Boxing News Boxing News
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The Robin Park Arena was packed last night for the shared Frank Maloney/VIP promoted fight night, billed as “National Service’, in which Jamie Moore defended his British Light Middleweight title against Andrew Facey.
Mooresy, described as “The Fighters Fighter’ was to face Andrew “Smiley’ Facey for a second time, having defeated the Sheffield man in Ireland four years ago.
Facey entered the ring alongside his trainers Dominic Ingle and Brendan Ingle along with stablemate WBC Light Welterweight Champion Junior Witter – who carried his Facey’s English Light Middleweight Belt aloft.
Moore entered the ring with trainer Oliver Harrison, cornermen Ged Livesey, Humphrey Oliver and Jamie’s friend, actor and singer Will Mellor of EastEnders fame, who carried the British Light Middleweight belt. There was huge support for the like-able Mooresy from Manchester.
Round one and the taller Facey keeps calm and focussed as he sizes up his opponent. Moore comes forward, tucking up well, so well in fact that ringside photographers spoke of the lack of good action photos of Moore because he keeps his defence up so well that it’s difficult to get a clean shot of him!
Moore looks keen to get stuck in and forces Facey on the back foot, but gets caught with shots on the way in. Moore lands a few good body punches and then tucks up tight as the long arms of Facey reach out. Moore is marked up around the left eye as can be seen when he sits in his corner during the intermission.
Midway through round two and both men seem to settle in a bit more. Dominic Ingle can be heard shouting instruction to Facey as his man gets caught with a head shot but comes back with a couple of shots of his own before switching to southpaw.
Round three and Dominic Ingle is shouting “use the jab!” Moore lands a couple of bodyshots to the midsection of Facey. Moore comes forward but Facey catches him on the counterpunch. Facey, looking more confident now, backs Moore in to the corner in the last 20 seconds of the frame but Moore quickly gets out by landing a right hand punch.
Round four and the two men look fairly evenly matched. It’s a slower pace than the first round and both boxers have settled in to the fight. With 10 seconds of the round to go, Moore lands a right to the cheek of Facey but his opponent retaliates with a flick of a left jab and looks un-phased by the punch.
“Mooresy, Mooresy…” the crowd chant at the start of the fifth. After 35 seconds, there is a flurry of shots from Facey. A right from the Sheffield man snaps back the head of Moore and he is forced into the corner under a barrage of shots from Facey. Under pressure – Moore keeps his usual tight defence and then lands a good southpaw left hand shot of his own and he’s back in business and the crowd are on their feet cheering their support.
Midway through the round and Facey again has Moore on the ropes, with Moore just missing with a couple of shots. Then, Moore throws a good left, Facey drops his hands as he susses Moore out, then Moore throws a right to the open target which is Faceys left cheek.
With 30 seconds to go, again Moore is under pressure by a barrage of shots from Facey as he is backed against the ropes. It’s been a hard round for Jamie Moore.
At the start of round six, Moore lands a solid left hand shot to the nose of Facey and forces his opponent back into the corner. It’s a better round for Moore .
And he starts off round seven better as he lands a right, which cracks back the chin of the taller Facey. Moore seems to have got his confidence as he moves forward. But he gets a warning from Referee Howard Foster after he goes in with his head.
The mark under the eye of Jamie Moore now starts to spill blood as he comes out for round eight.
Midway through the ninth and Moore is under attack from Facey again as he forces Moore back on the ropes and Moore looks to wobble momentarily. But he digs in and seconds later, lands a right followed by another right and Facey topples backwards as Moore lands another solid swinging left which sends Facey crashing to the canvas.
Facey takes the full count from Howard Foster, who then calls time while he tells Moore off for throwing a late punch. The crowd are in uproar – as Facey recovers in the neutral corner! Both men go under attack, first Facey has Moore in the corner and when it seems like Moore might be starting to wobble, the champion comes back with rights and lefts and now Facey is back on the ropes!
Both men are looking tired as they go back to their corners at the end of the ninth.
A swinging left from Moore rocks Facey in the opening half minute of round eleven and he hangs on to his opponent briefly. Moments later and Facey is on the canvas – having been almost wrestled down by Moore and he is given the eight count again.
Facey looks tired now, as Moore ploughs ahead with renewed confidence. Seconds later and Facey is back on the canvas again but Referee Foster gestures it’s not a knockdown and he helps Facey to his feet.
With 35 seconds of the round to go, Facey is backed up on the ropes and takes a solid left, followed by another, then a right – each time his head rocks back and Howard Foster looks closely, then as Moore moves away from his opponent – Facey takes a step forward but his legs give way and Howard Foster calls a stop to the fight as Facey falls to his knees.
Jamie Moore is jubilant and springs up on to the ropes punching the air and screaming his delight!
Watching from the Sky Sports Studio above – Ricky Hatton applauds his mate!
Afterward, as Jamie Moore spoke to Sky’s Ed Robinson, he admitted “I was very rusty…but I got through…far from my best, but just about scraped through”.
Jamie said that he was looking forward to a European title fight and would be 100% for that.
In his dressing room later, Moore said that “it was the perfect warm-up fight”.
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