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Last night British Light Middleweight Champion Jamie Moore went up against awkward challenger, English Champion Andrew Facey in a rematch at Robin Park Arena in Wigan, England.
In the build-up to this fight, Moore’s good friend and world’s top light welterweight Ricky Hatton spoke about and indicated what I believed is the case that this will be Moore’s last domestic fight as long as he wins.
Local hero Moore gets a rapturous welcome, while Facey’s is a little more subdued. The Sheffield based Facey doesn’t look to worried, and one of the most obvious thing to see is that Facey’s four inch height and reach difference is quite large.
Backing up the unfancied Facey and holding his belt is the WBC Light Welter Champion, Junior Witter.
Next up, it’s fight time, and Moore is looking focussed and strong.
Round one: Facey with the opening blows, as southpaw Moore keeping his gloves high, and not shipping any of the punches. Moore with a long jab to the body, then does well to get inside and throw a couple of punches. Facey’s punches don’t seem to have much zip on them, although they are plentiful.
Moore with a nice left hook as Facey backs out of the clinch. Facey plants a long jab, and a body shot as Moore closes the distance. Moore with a pair of body shots, and another good left hook up top. Moore falls short with a punch, and takes a left hook himself. Facey with a couple of pawing punches as Moore comes in.
Drawn round for me. Facey with pure volume, and a few decent shots as Moore comes in, but Moore is the more accurate.10-10 even.
Round two: Moore gets inside immediately with a couple of body shots. Facey a bit scrappy with a few short hooks, but Moore is looking to use the long overhand left. Nice right hook from Facey, but Moore comes in with a jab followed by a hook.
Decent right uppercut from Facey. Body shots again from Moore, then a left straight rising into Facey’s face. Facey awkward to fight against, but he’s also finding it difficult to get through to Moore. A nice straight right from Facey as they break, but Moore goes back to work on the body.
Moore’s starting to find the edge, but Facey still troubling him. Moore edges that one. 20-19 Moore.
Round three: Moore again looks to close the distance and work the body, but Facey puts some short hooks when Moore is inside. Straight left lands for Moore again, and Facey starts to backtrack away from Moore. Moore’s jab and hook, and Facey paws away with some looping hooks.
Another Moore overhand left finds the target, and Facey looking to back off from the punches. Facey is struggling to establish the jab, and that’s what his trainers the Ingles are yelling to him. Jab from Facey, then a decent flurry of hooks, but they look a little lacking in zing. Facey gets a little cagey, and gets on his bike.
Moore’s first clear round. 30-28 Moore.
Round four: Moore with another body shot, and an overhand left, as Facey misses with his punches. Facey lands a couple of rights, but Moore is still picking up many of them on his guard. Left to the body, and an uppercut from Moore.
Facey with an uppercut, but he takes a body shot and a right jab as Moore ploughs forward. Facey with a decent straight right. Moore’s face is starting to redden. Facey with a couple of body sots, but takes a good straight left from Moore.
Facey’s first session of the evening. 39-38 Moore
Round five: Moore a little more careful coming forward this time and lands a good right hook as Facey misses. Good burst of straight shots from Facey, and Moore is shipping 10 or 15 unanswered, Moore lands a big left, and comes back with a few of his own. Another straight right from Facey.
Facey is now claiming the centre of the ring, and Moore looks in trouble, as his hooks miss the mark. A Facey jab is riposted by a Moore left hand, but Facey is undeterred, and comes forward with more body shots and a hook. Moore with a couple of hooks on the ropes, and this is turning into a bit of a barnstormer of a round. Facey with the volume, but Moore with a good right hand on the bell.
Facey again. 48-48 even.
Round six: Moore retakes the centre of the ring, and as they clinch lands a short uppercut, then a jab. Moore seems to step it up, and Facey looks to respond, but then gets on his bike. Nice uppercut and a left hook as Moore is in another clinch. Facey finding only gloves, and Moore with another left hook, and a straight left.
Facey looks to be tiring. Big jab and left hook from Moore, as Facey gets on the ropes. Moore with a couple of body shots and a left hook, then dodges three looping hooks from Facey. Good jab and big left hook from Moore. Good flurry of body shots again from Moore on the bell.
58-57 Moore, but Facey is far from out of this one.
Round seven: This is the round when Moore KO’d Facey last time. Moore coming forward, and a big right sends sweat spraying from Facey. Facey warned for his behaviour in the clinch, but the ref has a word with Moore too. Facey is getting on his bike a bit, and not throwing much now.
Moore with a fantastic left hook, and Facey is shipping shots now. Good body shot from Moore, but Facey stays back, and looks to jab. Another good flurry, as Moore with two hooks upstairs then a body shot. Facey is surviving more than competing now. Good hook, and yet another right hook into Facey’s ribs.
Moore’s round. 68-66 Moore.
Round eight: Body shot from Moore, and Facey hooks the head under his arm. Moore with another pair of body shots. Moore presses Facey with a left hook lead then a right, but takes a right from Facey for his trouble, which may have cut Moore. Big left hand and Facey lolls back on the ropes, but Moore is getting frustrated as Facey ties up his arms whenever he gets close.
Good right hook from Moore, but Facey misses a couple of straight shots, and Facey’s elbow accidentally connects. Moore taking shots from Facey, but replies with a good left hook. Moore lands some body shots, but Facey still backs off, and pushes out the jab.
Moore’s round again, but some good patches for Facey. 78-75 Moore.
Round nine: This is definitely not the Moore that faced Matt Macklin about 14 months ago, as he puts a body shot a bit low, in reply to a flurry of Facey’s looping hooks. Moore with a right hook, but Facey lands a good right, and Moore is back on the ropes suddenly as Moore takes four or five big hooks. Moore is spurred out of there, and comes out with three big left hooks, and Facey is down.
What a turnaround. Facey is shot, he has no idea what’s happening as Moore comes forward wanting to finish it. Body shots, hooks upstairs, Moore is throwing the kitchen sink into this one, and Facey replies looks laboured and uncoordinated. Jab from Facey then he leans on. Big right from Moore, but Facey looks to have weathered it, and lands a jab on the bell.
88-83 Moore after the knockdown, but what a turnaround. Cracking round.
Round ten: Moore was warned for punching after the knockdown in the last round. Moore comes out, but Facey is pumping out straight shots to try and keep Moore off him. Moore with a body shot, and a right hook, but Facey pushes out two looping hooks of his own. Facey’s even more upright now, and his steps are laboured, but he holds Moore down in the clinch, and Moore accepts the invitation for a few more big body shots.
Facey with a couple of jabs, but Moore is getting inside again. Jab and straight from Facey. Moore coming forward but not punching, and a nice hook from Facey, who seems to be back in this one and ready to go the distance now. Moore with a body shot, but takes a Facey uppercut, and Moore is looking a little one-paced now as he plods forward. Great right hand from Facey on the bell.
Facey claims this round for me, great recovery. 97-93 Moore
Round eleven: Facey’s awkward style has really made this tough for Moore, but if he wants to fight at a higher level, he should really be able to get through to this kind of guy. Moore ships another jab or two, but Moore with a flurry, then a huge right hand as Facey slumps back on the ropes, than a left hand, and Facey’s down again.
Moore with some big shots, but Facey again looks shot here. Another right to the top of the head, and as Moore jabs, Facey falls backward, down again. Facey is struggling big time now, and ties Moore up. Hooks out of the clinch, then gets on his bike. Big right hands, and they clinch. As they split, Facey slumps forward, and the ref rightly waves it off.
Impressive finish for Moore, who climbs to 29-3 (19), and notches another defense of the British title. Facey falls to 19-5-1 (6).
Post fight quotes from Moore: “He’s obviously been watching a lot of tapes and made things awkward, and I felt rusty, very rusty. You can’t be not on your game against a guy like Andrew Facey. I was chipping away to the body, and as he got tired, he got very defensive. Going for the European title, I’ll be much sharper, and you can be sure I’ll be 100% for the European title fight.”
