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.
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