BIRD OF PREY
Billy snatches the Southern Area title in a thrilling scrap
BILLY BIRD captured the Southern Area super-welterweight title, pipping reigning champion Matt Mccarthy after 10 tremendous rounds at Brentwood Leisure Centre.
Two fifth-round knockdowns proved crucial, as Bird (Braintree) took referee Lee Cook’s verdict by 96-95. A return would certainly be popular, but for now Bird is targeting English champion Ted Cheeseman.
Styles clashed at first – the orthodox challenger against Tilbury southpaw Mccarthy – but the bout caught fire from the third. Bird was pressing, Mccarthy moving and stabbing out the right jab. Bird kept up the pressure in the fourth, scoring with a right and then a combination upstairs. Mccarthy was moving away fluidly, and in the fifth a right to the head staggered Bird.
But the challenger stormed back, and a right dropped Mccarthy for ‘two’. There was a great exchange, then Mccarthy was wrestled down – Bird lost his gumshield, and launched another attack. Finally a right to the head put Mccarthy down again, this time for the full eight-count, and the bell rang immediately.
The action continued, with Mccarthy sustaining a nosebleed and Bird a graze below the right eye. Mccarthy was trapped in a neutral corner in the seventh, and shipped two solid rights – but was back on the move in the eighth, thrusting out jabs.
A fast-moving finale saw Bird coming forward but being caught, and the action was non-stop to the end.
Pick of the undercard on this MTK promotion saw Oldbury’s Dwain Grant shock Brentwood’s previously unbeaten
Richie Gray, taking the decision after six sessions.
Some foul-mouthed Gray supporters vented their fury on referee Chas Coakley, but I wouldn’t argue with his 58-56 verdict for Grant. Gray made the better start, flooring Grant for ‘two’ with a right cross in the first and forcing him to hold in the second. But Grant started coming into it from the third, catching Gray as he came in, and he definitely won the last two.
There was a shock, too, for Witham’s Kaan Hawes, held to a four-round draw by Duane Green (Norwich). Green came to fight, and snatched the draw with a big last round. Referee Coakley scored it 38 apiece.
Sunny Edwards (Croydon) halted southpaw Patrik Bartos (Czech Republic) in the second of a scheduled six, flooring him three times. Bartos went down in the first, seemingly after being clipped by a right, but no count was taken. In the second a right to the body dropped Bartos – he was wrestled over, and then another right to the body put him down again. A right to the jaw and right to the head decked him once more, and referee Cook waved it off after 2-18.
Samuel Antwi (Stockwell) stopped Poland’s Sylwester Walczak in the second of another six. Walczak was cut on the head in the first and appeared to go down early in the second, though it was ruled a slip. A left hook then put him down for ‘two’ and he held as Antwi followed up – then two left hooks dropped him again, and referee Coakley waved it off. The time was announced as 3-02.
In a battle of unbeatens, Dan Azeez (London) knocked out Gateshead’s
Craig Nicholson in the fourth and last round. A combination to the head had Nicholson over in the second, and he was grazed in the corner of the right eyebrow. In the fourth, two rights to the head put Nicholson down for ‘seven’, then another right toppled him again. Referee Coakley counted him out in the act of rising, at 1-52.
Romford’s Mikey Sakyi beat Hungarian Gyula Tallosi in the second of a scheduled four. A left to the body floored Tallosi by the ropes, and referee Coakley called it off at 1-59.
Davis Pagan (Brentwood) outscored Belarusian Andrei Hramyka over six, referee Coakley’s 60-53 scoreline reflecting a point deduction for Hramyka in the second for holding.
In sixes handled by Mr Cook, Larry Ekundayo (London/nigeria) beat Poland’s Adam Grabiec by 60-54, and Johnny Coyle (Stanford-le-hope) overcame Spain’s Miguel Aguilar by 60-55.
In fours, Basildon’s Lewis Smith defeated Londoner Josh Thorne by 39-38 (Mr Cook); Eltham’s Shaquille Day triumphed against Yorkshireman
Danny Little by 40-36 (Mr Cook); and
Aarron Morgan (Barking) vanquished London-based Italian Victor Edagha by 40-35 (Mr Coakley).
THE VERDICT The great bill-topper could go on again.