Ringside Boxing Report: Femi Fehintola vs. Jon Baguley
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
The arctic temperatures and early evening snowstorm did not dampen the mood at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on Saturday evening as Bradfordʼs Femi “Fire” Fehintola won an all Yorkshire clash by soundly outpointing the very game and durable Jon Baguley over six rounds.
There was a fantastic atmosphere and Fehintola, returning to the ring for the first time since he won the English super featherweight title by squeezing past Ashton Under Lyneʼs Hollyoaks and Emmadale star Steven Bell last October, was eager to please the crowd with a good performance as he willed the flame haired Baguley forward and then looked to get off his hard counter shots.
20 year old Baguley fell into Fehintolaʼs trap from the opening bell as he, urged on by his legendary trainer Brendan Ingle and one particularly over enthusiastic security guard, surged ahead looking to find Fehintola with neat one-twos, but, for every shot that found its target, a much better one came firing straight back.
Undeterred, Baguley let his hands go again in the second but little got past Fehintolaʼs well kept guard and it was the Bradford man who again had the most success as he manoeuvred his opponent onto the ropes and shoeshined when in close.
The following sessions were equally engaging as the combatants took turns at pushing each other back. Baguley, who is clearly better than his 7-10 (3) ledger suggests, was tireless throughout but it was Fehintolaʼs classy combinations of left hook, right hook, uppercut, plus some clubbing whacks to the body, that was causing the most damage and swinging the rounds in his favour.
Coming out for the final round, Fehintola knew he had a livewire in front of him and could not afford to lose concentration while Baguley must have realised he was behind on referee Micky Vannʼs card and had nothing to lose. Both men traded leather but it was Fehintolaʼs work to the body that was telling and he was rightfully rewarded with a 59-56 victory.
The Bradford stylist, who is half Nigerian and a quarter Irish, moved to a very respectable record of 19-1 (1) and will now aim for another British title tilt, but with the coveted Lonsdale belt now held firmly in the grasp of Dagenhamʼs Kevin Mitchell, that does seem a little unlikely at this stage.
More realistic bouts would be rematches with either Steven Bell or his only conqueror, and local rival, Carl Johanneson.
Back in November 2006, Femi was forced to eat a barrage of punches from the big punching Leeds native and was stopped in six rounds but, with Johanneson now titleless and seemingly having no place to go, the time may be right for a revenge mission.
Chesterfield butcher and two time British heavyweight title challenger Mark Krence opened the Sheffield show with a four round points win over the tenacious, if a little ragged, Hastings Rasani.
Krence, now 22-6 (6), was dragged into the trenches by the stocky African on a couple of occasions but, on the whole, controlled the fight with his accurate jab and deserved his 39-36 margin.
After losing his last four contests and with nearly two years of inactivity, just getting a win under his belt was the main thing for the 31 year old. Rasani dropped to 20-34-1 (16).
Bradford middleweight Gavin Smith must have thought he was in for an easy night when a smashing right hand put Colchester based Scotsman Drew Campbell on the seat of his pants within the opening 30 seconds of their fight over six-twos, but that turned out to be far from the case.
Smith, 6-1-2 (2), did drop Campbell, 1-4 (0), again in the second, landed the better blows, and did earn his 59-54 points win, but the result alone does not tell the tale of how brave and determined the Scot was.
Local lightweight favourite Nicky Smedley chalked up his eleventh pro win in a six-twos with Palmers Greenʼs Michael Frontin, but he had to climb off the canvas to do so.
The Sheffield prospect, who fights with his hands incredibly low, had the best of an opening round where few shots landed cleanly but in second, just as his many supporters had started singing “Thereʼs only one Nicky Smedley”, disaster stuck when Frontin connected with a clubbing right hook that sent the youngster crashing to the deck. Smedley got to his feet quickly, more stunned than hurt.
The third, fourth and fifth were close with Frontin landing stunning right hooks and Smedley looking to push the man originally from Mauritius back by doubling up his punches.
Frontin, 1-3 (0), appeared tired in the sixth and final round but still had enough in the tank for him to swing wildly at Smedleyʼs head. Smedley boxed smartly in this stanza, picking his foe off when he came charging forward and it was enough for him to edge the fight 58-57 on the card of referee Mark Alexander.
Although I believe that Smedley, 11-0 (3), did enough, I canʼt help but feel that on another night and in another city, the result could have been far different.
Harworthʼs lightweight Jawad Elfidh dominated the squat 42 year old Brummie Karl Taylor in another fight over six two minute rounds.
Elfidh, 27, came forward throughout but, despite some solid shots, was unable to land the punch that would stop the fleshy East Midlander for the 32nd time in a career that has spanned 21 years.
Never at any stage did Taylor, 16-108-6 (4), look like he could win the fight as he used his jab more as tool to try and keep Elfidh away from him than as a weapon of intent and I think that at his current age, and without a win in 44 outings, it is high time the plucky Brummie considered retirement. Elfidh is now 2-0 (0).
Light heavyweight John Ibbotson, 9-1-1 (4), had a winning return to the ring after 10 months out as he outworked Ayittey Powers, 13-11-1 (9), Mickey Vann seeing it 59-55.
Powers, boxing in the colours of his home country of Ghana, gave a good account of himself and connected with some decent shots to the body but it was Ibbotsonʼs eye catching strings of punches that proved decisive.
The most supported fighter of the night award goes to Mexboroughʼs Stuart Brookes. I donʼt know how many fans the upcoming light heavyweight brought to his clash with Sherman Alleyne, but the so called “Brookesʼ barmy army” were determined to have their voices heard.
Brookes, a former British Masters champion, landed flush uppercuts, staggering Alleyne in almost every round and, on at least three occasions a chorus of “easy, easy” reverberated around the venue.
I believe that had the rounds have been three minutes long instead of two, the extra time when Alleyne, 1-9 (0), was hurt would have given Brookes, 11-0 (3), long enough to score a stoppage. Instead, he had to settle with 60-54 win on Michael Alexanderʼs card.