Boxing News Boxing News
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
Last night at Crowtree Leisure Centre in Sunderland, England, Frank Maloney hosted a fight night which would feature three title fights and one title eliminator.
The event – billed as ‘Fighting on Home Soil’ was headlined by Jamie Moore, Rendall Munroe and Danny Williams. There would also be a British Light Middleweight title eliminator between Sam Webb and Thomas McDonagh, and Tony Jeffries would fight in front of a home-crowd as he took on German boxer Roy Meissner.
With a total of eleven contests, last night would prove to be an exciting-all action evening – not least because it would provide the lead-up for Sky Sports viewers to the Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton fight in Las Vegas.
It might not have been the MGM Grand – but the 1600 fans crammed into the Sunderland venue were looking forward to a great night of boxing – and they weren’t disappointed!
Jamie Moore of Manchester faced Roman Dzuman of Ukraine in Mooresy’s first defence of the European Light Middleweight title he won against Italian Michele Piccirillo in November.
Inside the first minute of round one, Dzuman goes tumbling backwards on the canvas but it is waved off as a no knockdown. Mid-way through the frame, Moore looks sharp as he puts pressure on the Ukrainian, landing a left followed by a right to the head.
Dzuman throws shots which hit Moore’s arms and moments later, Moore lands a solid left to the body. Despite Dzuman’s high guard – Moore still manages to get through with shots and a right to the body. The Ukrainian finishes with a short flourish, but it’s been a good round for Moore.
Round two sees the Manchester man land with head and body shots and his opponent’s face is ’marked-up’. A big left to the head of Dzuman sees him stumble backwards, but it was the solid left hook to the body which sends him to the canvas mid-way through the round.
He takes the count and resumes fighting, but Moore keeps up the pressure. A big left to the head and Dzuman almost ’runs away’ from Moore. Dropping to one knee, he takes the count, but referee Adrio Zannoni stops the contest as Dzuman is clearly not able to continue.
Jamie Moore retain his European Light Middleweight title by second round TKO and improves to 32-3 (23).
Next up, reigning champion Danny Williams of Brixton, faced John McDermott of Hornden for the British Heavyweight title. Having won the points decision against McDermott last time out – a now more ‘toned’ looking Williams, as opposed to a larger-looking McDermott, was hoping for a decisive win over ‘Big Bad John’.
McDermott got the crowd’s approval by wearing a Sunderland football shirt.
It’s a good first round for Williams, who looks for the counter-punch – whipping out the straight left. But it’s a cautious start for McDermott, who isn’t throwing much so far. And in the closing seconds of round two, McDermott is fazed by a right to the head.
In the last minute of round three, McDermott lands his first ‘notable’ punch – a right uppercut. The mostly anti-Williams crowd erupts but Williams returns with two left hooks to the body. With ten seconds remaining, McDermott shoves his elbow into Williams’s face and referee Terry O’Connor calls time out while he deducts a point from McDermott for the infraction.
Round four sees McDermott under pressure from Williams mid-way through the round. Williams is taken to the corner to get the tape around his glove re-fixed, then, on resuming the fight, scores with the left jab two or three times in succession, then pummels McDermott’s torso with body-shots.
With a minute of round five elapsed, Williams works the jab then sinks in a body-shot followed by head-shots and McDermott looks ‘wobbled’ by it. McDermott needs to up the work-rate and Promoter Frank Maloney is shouting to him from ringside ‘Work, John!’
Williams lands a solid left uppercut as the bell signals the end of the round. Mid-way through the sixth, Williams has a point deducted for holding.
In the seventh, Williams goes in with the body punches and McDermott returns with head shots as both men stumble back on the ropes. The crowd, now on their feet, cheer them on and Williams comes back in with a left uppercut and McDermott, looking visibly shaken, hangs on to his opponent.
With just over a minute to go, Williams targets the body but McDermott comes back with a left hook to the chin and Williams returns with a left uppercut. In the last half minute, Williams throws a wild right and as he half-turns with the momentum – McDermott lands a crafty right to the nose and Williams is bundled through the ropes.
As fighting resumes, again Williams misses with the swinging right and again McDermott lands with the right, though not as cleanly as before. It’s been a better round for John McDermott.
In the opening minute of round eight, McDermott lands with a left and right to the head, pressuring Williams back on the ropes. Williams returns with a barrage of shots and the crowd roars their appreciation.
Round nine is a close one but McDermott ’feels’ a couple of body-shots from Williams in the closing seconds.
Mid-way through round eleven, McDermott lands a right to the head, followed by body-shots and a left hook to the head as he forces Williams back in to the corner. Williams – still pinned in the corner – manages to release some shots of his own.
Both men are tired as they come out for the twelfth and final round. Williams is literally ‘dropped’ on the canvas by McDermott, but not by a shot, and lies there looking incredulously at his opponent, but being tired – it must have taken a lot of effort to get back up again.
Danny Williams wins by split decision 116-111, 113-115 and 116-111, retaining the British Heavyweight title.
His record now stands at 41-7 (31).
Tony Jeffries (Sunderland) v Roy Meissner (Germany)
4 x 3 light heavyweight contest
Sunderland favourite Jeffries dominated German boxer Meissner throughout with powerful punches. Meissner was wobbled by a left hook to the head in the opening seconds of the first round and another to the temple less than a minute later.
Left shots to the body follow and the German falls to the canvas with just over a minute of the first remaining. Meissner seems to be stumbling backwards with regularity and ‘blows’ at the force from the body-punches.
A right to the temple sends Meissner to the canvas inside the last minute and he goes down again with half a minute to go. Amazingly, Meissner sees it out to the end of the round and his irate corner man shouts at him in German!
Meissner takes a barrage of shots in the opening minute of round two and surprisingly remains upright! But after further punishment, the referee stops the contest.
Tony Jeffries – The Mighty Mackem – wins by second round stoppage to notch up his second pro-win.
Rendall Munroe (Leicester) v Isaac Nettey (Ghana)
12 x 3 Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Title
“2 Tone” Munroe had a testing time against tough but little-known Ghanaian boxer Nettey, but still wins by unanimous points decision 119-110, 120-109 and 119-110, improving to 19-1 (8).
Munroe’s promoter Maloney said afterward that they were looking at fighting current WBA Champion Bernard Dunne.
Sam Webb (Chislehurst) v Thomas McDonagh (Manchester)
10 x 3 British Light Middleweight title eliminator
Despite being urged on by his corner, McDonagh never really seemed enthusiastic and Webb kept focussed to get the points decision, 96-95 after ten rounds, improving to 14-1 (4).
Larry Olubamiwo (Hackney) v Daniel Peret (Russia)
6 x 3 heavyweight contest
Surprisingly, ‘weighty’ Peret scored a well-deserved win over muscular Olubamiwo. The Hackney boxer has been impressive up till now, winning all four previous fights by TKO. However, last night he seemed a bit ‘flat’ and despite Frank Maloney’s encouragement from ringside, couldn’t seem to muster up enough enthusiasm.
Peret, on the other hand, had clearly come motivated to fight and gave it all he had! He had a cut to the left brow area in round five and Olubamiwo sustained a bloody nose.
Peret wins on points. His record now stands at 16-21 (6).
Danny Hughes (Sunderland) v Howard Daley (Preston)
6 x 2 heavyweight contest
Hughes wins on points and improves to 6-0-1 (1).
John Lewis Dickinson (Newcastle) v Nick Okoth (Battersea)
4 x 3 cruiserweight contest
Dickinson wins on points and improves to 3-0 (0).
Travis Dickinson (Newcastle) v Pawel Trebinski (Tooting/Poland)
4 x 3 light heavyweight contest
Dickinson wins by TKO round 1 with a left jab followed by a right to the face of Trebinski. He improves to 2-0 (1).
Brian Rose (Blackpool) v Matt Scriven (Nottingham)
4 x 3 light middleweight contest
Impressive Rose dominated. His left jab was unrelenting in the bout, which saw Scriven’s face swollen from the start. Rose secures the points win and his record now stands at 12-0 (3).
Paul Holborn (Sunderland) v Youssuf Al Hamidi (Dewsbury)
6 x 3 lightweight contest
Holborn wins on points and improves to 10-2-1 (0).
