WAGER TOO GOOD
Holmes’ lack of experience costs him dear
POPULAR Barnsley lightweight Ben Wager secured the vacant Central Area title at a sold-out Metrodome, needing just a fraction under two rounds to end the hopes of York’s Danny Holmes who, with just five previous bouts in his locker, is still a relative novice.
The bout was only seconds old when Ben, courtesy of two glancing hooks, dropped Danny to his knees. While unable to complete the job there and then due some stern defensive stuff, it was all over just one round later when Holmes - tagged while throwing his own shot was down heavily again. Bury referee John Latham waved it off with eight seconds of the second remaining despite Danny rising.
While there was joy for one Ben there was dejection for another as super-welter Ben Davies, in a final eliminator for the Central Area title, suffered his second successive 10-round points loss. York’s “Pocklington Rocket” Harry Matthews was adjudged a close 95-94 winner by who third man John Latham.
Had Davies upped his game in the early rounds, when he scored only with single shots, instead of waiting until the very last session to launch a prolonged assault that saw Matthews floored, then he would undoubtedly have emerged victorious.
As it was, Harry, docked a point for an indiscretion in the fifth, had been the busier man by a distance and until that late Davies surge had appeared headed for an even wider margin of victory.
Connah’s Quay super-bantam Paul Economides has an eye on a rematch against newly crowned Commonwealth title champ Ashley Lane after impressing with an eighth round stoppage victory over Accrington’s Artif Ali. The triumph saw him bag the vacant Central Area belt.
The man dubbed “The Spartan” was beaten by just a single point over six by Lane at Bowlers in May, but he put that loss firmly behind him here.
Growing in confidence with every passing round and especially dominant from the sixth when he bloodied Ali’s nose, he finally brought down the curtain 94 seconds into the eighth. A pair of telling right uppercuts, a punishing right downstairs and a followup left bringing Mark Lyson’s intervention.
Leeds middle Reece Cartwright,a
surprise early loser last time out, returned to winning ways with a six-round success over Denaby Main’s always tough Adam Jones.
Referee Mr Lyson’s tally at the finish read 59-57 for Cartwright but the score failed to fully reflect how close Adam made it, especially in the second half, when he gave as good as he got and frequently more.
A trio of home boxers returned following periods of inactivity, and experienced varying fortunes.
Middle Wayne Reed, out since losing over six to Shayne Singleton in February of last year, edged a 58-57 decision from referee Latham over Rochester’s Sonny Whiting. The Sheffield man had to endure a nightmare penultimate session, which saw him floored in a neutral corner and on the verge of being halted by the marauding and increasingly confident visitor.
Conisbrough super-bantam Tommy Chadburn took a 4-0 record into his sixtwos against Sutton-in-ashfield’s Jordan Turner, but can have little cause for complaint after slipping to a 58-57 defeat in a bout overseen by Mr Lyson. The Nottinghamshire man provied busier and a good deal more accurate.
Faring somewhat better was Wombwell’s Ross Blackwell who after six years away – a period that has seen him grow from a feather into a welter – secured his fourth paid victory. Mr Latham scored him a 40-37 winner over Sheffield’s
Liam Wright who in Leicestershire recently had scored his first win in 16 outings.
Liam never looked like repeating that feat, but he did keep it competitive and Blackwell finished with a swelling below the left eye.
Manchester’s Portuguese born Yailton Neves, with only one previous win to his credit, ignored a cut to the right eyebrow, suffered when heads bashed in the third, to silence the locals in the opener. He claimed a narrow, yet thoroughly deserved 58-57 victory over Barnsley’s popular
Matthew Mallin.