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.