturday July 2nd

IBO, IBF, WBO and WBA World Heavyweight Title Fight: Wladimir Klitschko UD12 David Haye

One week on from Macklin - Sturm and another Brit was losing on points in Germany, but on this occasion there could be no complaints. Haye came into the fight on the back of a lot of claims about what he would do to the champion but was never able to live up to his hype, with Klitschko proving too big for the natural cruiserweight and a comfortable winner.

Before the fight even started we had a return to the days of the ridiculous ring-walks. I'm not sure there was a need for a black cab, red phone box, park bench, interactive newspaper, Lennox Lewis or George foreman, but for some reason they were all there. Added to this was a 20 minute wait whilst Haye remained in his dressing room, probably in the name of 'mind games', leaving Jimmy Lennon Jnr to fill for time in the middle of the ring.

Eventually the fight got underway and very quickly settled into a pattern that never changed. It was expected that Klitschko would stick his left hand out to keep Haye at a distance and he disappointed nobody by starting with exactly that. What was less expected was that Haye would be unable to find his way around it. Though the jabs that landed were scoring punches they were not heavy, and never had Haye in trouble, but he was forced to fight from the outside. When he did try to attack it was from distance, meaning he threw lunging punches. Because of the lack of balance there was no great power and he wasn't able to turn them into combinations. In addition Klitschko was quick enough to step back as soon as Haye launched an attack, meaning the majority of punches fell short and at times he over-balanced, albeit often with a helping hand.

Haye had been talking in the build up of a way to counter Klitschko's physical presence when up close and he did this by going straight to the canvas whenever the Ukrainian leaned on him. It was successful early on in the fight and lead to a point deduction for Klitschko, but after that the referee grew tired of it and started warning Haye about going down too easily. In the 11th Haye missed a punch, Klitschko pushed down on him once more, and this time it was given as a knock down leading to a standing 8-count. It was a poor decision, but Haye could easily have faced a point deduction for his continual flops to the canvas.

Because of the dominance of the Klitschko jab there were fairly few big punches landed by either boxer. Klitschko took a couple of rounds before he started throwing the cross right but in the fifth landed one flush to the side of Haye's head. The Londoner took it looked unhurt, able to move off the ropes to prevent further punches landing. He took a few more as the fight went on, and landed some big rights of his own, but neither fighter ever looked in trouble, nor came under sustained pressure.

At the end of the fight Haye revealed that he had broken the little toe on his right foot three weeks before the bout, and that this prevented him from pushing off properly and so executing his game plan, but it's difficult to see how it would have made much difference. The riddle he failed to solve was how to get inside the jab and this was less about pushing off, and more about speed and size. Klitschko was too big for him and quick enough to put himself out of range when needed, and was so dominant that one judge had him winning every round. Though others scored it closer, it would have been difficult to find anyone who thought Haye actually won.

Where Haye goes from here is unknown. there is talk of one more fight before he hangs up his gloves in October but surely a rematch is unlikely. It was a clear and comfortable victory for Klitschko, and given his dislike of Haye you wonder why he would put himself through the nonsense of a build up; likewise for Vitaly. So it's most likely that Haye will retire after one more fight against someone he'll comfortably beat within a few rounds for what will be an anti-climactic end to his career.


Cruiserweight: Ola Afolabi KO1 Terry Dunstan

One of two undercard fights shown on the Sky Box Office bill and a very short one. Dunstan looked every one of his 42 years and Afolabi was comfortably winning the first round when he detonated a right that had the ref waving the fight off before Dunstan hit the canvas. A similar punch to the one that knocked out Macarinelli and the sort of one-punch power that fans love to see.

Flyweight: Ashley Sexton draw Mike Robinson

Not a particularly great fight with neither boxer looking to have the power to hurt the other. There was a lot of action but it was scrappy and unsatisfying, to the extent that despite having a lot of time to fill the sky coverage skipped a few of the early rounds altogether.

Big Time Boxing, Saturday June 25th

WBA Super-Middleweight World Title: Felix Sturm MD12 Matthew Macklin

It's never been easy to go to Germany and win a title, and it's just possible that had the fight been elsewhere then Macklin would have walked away with the belt. Having said that, it's not that he was robbed, more that it was a very difficult fight to score.

Macklin had the better of the early rounds, crowding the Champion and reducing the gap so much that for the majority of the time they were head to head and all the work was done inside. The pattern was set during these rounds with Macklin working harder and landing more punches, but Sturm able at times to step back, gain himself some room to work, and then land the classier and cleaner shots.

As the fight wore on Macklin slowed down and this gave Sturm more space and with that the fight slowly started to move his way. Macklin was still putting the work in but was being caught more often and more cleanly

The pace hardly let up all fight and by the time the bell went to close the 12th it was difficult to know which way it would go. In the end the judges opted for quality over quantity and so Sturm kept hold of his belt. However Macklin showed he belonged at this level, and on another day in another country could now be World Champion.

WBC Intercontinental Welterweight Title: Kell Brook UD12 Lovemore N'Dou

As an Ingle fighter whose hero is Naseem Hamed you would expect Kell Brook to have a similar swagger and unorthodoxy about him but in this fight he showed he has orthodox skills that could take him a long way. Up against an operator who has fought at the highest level he dominated the fight from the opening bell with heavy, accurate punches and speed that was too much for the older man.

Fighting in an orthodox stance for the majority of the fight Brook used the jab to good effect, going straight through the guard of N'Dou, and often either doubling it up or following it with a straight right. He kept his distance well, continually moving, and landed enough shots early on to slow N'Dou down, to the extent that at the halfway mark there was talk of a first ever stoppage.

Having never gone beyond seven rounds it was a journey into the unknown for Brook but apart from a breather in the 9th he kept the pace up and never looked tired or in trouble. N'Dou by contrast had to dig deep after being hurt in the tenth and rocked again at the end of the eleventh, however he maintained his record of never having been stopped, albeit staying upright at the end by sheer force of will (and a certain amount of holding).

This was a highly impressive performance from Brook and a clear sign that he's on his way to greater things. He won all but one round against a fighter who has fought the best but may have gone one fight too far. This was a fight between two men who are going in opposite directions, and it's possible Brook may go all the way to the top.

Saturday Fight Night - June 18th

British Middleweight Title: Martin Murray TKO5 Nick Blackwell

There was a noticeable size difference between the holder Murray and the challenger Blackwell and early in the fight it became apparent that there was a quality difference to match. Blackwell came in with only 8 previous fights under his belt, and though he may be one for the future he was a level below Murray, who looks like he is ready to move up.

There early couple of rounds were a scoping-out exercise. Murray held the centre of the ring with a high guard, solid base and economy of movement that had an easy confidence about it. Blackwell was more active, always on the move and throwing regular combinations, most of which were absorbed on the hands and arms. Murray picked his punches, landing regularly to head and body.

In the third the fight opened up as Murray started to throw more combinations. Blackwell landed a few to the head but Murray walked through them and worked the body. Once it became apparent that Blackwell didn't have the power to hurt Murray the fight started to become more one-sided. In the fourth some big shots started to land and they were all thrown by Murray. Blackwell was increasingly ragged and looked tired, spending a lot of time on the run and occasionally dropping his shoulder and barging forward in an attempt to buy himself some respite. The corner debated pulling him out but gave him one more round to make an impact, but the fifth was more of the same and they were right to throw in the towel before he took any serious damage.

Murray looked calm, controlled and was never troubled in this fight. Though he never put Blackwell down he sapped all his energy by working the body and had exhausted him by the end of the fight. Blackwell looked sprightly early on but was still raw and was in a level too high for this stage of his career.

Lightweight: Anthony Crolla TKO1 Herve de Luca

De Luca was a last minute replacement who had never beaten anyone with a winning record, so this was all set to be a stroll in the park for Crolla, and proved to be just that. De Luca was static and had very little punch power so Crolla could pick his punches without worry and dropped the Belgian with a left hook to the body within the first minute. Thirty seconds later it was deja vu as another left to the body put de Luca on one knee and it was clear the fight wouldn't last long.

Crolla continued to work the body and de Luca was marking up on both sides of the ribs due to the sheer number of body punches that were making it round his elbows. It was finally ended when a gem of a left came up under the ribs and was reminiscent of Ricky Hatton in his pomp. An easy work-out for a fighter ready to challenge for domestic honours.

IBF Youth Featherweight: Joe Murray UD12 James Ancliff

You would expect a fight between a former Olympian on his way up and a a journeyman who stepped in at three days notice to be one-sided and over fairly quickly. That was half right as Murray won by a wide margin on all cards, but it was a far harder fight than the result shows.

Ancliff is a scrappy fighter with poor footwork and no settled base, meaning he throws a lot of arm punches but very little else. Murray was a quality operator who was first to the punch all fight and looked to throw punches with a fair amount behind them. The problem was that with as many punches as Murray landed, and he landed a lot, Ancliff just took it all and came back for more. A lesser man would have been put away within a few rounds, but the Aberdeen fighter looked to be made of granite.

Every round had a similar structure as Ancliff came out punching while Murray countered and relied on his speed to be first to the punch. He won every round clearly but still never looked like putting Ancliff on the floor; whether or not this was due to a lack of power will have to be assessed against another fighter.

Joe Murray is a quality operator and will knock out boxers with worse punches than he threw tonight, but Ancliff is the sort of fighter that saves bills up and down the country and deserves credit and recognition for stepping up and putting in a hard 12 rounds and remaining game all the way through.

Saturday Fight Night , June 11th

British Heavyweight Eliminator: David Price TKO2 Tom Dallas

Dallas stepped in at a week's notice for this fight, having fought just 8 weeks ago, and never looked like troubling Price. Price is a tall and rangy boxer and got his left jab working early on meaning Dallas struggled to get in range to land any decent shots. Price controlled the first round and the jab was regularly followed up by a right before moving back out of range.

Price was landing regularly as the second progressed and looked completely unruffled. Dallas was still struggling to make any real impact on the fight, save for a decent right to the body, when with 30 seconds left in the second round Price landed a gentle left to set up a right cross which caught Dallas flush on the jaw, sent him sprawling to the canvas, and ended the fight.

Price was never in trouble, was able to pick his punches behind his left jab and had the look of a quality operator.

British and Commonwealth Flyweight Titles: Chris Edwards SD12 Paul Edwards

A cracking match up between a 35 year old who is used to going the distance and a 24 year old who had never gone beyond 6 rounds. Veteran Chris Edwards seems to only have one gear: forward. From the opening to final bell he advanced behind a high guard and threw punch after punch, though few were of great quality or power as he was never properly set. The fight changed and swung on how Paul Edwards boxed over the course of the fight.

For the first half of the fight Paul was the better boxer. He moved well, put in the better quality punches, and caught Chris time after time as he advanced, with a combination of both head and body punches. In the fifth he started to drop his guard and wait for Chris, knowing he would beat him to the punch and landing some quality upper cuts. The problem was that though he never looked in trouble, he also never looked like hurting his opponent. This was underlined in the sixth when he landed an upper cut flush on the chin which Chris took yet continued coming forward unabated.

Having given his best shot and not stopped the relentless march Paul began to tire, and in the middle rounds his work was noticably slower and sloppier with Chris now in the driving seat and landing the better punches. As the fight wore on Paul looked heavily fatigued at times and was unable to land anything substantial, being solidly outworked by the older man. By the final round it impossible to guess how the judges had scored it and both boxers came out punching. It was an all-action finale with a lot of punches thrown and very little defence, and could easily have been called either way.

When the scorecards came in there was only one round in it on all three of the judges' cards, with Chris getting the narrow win. It was a fight which never dropped in pace thanks to the constant forward movement of Chris, and though Paul flagged as the fight progressed his second wind towards the end of the fight was almost enough to give him the win. A definite contender for a rematch and with a little more punch power and conditioning, Paul would start as favourite.

Prizefigher - Welterweights, Tuesday June 7th - Semis and Final

Semi Final: Junior Witter UD3 Kevin McIntyre

Both of these fighters won their quarter final comfortably but Witter was able to move up a level to do the same thing again. He went on the offensive from the opening bell and made McIntyre seem pedestrian and occasionally clumsy with his greater speed and power. He was able to land combinations early on and staggered McIntyre mid way through the first round, and shortly afterwards landed a right to the body that floored him.

The second round followed much the same pattern with all the pressure coming from Witter and McIntyre unable to land any significant blows. Whenever he got in close then Witter would hold and spoil making it difficult for any effective work to be done. In the third Witter resorted to staying on the outside and countering as McIntyre pushed forward looking for the knockout he needed, but never looked like getting. Another comfortable win that meant Witter reached the final with only two rounds of hard work behind him.


Semi Final: Yassine el Maachi MD3 Colin Lynes

Though el Maachi may style himself like Naseem Hamed, he's a long way behind on ability. He was unable to match his first round performance against a much better opponent as Lynes was able to block or move away from the one-punch efforts, and return with shots of his own. This time the clash of styles brought a scrappy affair with el Maachi's lunges often ending in the boxers being tangled up and separated by the referee, meaning there was little rhythm in the bout. Lynes was solid in his orthodox style and landed on the counter, as well as being the aggressor more as the fight progressed.

The rounds were close but it seemed to most observers as if Lynes had done enough quality work to take the fight, and though he was two points ahead on one scorecard, he was one point down on the other two, bringing boos from the crowd and surprise from the Sky studio. el Maachi landed few serious punches of note and was lucky to get through to the final, where the underdog role awaits.


Final: Junior Witter - Yassine el Maachi

Given that there were two unorthodox fighters with a tendency to lunge in and not a hint of a guard in sight, this was always going to be an odd fight to watch. It could have been an explosive spectacle but in the end there was more wrestling than boxing. Each fighter hit the canvas at least twice and Witter ended up going headfirst through the ropes and onto the floor ringside, yet not a single knockdown was registered.

After ten seconds Witter rocked el Maachi with a right and followed up with the look of a man ready to end it early, but was then caught himself after 1:20. As both boxers realised the other had the power to hurt them they became a more circumspect and the fight was reduced to each of them taking turns to dive in, fail to hit the target, and then engage in a spot of grappling. In the second round barely a punch was landed worthy of the name. It was the third round that made the difference as el Maachi landed a few solid body shots without anything of great quality coming back.

With a minute left in the fight Witter lunged in, only for el Maachi to move out of the way and encourage him past, at which point he stumbled and fell through the ropes, hitting a cameraman and ending up on the floor ringside. He was straight back up and into the ring uninjured, but it provided a fittingly farcical note to what was as messy a bout as you could ever wish not to see.

Prizefigher - Welterweights, Tuesday June 7th - Quarter Finals

Kevin McIntyre UD3 John Wayne Hibbert

McIntyre came into this fight the significant favourite and showed why by comfortably controlling the first two rounds. Hibbert was always coming forward but was too ragged an unable to make his mark against the southpaw McIntyre, who found it easy to move and counter. In the third Hibbert knew he needed a knock down so came out swinging but though he caught McIntyre with a few shots there was no great power behind them. McIntyre was able to take it fairly easy and progress with plenty left in the tank.


Junior Witter UD3 Nathan Graham

This was every bit as one-sided as you'd expect from a fight between a former world champion and a man who until a year ago was centre-forward for Aylesbury. Witter was too quick to be caught and too smart to put a lot of effort in. He stayed at distance and countered, then held and spoilt whenever Graham managed to get within range. All the quality shots came from Witter and Graham didn't have the nous or experience to work out how to make his mark.


Colin Lynes UD3 Bobby Gladman

Another one-sided bout but Lynes put in the performance of the night so far. He moved well from the beginning, putting together decent combinations and rocking Gladman early on. Lynes was unable to get close to Lynes and was regularly beaten to the punch, often taking shots in batches. Lynes worked hard and looked good, whilst taking very little in return.


Yassine el Maachi UD3 Peter McDonagh

el Maachi fights in a style that I'm obliged to call Hamed-esque, no defence but his reactions and big single punches from all angles, and it made for a good contrast against the orthodox McDonagh. This was the most keenly fought quarter final bout, with McDonagh a game fighter who kept coming despite taking a number of big punches but he couldn't pin el Maachi down. When he did managed to get him on the ropes el Maachi was still able to work well inside and land punches, whilst also taking a few. He used the most energy of all the first round fighters and that may come back to haunt him.

Atlantic City, Saturday June 4th

Super Middleweight WBC Title: Carl Froch MD12 Glen Johnson

The pattern for this fight was set in the second round, but the beginnings could be viewed in the first. Froch fights with a low left hand and Johnson looks to detonate the big right, so it was no great mystery as to what he'd be catching Froch with.

After a cagey first Johnson went on the offensive and moved forward all round, something he'd continue to do for the rest of the fight. Froch skipped around the ring and fought mainly on the counter. Whilst the attacking intent came from the American, he was regularly caught by quality punches. The first big right was landed in the third, but Froch took it and returned fire.

This was one of the more frustrating aspects of the fight. Froch was clearly landing better punches but too often he was doing it on the run, and in response to being caught. Froch was unable or unwilling to impose himself out on the fight and take centre-ring, and seemed to produce his best work in response to being caught, rather than in exchanges he initiated. He also had an irritating habit of walking away from Johnson whilst looking over his shoulder.

As the fight wore Johnson became tired and his work rate dropped, meaning towards the end of the fight Froch was able to stop moving and dominate periods. There were still some ferocious exchanges, but by the end Froch was always coming out on top of them. The only concern was whether or not Johnson's constant forward movement would swing the close rounds in his favour over the quality punches of Froch, but despite one judge scoring it level it turned out to be a fairly comfortable win.

Super Middleweight: Rayco Saunders UD8 Edison Miranda

This was a fight that promised early on to be one-sided, and that largely proved to be the case. Miranda was making a comeback at a heavier weight, and brought something of a showman nature in. Fighting with a low left and a permamantly cocked right he spent the first couple of rounds circling Saunders who was holding centre-ring with a high, tight defence but not a lot of aggresive intent.

The fight broke into life in the third when Miranda found a way through with a couple of straight rights which hurt Saunders. Miranda spent most of the round chasing Saunders round the ring, landing more blows, but unable to put him away. The left hand was a useful jab but tended to be used mainly to set up the big right. Saunders still hadn't recovered in the fourth and spent most of the round on the run again.

The rest of the fight slightly petered out as Saunders recovered enough to regain the centre of the ring and the early pattern re-established itself. Miranda out-worked and out-punched Saunders, and never looked in trouble, even when he was caught at the end of the seventh. All in all a decent work out against an ageing journeyman.

Copenhagen, Saturday 4th June

Super Middleweight: Mikkel Kessler TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla

This was a mis-match from the first round. Two similar fighters in style, both upright with a high basic guard and fighting behind a jab, but there the similarities ended. Kessler was faster to the punch, more accurate and harder hitting. Bouadla was high on bravery, but that was all he could match Kessler with.

From the opening round Kessler was first to the jab, took very few shots back himself and as it went on his dominance increased as he showed himself to be a level above the Frenchman. Whilst the left jab was prominent early on it was the right hand that did the major damage, and it was an overhand right that put Bouadla on the canvas for the first time in the third. It could easily have been stopped as the punches continued to come in for the rest of the round, but Bouadla made it to the bell.

The knockdown had taken its toll though as Bouadla was static in the fourth and far too easy to hit, being floored again with a right hook to the body. He came out firing in the fifth giving it what looked like one last shot, but though Kessler took a few shots, he gave more back. Finally in the sixth he put an end to it by putting Bouadla down twice in short succession, the second one prompting the ref to wave it off, something that should really have been done after the first.

All in all a fairly easy night's work for Kessler, who showed himself to be a class apart.

Cardiff, Saturday 4th June

Lightweight European Title: Gavin Rees UD12 Andrew Murray

This was a fight between a tall man with a high guard and a short stocky one with a left hand that dropped down and a right that was primed for action, so it was no surprise that the first half was dominated by the left jab. Few people would have predicted that it was the shorter man who dominated though.

Rees was too fast for Murray in the first half of the fight, able to get into range, fire off a few punches, and then retreat out of the way before Murray was able to land. In fact Murray was struggling to land at all, with punch after punch falling short. By the fourth round Rees was in total control, able to drop his guard completely at times, wait for Murray to advance, and then get his punches off first before moving away.

Round Six was all Rees with combinations stopping Murray in his tracks and it looked like it was only a matter of time before he was put down, but the fight was about to change as Rees fell off a physical cliff. The signs were there in the seventh that he was either taking a breather or the tank was empty, and in the eighth it was shown to be the latter, so much so that he was docked a point for holding in an attempt to slow the fight down.

The rest of the fight was a case of Rees holding on and hoping he had built up enough of an early lead, whilst Murray was able to land decent punches for the first time. Though he dominated the later rounds, it was not enough as he was unable to really hurt Rees, and a second wind in the last round meant that the Welshman was able to land enough punches to stop Murray from really unloading.

In the end Rees' early work proved to be enough, but it leaves serious questions about his conditioning.

Super-Bantamweight Celtic Title: Carl Frampton UD10 Robbie Turley

Frampton came into the fight with the belt and the big reputation as a man who is starting on a path that will take him a long way. He has a high guard and a measured, economical style, tending to wait for an opening and pick his punches whilst trying to hold the middle of the ring. Robbie Turley was as different as possible, active, awkward, switching stance, but with no firm base and so lacking punching power.

The first few rounds set the course for the fight with Turley moving around the ring and throwing a lot of punches. Most of them missed, but there was rarely a moment when he was static. Frampton was waiting for the opening and then landing with regularity, initially with single punches more than combinations.

As the fight progressed a cut opened up over Frampton's right eye but Turley didn't have the ability to capitalise and work on it. Whilst Turley was always the most active, the quality work and punches came from Frampton. On a few occasions he managed to rock Turley, and in R7 there was a knockdown, though it owed as much to a slip as to a punch.

Despite having a point deducted for a late blow Frampton was never in trouble and as the fight progressed he started to put together some heavy combinations, especially in the last round. Turley managed to see it through to the final bell, but was rightly a long way behind on the scorecards.

A tough fight for Frampton who had to take a fair few shots and against a stronger hitter could have found himself in more trouble. The cut would not have been welcome, especially as his other eye looked roughed up too. He'll have harder fights in the future, but probably not for a while.