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Friday night, at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan, England, Hatton Promotions hosted a fightnight which would see an all-action fight card including two title clashes.
Denton Vassell (Manchester) v Lee Purdy (Colchester)
12 Round Vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title
Purdy gets off to the better start in this Title contest – looking sharp and landing shots to both head and body of Vassell. Vassell steps it up in the second but Purdy continues to land and still looks the sharper of the two men.
Mid-way through the third and Vassell is under pressure as Purdy lands a couple of head-shots. “Watch the heads!” Referee Richie Davies warns. Purdy has sustained a nick to the right eye.
Vassell has a better round four and has more success in the fifth – landing some decent body-shots. Vassell starts the sixth with an uppercut followed by body-shots moments later. He switches to southpaw in the seventh but as they enter the final twelve seconds of the round Purdy lands a right and Vassell wobbles as Purdy piles on the pressure. Vassell is literally ‘saved by the bell’!
Purdy takes a couple of head-shots at the end of the ninth which rock his head back. This is a close – all action contest! In the tenth – Vassell pressures Purdy back on the ropes – forcing him back and both men ‘dig-in’.
Vassell is looking stronger in the eleventh but then Purdy lands a right and Vassell’s gumshield flies out in the last twenty seconds. Both men lock-together as they work up close in the eleventh and they keep up the pace right till the closing bell at the end of the fight.
Sky Sports Statistics reveal that Vassell has landed 166 of 1026 punches (16% success) as opposed to Purdy – 117 of 722 (16% success)
Vassell wins by Unanimous Points Decision 117-112; 115-114; 117-111.
Craig Watson (Manchester) v Badru Lusambya (Uganda)
12 Round Vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Light Middleweight Title
It was a solid, confident start from Watson. The Manchester man – looking for the ‘strike’ as he comes out for the second frame – doesn’t have to wait too long till he gets it! Launching a big left to the head of Lusambya – the Ugandan goes down inside the first half minute of round two.
Seconds later he lands another left and Lusambya goes down again, immediately he is caught by another left and his legs stiffen momentarily just before he drops to the canvas again!
Watson goes after him – landing a left then another and a short right. Lusambya falls back on the canvas while Referee Marcus McDonnell waves the fight off.
Watson wins by an impressive second round stoppage and improves to 17 wins (7 by KO) and 3 losses ( 1 by KO) while Lusambya drops to 21 wins (19 by KO), 2 losses (1 by KO) and 2 draws.
Matty Askin (Blackpool) v Mathew Ellis (Blackpool)
6 Round Cruiserweight Contest
Askin lands a right to the chin of Ellis in the second minute of the opening round. Ellis cannot make the count and Askin wins by first round TKO. He improves to 6 wins (3 by KO), no losses while Ellis drops to 20 wins (9 by KO), 10 losses (10 by KO) and 2 draws.
Richard Towers (Sheffield) v Yavor Marinchev (Bulgaria)
6 Round Heavyweight Contest
Ingle-fighter Towers lands a right at the start of the second frame and Marinchev goes down, he goes down again after two minutes have passed and again inside the last half minute of the second. Referee John Latham steps in to call a stop to the contest after the Bulgarians third knockdown.
Towers wins by second round stoppage and improves to 7 wins (5 by KO) while Marinchev drops to 5 wins (3 by KO) and 20 losses (3 by KO).
Craig Lyon (St.Helens) v George Gachechiladze (Georgia)
6 Round Super Bantamweight Contest
Lyon lands a left inside the first minute of the opener and Gachechiladze goes down. Moments later he goes down again from a right. Lyon is cut on the right eye from a head-clash in the third frame and the Georgian seems encouraged by it! And does a bit of show-boating.
Mid-way through the sixth and final round – Lyon lands a right to the jaw. The Georgians legs splay and Referee Steve Gray jumps in to stop the fight.
Lyon wins by sixth round TKO and improves to 10 wins (3 by KO) while Gachechiladze drops to 5 wins (1 by KO) and 3 losses (2 by KO).
Alex Dilmaghani (Worthing) v Johnny Greaves (East Ham)
4 Round Lightweight Contest
Dilmaghani wins on points 40-37 and improves to 5 wins (1 by KO) while Greaves drops to 2 wins (1 by KO) and 48 losses (7 by KO).
Lee Edwards (Sheffield) v Jon Musgrave (Barnsley)
6 Round Middleweight Contest
Edwards gets the points win 60-55 and improves to 11 wins (1 by KO) and 2 losses (1 by KO) while Musgrave drops to 7 wins and 8 losses (no knockdowns).
Jez Wilson (Sheffield/Wolverhampton) v Farai Musiyiwa (Birmingham/Zimbabwe)
6 Round Middleweight Contest
After surviving a knockdown in the opening round, Zimbabwe-born Musiyiwa floored Wilson in the second frame to get the win on TKO.
Musiyiwa – who has fought mostly outside the UK – is now under new trainers Errol Johnson and Bob Plant at Wednesbury. His record improves to 18 wins (11 by KO), 11 losses (5 by KO) and 1 draw.
Martin Gethin (Walsall) v Jon Baguley (Rotherham)
6 Round Lightweight Contest
Gethin gets the points win 59-55 and improves to 18 wins (7 by KO), 3 losses (1 by KO) and 1 draw while Baguley drops to 9 wins (5 by KO), 18 losses (1 by KO) and 1 draw.
Sergei Gulyakevich (Belarus) v Nugzar Margvelashvili (Georgia)
6 Round Super Featherweight Contest
Gulyakevich wins on points 59-55 over Georgian Margvelashvili. Gulyakevich improves to 29 wins (13 by KO) and 2 losses, while Margvelashvili drops to 17 while Margvelashvili drops to 17 wins (7 by KO) 8 losses (5 by KO).
