THE CANNONBALL IS KING
Body shots prove Sheedy’s undoing in Sheffield derby
HAVING fallen short on more than one title-chasing occasion, glory finally came the way of EX-ABA champion Liam Cameron on this injury-ravaged Dennis Hobson promotion at Ponds Forge Arena when he triumphed in a Steel City battle that matched with bearded Commonwealth champion Sam Sheedy.
Cameron might well have been the orthodox boxer in against southpaw Sheedy but it was his left hook to the body that proved the telling factor. Sinking home with increasing regularity, it resulted in Sheedy being floored no fewer than three times in the fourth round, during which Sam – who was taken to hospital after the bout and later announced his retirement [see page 9] – was also docked a point for use of the head.
Already well ahead at that early stage thanks to some astute defensive work, Cameron looked to have it in the bag – but it wasn’t all straight forward and Sam, from the brink of defeat and with plenty of catching up to do, came on strongly in the sixth when one wondered if Liam was tiring or whether he was simply looking to lure Sheedy in.
Sam’s renaissance didn’t last long however. Having expended a fair amount of energy trying to get Cameron out of there, he found himself once more on the receiving end in the seventh, during which he was twice more sent sprawling by left hooks to the body. It was clear by that point that the end was nigh.
The damage having been done by body shots, the end came following a trio of rights to the head, Chris Smedleytrained Liam showing no mercy as he relieved Sam of his belt. The session was just 40 seconds old when referee Phil Edwards intervened, rightly judging that enough was enough.
Judges were Doncaster pair Mike Alexander and Howard Foster, along with Liverpool’s Mark Lyson.
A six between unbeaten Eckington cruiser Joss Paul and shaven-headed Latvia-based Ukrainian Florians Strupits
ran a little under half of its scheduled distance before the visitor, cut above the left eye and taking something of a shellacking, was spared any further suffering by a compassionate corner.
Strupits might not win many but he was handed something of a lesson by the taller, bearded Derbyshire puncher who, having now stopped three of his last four, worked away ceaselessly behind the jab, upping the pace towards the end of an already one-sided opening session to stamp his authority on proceedings.
With little of note coming back from Strupits, the opposite was true of Joss, who was able to land almost at will in the second. The visitor’s luck worsened at the top of the next when he picked up a cut above the left optic, a wound that left a stream of blood flowing freely down his cheek. Spurred on, Joss further upped the ante and a steady stream of pressure saw ex-pro Matt Mowatt, who was working Strupits’ corner, climb onto the ring apron waving the towel, prompting referee Mr Lyson to wave it off with 21 seconds of the third remaining.
Popular Sheffield bantam Tommy Frank emerged a wide 40-34 points winner for referee Mr Alexander in another all-sheffield encounter against Kuwait-born Anwar Alfadli.
Two knockdowns, the first from a right cross midway through the opener and the second early in the next, left veteran Alfadli playing a game of catch-up that he never looked capable of winning.
Stocky Hungarian Norbert Szekeres
had a go in his four against muscular and heavily-tattooed Sheffield light-heavy Danny Tombs, back punching for pay having dabbled with on the MMA circuit. But Szekeres was unable to prevent the Steel City man, who having twice been warned for low blows and finally docked a point late on by referee Lyson after letting another one stray south of the border, ran out a 39-36 winner.
Jersey welter Daniel Kennedy made it six out of six by securing a shutout win over Hyde’s still-winless Mike Castell, just before the main event. Castell saved his best work for the closing couple of rounds, during which he sent the gumshield of the John Murraytrained operator flying with a precise right hook. Mike Alexander was the third man.
THE VERDICT United fan Liam silences the fans of Wednesdayite Sam in the all-sheffield title clash.