STRONGHOLD
The British Lionhearts have not lost a bout at home yet this season, writes John Dennen
THE British Lionhearts scored an impressive 5-0 victory over Italia Thunder on Friday (March 2) at the Auditorium in Liverpool’s Echo Arena. This was the franchise’s second win of the current World Series of Boxing season, following a 5-0 win over Croatia in Gateshead last month.
Peter Mcgrail, boxing in his hometown for the first time since winning European gold and World bronze medals last year, dominated Italy’s Jahyn Vittorio Parrinello with a wide, unanimous points decision victory at 50-45 and 50-44 twice. Parrinello was a London 2012 Olympian, who lost to Luke Campbell then, and has returned to World Series Boxing after 10 professional fights.
Mcgrail persecuted Parrinello with southpaw right hooks and his footwork bamboozled the Italian early on, to such an extent that Jahyn lost his own footing and hit the deck. Mcgrail closed the distance neatly, slipping under the Italian’s shots to catch him with hooks off both hands.
“I can’t believe the support,” Mcgrail said. “I thought I boxed well. He’s a proper tricky opponent… It was hard. I thought I landed a few good shots.
“I had my coaches telling me don’t box the crowd, box your fight, stay comfortable. I felt comfortable in there.
“It’s one of my best experiences, it was a bit like a pro debut.”
Middleweight Ben Whittaker made his WSB debut in style, halting
Giuseppe Perugino in the fifth and last round. Flashy, confident, Whittaker kept Perugino on the outside to drop and stop the Italian with a vicious overarm right.
“I wasn’t really happy until I landed that shot. I got a decent crowd out,” Ben said. “I was a bit rushing, a bit anxious to get my shots off. The last round the coaches said you’ve got the Commonwealth Games coming up in five weeks now, go out and box as if you were in the Commonwealth Games. So I tightened myself up, sharpened up and I missed a back hand... the next shot was a peach of a shot.
“I’d rank myself D+. More to come.”
He continued, “As soon as I came out I dominated the centre to let him know he is not going to push me back. Once I got him on the backfoot, I knew I had it.
“He was trying to lure me in and do little things to get me to reach in. But I kept to my own style and in the end I think it was me frustrating him because he couldn’t hit me.
“I loved the WSB experience. You get lots of build-up, your own ring walk music and your family get to see you. There is a bit more show to it than our usual international boxing so I really enjoyed it.” Talented light-welterweight Luke
Mccormack followed up a WSB win in France last month. He picked up a cut in the fourth round that he had to protect but outpointed Paolo
Di Lernia on a split decision. One judge had it 48-47 for the Italian, the other two scored for the Birtley boxer by the same margin. At light-flyweight Galal
Yafai defeated a familiar foe in Italy’s Federico Serra, taking a unanimous decision 49-46 and 50-45 twice. It’s a welcome win for Galal, who conceded an unexpected defeat in France at the beginning of last month. “I just wanted to get it out the way for the Commonwealth Games. It was a good workout against a kid I beat before. A little warm-up before the Commonwealths,” Yafai said. “You had to be careful. I could have easily got a cut but I got through it. I can just get ready now.
“It’s one of those things, when you’re in a fight you do whatever it takes to win.”
While Deontay Wilder was defending the WBC heavyweight title in New York the next day, the last man to beat him, Italy’s Clemente
Russo, was losing a unanimous decision to Bulgarian 91 kgs,
Radoslav Pantaleev, 50-45 and 48-47 twice.