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© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
Friday night at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham, England, Rendall “2Tone” Munroe made his second defense of the European Super Bantamweight title against Arsen Martirosian, a France-based Armenian, on a Maloney Promoted fight night billed as ‘Working Class Hero’. This was to be the first of three title fights.
Munroe – the “Boxing Binman” – entered the ring to ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’ while a sea of fluorescent yellow reflective tabards waited. The music changes to Bob Marley‘s ‘Jammin’ and the crowds begin to cheer. Frank Maloney led the team to the ring – he too dressed in the dustman attire. Munroe looks his usual ‘cool’ self as he waits in the ring – wearing dark ‘shades’.
Hugely popular, the Leicester boxer has big support.
Knowing little about his opponent, southpaw Munroe is caught almost immediately by a couple of ‘banging’ left hooks from the strong-looking challenger. It’s a busy first round with Martirosian finishing as well as he started.
Round two saw Martirosian continuing to push forward while Munroe struggled to settle in and in the closing seconds of the frame, Munroe is backed onto the ropes again by his opponent.
An untidy fourth round and Munroe sustains a cut to the right eye area. The Leicester man has the longer reach, but his opponent smothers him – getting in close and forcing Munroe back against the ropes.
Munroe starts to settle into the fight by the end of the fifth round, looking more relaxed.
Despite Martirosian looking the busier of the two men, Sky Sports statistics indicate that after five rounds, he has thrown only 40 more punches (319 to 279) but has a slightly less accurate success rate, 24% to 26%, while landing just three punches more than Munroe at 78 to 75.
Round six and the referee calls time while Martirosian’s glove tape is attended to and this would be the first of a number of similar stoppages thought this contest! Munroe waits in the neutral corner as Frank Maloney shouts instruction from ringside.
Mid-way through round seven and finally Munroe piles on the pressure as he forces Martirosian into the neutral corner and subjects him to a number of punishing body-shots. Munroe continues the pressure in the closing half minute of the frame and his opponent looks tired and hurt from the onslaught.
Backed up on the ropes again – Martirosian tried to get away from Munroe’s shots, which are raining down on him and the referee jumps between them as the bell sounds. The crowd has erupted – horns blast out around the leisure centre and the noisy excitement is deafening.
Round eight begins hesitantly as the referee finishes wiping Martirosian off with the towell (!) – the corner man not yet behind the ropes.
Munroe tears after Martirosian, pinning him against the ropes. Martirosian does well to fend off Munroe’s punches, but ends up half way through the ropes! The referee gestures it’s not a knockdown and the fight continues. After another onslaught from Munroe, the referee takes Martirosian to get his glove taped again. It’s a welcome rest for the challenger, who walks back in to another barrage of shots.
Sensing this could be the end for the Armenian – the crowd chants “Rendall, Rendall”, but Martirosian survives the frame.
Sky Stats reveal that Munroe has landed 35 punches to Martirosian’s three in the round.
Martirosian starts round nine better and stands up to Munroe, but he slips momentarily mid-way through the frame and again the referee calls time (!) stopping to pull Martirosian’s shorts up over the protector.
Not such a good round for Munroe as he allows his opponent to ‘sneak’ back in.
Round ten starts and again Martirosian is taken back to his corner to fix the taping on his glove! A steady round for both men, but Munroe is warned, for a second time, about pushing.
Mid-way through the twelfth and final round, Martirosian stumbles back from a left hook and he does well to keep upright as Munroe piles the pressure on. In the closing minute of the round, a last attempt by the Armenian sees a left hook land on Munroe and the Englishman clearly ‘felt’ it.
As the bell signals the end of the round, Munroe raises his arms aloft.
As the scores are read, Munroe retains the title by unanimous decision 115-113,117-112 and 115-114.
Afterward, Munroe admitted to Sky Presenters that he ‘knew nothing of him’ [Martirosian] and trainer Mike Shinfield agreed that he’d been a tough fighter.
Frank Maloney said that they ‘wanted another fight this year’ [for Munroe] and called out former European Champion Bernard Dunne.
