PAULS’ TARGET
Brad chases new champ Jones after halting Burton in nine
BRAD PAULS (Harrow) halted Peckham’s Diego Burton in nine rounds on Kevin Campion’s Goodwin Boxing promotion at York Hall, and is now chasing newly crowned Southern Area middleweight champion Tey Lynn Jones.
Their official eliminator (set for 10) ended suddenly when Pauls opened up with both hands to have Burton defenceless. Referee Kieran Mccann jumped in after 1-56, much to Burton’s fury – possibly he could have weathered the storm. The end came at an interesting point, with Pauls well ahead but Burton seeming to have more in the tank.
Pauls had the better of the early rounds. Both looked to jab but Pauls was more on target, and a burst to the head had Burton covering up in the second. There was a bump under Pauls’ left eye by the third, but a left hook knocked Burton back.
Burton countered when he could, and was warned in the fifth for trapping Pauls’ arm. The sixth saw Burton trying to work the body, and in the seventh a mouse appeared under Pauls’ right eye.
Pauls appeared to be tiring in the eighth, and Burton upped his efforts. He kept up the pressure at the start of the ninth, with Pauls being warned for holding. But the warning seemed to wake Pauls up, and a five-punch burst to the head brought things to an abrupt conclusion.
Willesden’s Ossie Jervier halted fleshy Slovakian Kristof Demendi in the third of a scheduled six. A flurry upstairs had Demendi down, and he took the full ‘eight’. A combination then sent him down again. He was up at ‘six’, but staggered back, and referee Chas Coakley waved it off after 1-41.
Dana Zavo (Hammersmith) stopped Bulgarian Georgi Valevski in the third of a slated four. Valevski raised a swelling by Zavo’s left eye, but was floored for ‘two’ in the first. In the third, Valevski was wobbled by a left hook, then dropped by two rights. He was up at ‘seven’, but Zavo banged in two more rights and referee Mark Bates called a halt after 1-26. Valevski was cut on the left eyebrow.
There were varying fortunes for three debutants. Londoner Haisim Ali halted Latvia’s Maksims Dembovskis in the second (set for four). The switching Ali dominated throughout. In the second, Dembovskis was floored by a left hook to the body which he claimed was low, and referee Mccann warned Ali. On resumption, a two-fisted attack had Dembovskis in trouble, and he went down on all fours. Up at ‘seven’, he was dropped again, and it was waved off after 2-57.
Islington’s Louis Isaacs decked Croatian Anto Nakic for ‘four’ in the first, from a right, and took Mr Mccann’s 39-36 verdict.
Roydon’s Kyle Sladden caught a Tartar in Farnham’s Rikke Askew,
dropping referee Coakley’s 39-37 decision. With both bleeding from the nose, Sladden came forward but Askew was there to meet him. Askew made sure of victory with a big last round, catching Sladden with head-shots and having him under pressure.
Dennis Wahome (Northolt) took on Kingsteignton’s Southern Area featherweight champ Jamie Speight
in a non-title bout, and won over four rounds. Referee Lee Cook scored 39-37. Speight bled from the nose in the last.
Ryan Walker (Newham) outscored Lewisham-based Swede Edward Bjorklund over six, Mr Coakley scoring 58-56. Meanwhile, Peckham’s Joe Mccory made use of his height and reach advantages to outpoint the very willing Innocent Anyanwu – a Nigerian based in the Netherlands – over six. Mr Bates tallied 59-57.
Tom Ansell (Hitchin) dropped Bulgaria’s Radoslav Mitev twice in the second round, from rights to the head, and raised a bump under his right eye in the last. Ansell took referee Bates’ verdict by 40-34.
Islington’s Sam Cox outpointed Bulgarian Stefan Sashov, with Mr Coakley’s 40-35 scoreline reflecting a second-round point deduction for Sashov for holding.
Mr Cook scored Dalton Miller (Acton) a 39-38 winner over Gabor Balogh (Hungary/golders Green), and awarded 40-36 verdicts to Chingford’s Liam Dillon over Nuneaton’s Kristian Laight, and Marchwood’s Charlie Quinn over Jindrich Velecky (Czech Republic).
There were 40-36 wins for Emran Hussain (Isle of Dogs) over Croatian
Antonio Horvatic (Mr Mccann), and
Bradley Smith (St Ives) over Slovakia’s
Ivan Godor (Mr Bates).
THE VERDICT A Jones-pauls bout is one to look forward to.