Click Image for more Terry Flanagan Vs Diego Magdaleno Photos
It was an epic fight-night at the MEN Arena in Manchester last night, with plenty of action from 11 contests including eight title bouts.
The show, promoted by Frank Warren in association with Top Rank, saw Terry ‘Turbo’ Flanagan of Manchester successfully defend, for the first time, his WBO World Lightweight Title by stopping Diego Magdaleno of Las Vegas, USA, in the second round. Magdaleno, who had trouble keeping a foot-grip on the canvas anyway, was sent to the canvas three times by Flanagan before Referee Terry O’Connor jumped in to stop the American taking further punishment.
And Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith of Liverpool won the WBO World Junior Middleweight Title after stopping John ‘Apollo Kidd’ Thompson of Newark, New Jersey, in round seven. Thompson had gotten off to a strong start against a grinning Smith, but ‘Beefy’ gained confidence and Thompson was wobbled at the end of the sixth and sent to the canvas in the seventh.
Other results as follows:
Luke Blackledge (Accrington) v Lee Markham (Romford, Essex)
Commonwealth (British Empire) Super-Middleweight Title
A steady fight between these two. Blackledge was made to wait for the start of round three while Markham’s gloves were replaced due to a tear. Markham’s forehead had a bump starting to swell by this time and by the end of the fight it had swollen significantly above the left brow.
Blackledge retains the title by Unanimous Decision 116-113; 116-114; 115-114.
Thomas Stalker (Liverpool) v Craig Evans (Blackwood, Wales)
Vacant WBO European Lightweight Title
Undoubtedly the best fight of the night – a real cracker! Stalker was caught early in the contest as Evans came straight out on the attack in the opening round and it seemed Stalker took a couple of rounds to settle in after that, but he picked it up in the latter part of the fight with Evans looking to tire. Full of action – both men gave it their absolute ‘all’ and no surprise that both hands were raised at the end of the night as a draw was announced. Scores were: 93-97 (Stalker) 96-94 (Evans) 95-95.
‘Jimmy’ Kilrain Kelly (Wythenshawe) v Martin Fidel Rios (Argentina)
Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight Contest (10 x 3)
Rios stayed true to his nickname of ‘El Terrible’ – pushing Mr. Nice Guy – Kelly at the weigh-in on Friday and continued his ‘dirty’ tactics last night. I lost count the number of times his gum-shield was retrieved and his spitting and (apparent) kicking shocked ringsiders. The normally unflappable Kelly got drawn in to Rios’s sloppy behaviour and he was urged to ‘stick to the boxing’ by his corner. A tough contest for Kelly whose face was badly marked up by the end of the ordeal but he deservedly got the Unanimous Points decision (99-89; 100-87; 98-89) to win a third belt.
Jack Catterall (Chorley) v Jarkko Putkonen (Halikko, Finland)
WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Title (10 x 3)
Catterall wins by Unanimous Points Decision: 100-90 on all three judges’ cards.
Adrian Gonzalez (Manchester) v Jon Kays (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Vacant WBO European Super-Featherweight Title
These two had to be prized apart by officials at the weigh-in on Friday so both men were fired up at the start of this contest. But Kays was on the canvas four times before being stopped in round four. Gonzalez wins by TKO Round 4.
Ryan Burnett (Belfast, N.I.) v Robert Kanalas (Hungary)
Vacant WBO European Bantamweight Title (10 x 3)
Burnett scored a second round KO to win the Title and now faces Jason Booth for the British Bantamweight Title.
Vijender Singh (Debut) (Delhi, India) v Sonny Whiting (Rochester, Kent)
4 x 3 International Middleweight Contest
Indian Superstar and Beijing Olympic Bronze Medallist, Singh, got off to a flying start in his pro career with a third round TKO of Whiting. Singh dominated from the centre of the ring. Whiting was wobbled by a cuffing shot right at the end of the opening round then took a decent right to the head in the second minute of round three which resulted in him holding on to Singh then going in with the head. Referee Mark Lyson immediately deducted a point. The end came in the closing half minute of the round with Whiting’s head rocked back from Singh’s shots and Referee Lyson jumps in to stop the contest.
Jack Flatley (Debut) (Bolton) v Lewis van Poetsch (Lydney, Gloucestershire)
4 x 3 Middleweight Contest
Flattley gets off the mark with a points win. ‘Pooch’ went for it in the closing twenty seconds of the fourth and final round but Flatley had done more than enough to win on points 40-36
Dale Coyne (Ancoats, Manchester) v Luke Allon (Hull)
4 x 3 Super Middleweight Contest
Coyne wins on points 40-36