Ryan Hardy Vs. Steven Pearce Ringside Report

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At Walsall Town Hall on Saturday night, Ryan Hardy of Sheffield won the vacant British Masters Welterweight Title by outpointing local man – Steven Pearce of Stourbridge.

And Luke Paddock of Bloxwich won the vacant British Masters Bronze Light-Welterweight Title when Gloucester’s Andy Harris was stopped due to a large swelling around the left eye in the eighth and final round.

The Errol Johnson – EJKO Promotions show billed as ‘March Mayhem’ featured six undercard bouts.

Steven Pearce (Stourbridge) v Ryan Hardy (Sheffield)
10 x 3 Vacant British Masters Welterweight Title

It seemed to be a night of ‘messy’ fights and this one was no exception. Hardy taunted Pearce from the offset with comical moves and grinning. He had a good round four and at the end of this frame Pearce goes back to his corner already breathing heavily.

Hardy loses his gumshield for the third time in round five much to the annoyance of Referee Shaun Messer and the watching crowd.

Pearce slips on the canvas in the seventh and Hardy continues to show-boat, even when his gaping mouth is bloody in the eighth. Pearce looks exhausted and – perhaps in desperation – blatantly goes in with the head, round nine.

Referee Messer immediately warns the Stourbridge man who promises not to do it again. Hardy show-boats right to the end of the fight and is ecstatic as he hears the decision – a points win in his favour (98-95).

Luke Paddock (Bloxwich) v Andy Harris (Gloucester)
8 x 3 Vacant British Masters Bronze Light-Welterweight Title

A decent match-up between these two, but both men were tangled together at times and it looked messy. Harris was wobbled at the end of the fourth and his left eye started to bruise up.

He didn’t let it stop him though and he kept in the fight, but the eye became so badly swollen that by the end of the seventh it seemed he could hardly see out of it.

During the eighth and final round Referee Gareth Morris gained advice from the ringside Doctors and the fight was stopped. Paddock wins the Title by eighth round stoppage.

Lennox Clarke (Halelsowen) v Shaun Law (Debut) (Rotherham)
4 x 3 Super-Middleweight Contest

The fourth and final round of this contest was the best of this four-rounder with Clarke winning on points against debutant Law 40-36.

Josh McLaren (Stoke-on-Trent) v Matt Seawright (Tamworth)
4 x 3 Welterweight Contest

The first fight of the night was a messy one but sees McLaren get the points win against experienced Seawright 40-36.

Tom Stokes (West Bromwich) v Liam Griffiths (Bognor Regis)
4 x 3 Light-Middleweight Contest

Another messy fight which was stopped every few seconds by the Referee’s intervention. Stokes wins on points 40-36.

Kyle Spencer (Kingswinford) v Junior Thompson (Debut)(Derby)
4 x 3 Light-Middleweight

Debutant Thompson looked the more confident of these two and Spencer hardly had chance to find his rhythm when the Derby man scored the knockdown in round two.

Ryandeep Nandha (Debut) (Leicester) v Jason Nesbitt (Birmingham)
6 x 2 Welterweight Contest

There was a rousing atmosphere and bags of support for debutant Nandha, but it was only a matter of time before Nesbitt let go the big shots.

Nandha’s nose was bloody from the head-shots in round three and veteran Nesbitt scored the knockdown in the fourth. Nesbitt wins by fourth round KO.

Chris Keane (Walsall) v Igor Borucha (Lithuania)
4 x 3 Cruiserweight Contest

Keane wins on points 40-36.