IT’S MAGIC MATT
New champ Mccarthy too fast for Milch
IT looked a 50-50 match on paper, but turned out anything but as Tilbury southpaw Matt Mccarthy dominated Bushey’s Tony Milch for a fifth-round stoppage at York Hall. The 10-rounder was main event on this British Warriors/ Hellraiser co-promotion and victory earned popular Mccarthy the vacant Southern Area super-welterweight title.
At first it seemed an interesting contrast in styles as Mccarthy moved nimbly around the ring, using a low guard but relying on his handspeed to pick off Milch, who advanced steadily yet slowly. But after conceding the first two rounds to jabs, it became apparent Milch just couldn’t pin down his elusive rival, who by the third was putting some power into his lefts, downstairs as well as to the head.
The end was as spectacular as it was surprising when it came in round five: a crunching left buckled Milch and Mccarthy followed up with several heavy head shots to prompt the timely intervention of referee Jeff Hinds at 1-10.
When Philip Bowes had Croatia’s Luka Leskovic backing off from a stream of stinging left crosses and right hooks during the first two sessions of their welter six, it seemed the Leytonstone southpaw might score a rare stoppage. But Leskovic hung in there gamely and Bowes had to settle for a 60-54 marking from Mr Hinds.
Referee Chas Coakley’s decision to rescue Josh Sandland at 2-45 of round four of his heavyweight six against Tom Little (Hatfield) angered the Halifax man, who had been doing well. But the pair of Little rights that prompted Mr Coakley to intervene were followed by Josh tottering backwards. Rematch perhaps?
Reading middleweight Konrad Stempkowski was a clear 60-55 points winner for referee Lee Every against Eastbourne’s Scott Hillman, who soaked up lots of heavy left hooks and righthanders but always rallied whenever under the cosh. Konrad’s only problem was being ticked off a couple of times for not punching correctly with the right.
Mr Every also handled the supermiddleweight six between Sough’s Jimmy Smith and Belfast-based Angolan Julio Cesar, awarding the former a 59-56 verdict after a scrappy, at-times badtempered affair. Smith generally did the cleaner work, cutting his switch-hitting opponent on the left eye in the first.
Scheduled for six but never likely to go that far was the cruiserweight contest between Walworth puncher Richard Riakporhe and Jiri Svacina. A right dropped the Crech Republic man in the opener and when a left hook dumped him again in round two Mr Coakley waved it off after 46 seconds.
The remaining eight bouts were all over four rounds, with a couple ending in the third.
New Cross light-heavyweight Andre Sterling jolted Remigijus Ziausys with a jab in the first and dropped him in round three before Mr Every rescued the Lithuanian at 2-50 of that session.
Meanwhile, Mr Coakley intervened at 1-25 of round three to save Hungary’s
Attila Csereklye, on the receiving end of hard left hooks and rights throughout against Basildon super-featherweight
Lewis Adams.
Two boxers notched their third pro victory in distance jobs against obdurate opposition. Tottenham lightweight
Jeffrey Ofori scored well with right uppercuts but had to settle for a 40-36 card (referee Every) over Bradford debutant Nadeem Chaudhry; while flashy Bow super-lightweight Tony Buttigieg, a southpaw, did the quality work for a 40-37 win (referee Hinds) against Slovakian veteran Ivan Godor.
There was a spectacular debut for popular South London middleweight
Denzel Bentley (real name Ntim Mensah), with one big right hand putting Bangor’s experienced Casey Blair down for the count after just 44 seconds.
Mr Coakley refereed that one and also supervised the victory of Streatham firsttimer Kieran Mcpherson, who used his height and reach advantages to outbox Lithuania’s seasoned Simas Volosinas en route to a 40-36 verdict at lightweight.
Chard debutant Paul Roberts showed fast hands as he used combinations, plus sharp right-handers, to keep Ricky Leach
(Westbrook) on the defensive throughout for a 40-36 score from referee Every. This was at super-bantamweight.
Mr Every also controlled the alldebutant bantamweight show-opener, which ended in a 40-37 win for Londonbased Afghan Quaise Khamedi over Birmingham’s diminutive Reiss Taylor.
Southpaw Taylor ended exhausted but cut Khamedi on the left eye in round two and the right eye in the next.
THE VERDICT Mccarthy rises to the occasion in his biggest test.