Ringside Boxing Report: Martin Lindsay vs. Jamie Arthur
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
Last night, at the Indoor Sports Village in Leigh, England, Frank Maloney Promotions hosted a nine-bout fight-card. Top of the bill – Belfast Boxer Martin Lindsay, made the first defence of his British Featherweight Title against Jamie Arthur of Wales.
There was huge, rowdy support for Champion Lindsay, but Arthur looked unfazed by it as they began this 12-round contest.
Counter-punching Lindsay lands a couple of left hooks to Arthur’s face in the opener as the Welshman leaves his head unguarded. Lindsay looks to be reacting quicker than his opponent while Arthur settles in to this first frame.
With just twenty seconds of the second round remaining, Arthur drops to his knee from a clipping shot across the top of the head. Arthur calmly takes the count then resumes fighting with a wild swinging punch (way off mark) and Lindsay returns with a right hook sending Arthur down again just a few seconds later.
Arthur’s corner urges their man to keep his gloves up as he comes out in the third. He is pressured in the closing seconds of the frame as he is pinned against the ropes, but he keeps focussed to the end of the frame.
Arthur arches his back to launch an uppercut, his defence is sloppy but he seems to have settled in a bit more by the sixth round. Lindsay though, continues to look confident and sharp.
Sky Sports Stats reveal that – so far, Lindsay has landed 81 punches as opposed to Arthur’s 35.
Arthur has a bad round seven. Taking some heavy punches from Lindsay – the challenger does well to keep upright, but still comes out sprightly for the eighth frame!
Manager Chris Sanigar continues to shout to Arthur to ‘Keep your gloves up!†as Lindsay lands again and again on Arthur’s head.
Lindsay comes out for the ninth – this time targeting the body of his opponent. It’s been a busy contest with both men continuously throwing punches, but Lindsay has been the accurate one.
In the final minute of round eleven, Arthur sustains a bad cut to the right brow from an accidental clash of heads. His face is awash with blood from the cut as he goes back to his corner at the end of the eleventh.
The final round sees the Welshman bravely battle it out to the final bell. Lindsay dominated this contest – but Arthur – despite taking numerous heavy punches – put up a valiant effort.
Sky Stats revealed that Lindsay landed 177 of 623 punches (28%) while Arthur landed 72 of 698 (10%).
Lindsay retains his British Title by Unanimous Points Decision 118-108; 117-110; 119-108. His record improves to 16 wins (6 by KO) and no losses, while Arthur drops to 16 wins (4 by KO) 3 losses (2 by KO).
Gary Davies (St.Helens) v Andy Bell (Doncaster)
8 x 3 Bantamweight Contest
As usual – Gary Davies goes off like a bottle of pop as soon as the bell sounds. A right hook sees Bell face down on the canvas in the closing minute of round one and seconds later – both men topple over to the canvas.
Then – just moments later – Davies bundles Bell over but it’s a no knockdown. With half a minute remaining of the first – Davies lands a big right hook and Bell goes down again and is unable to continue.
Davies immediately tells Bell’s corner that they had clashed heads. The SkySports re-run confirms this (the two men banged heads after Davies landed the right).
Gary Davies improves to 10 wins (8 by KO) while Andy Bell drops to 11 wins (3 by KO) 6 losses (3 by KO).
David Price (Liverpool) v Martin Grainger (Heywood)
6 x 3 Heavyweight Contest
Grainger backs away from Price as soon as they start and he throws just one shot in the first forty seconds before landing on the canvas from a left hook – which didn’t look to land cleanly.
‘Grid’ takes the count but less than twenty seconds later – he goes down again, this time from a left to the body. He doesn’t look keen to continue and the fight is stopped with Price having barely worked up a sweat!
Price improves to 5 wins (4 by KO)while Grainger drops to 3 wins (1 by KO) 3 losses (2 by KO).
Karl Place (Manchester) v Steve Saville (Wolverhampton)
6 x 3 Lightweight Contest
Little ‘Bomber’ Saville – sporting a blonde Mohican hairdo – goes straight in like a ‘bull at a gate’! He charges across the canvas at Place, who’s nose is bloody inside the opening minute.
Saville lands with another left to the face but Place – the ‘Baby-faced Assassin’ starts to land body-shots. Saville launches a big left hook and Place stumbles back in the last half minute of this all-action opening round.
In the first minute of the second frame, Place lands a clubbing right to the head of Saville which sees him stumble back on the ropes then a big left to the body sees him drop to his knees. He shakes his head at his corner and cannot make the count.
Place wins by second round TKO and improves to 8 wins (5 by KO) while Saville drops to 19 wins (8 by KO) 8 losses (3 by KO).
Shinny Bayaar (Oldham/Mongolia) v Najah Ali (Canning Town, Iraq-born)
6 x 3 Flyweight Contest
Mongolian-born Bayaar didn’t look the same boxer who fought Chris Edwards last year. It was a close contest against last minute opponent Ali – who kept up the pace. He looked like he had ‘come to fight’ and it could easily have been a draw. The sixth and final round was a better round for Bayaar who finally seemed to have settled in!
Bayaar wins on points 58-57 and improves to 15 wins (4 by KO) 4 losses and 1 draw, while Ali drops to 3 wins (1 by KO) 2 losses (1 by KO).
‘Flash’ Ashley Sexton, who had been watching from ringside, told Sky Presenter- Ed Robinson, that he was confident of knocking Bayaar out when they meet for Bayaar’s first defence of his Flyweight Title on May 14th.
Other Results on Friday night include:
John Watson (Liverpool) v Ben Murphy
6 x 3 Lightweight Contest
Watson had a tough contest against late opponent Murphy but secured the points win 59-56 to improve to 12 wins (4 by KO). Murphy drops to 7 wins (3 by KO) 3 losses and 1 draw.
Dave Ferguson (Tyne and Wear) v Paul Morris (Preston)
6 x 3 Heavyweight Contest
‘Fergie’ wins on points 39-37 over last minute opponent Morris and improves to 11 wins (4 by KO) 2 losses, while Morris (egged on by stablemate Howard Daly!) drops to 1 win (1 by KO) 1 loss and 1 draw.
Rick Godding (Bolton) v William Warburton (Leigh)
6 x 3 Light Welterweight Contest
Godding wins on points 60-54 and improves to 11 wins (1 by KO) while Warburton drops to 1 wins 8 losses (1 by KO) and 2 draws.
Kirk Goodings (Sunderland) v Pavel Senkovs (Mansfield)
4 x 3 Super Featherweight Contest
Goodings wins on points 40-37 over another late opponent – Latvian born Senkovs. Goodings gets his second pro-win while Senkovs drops to 2 wins (2 by KO) 13 losses and 2 draws.