SOUTHERN AREA KING
Tey Lynn Jones upsets local favourite to bag honours
GRAY’S Tey Lynn Jones used his ramrod jab to burst open Bournemouth’s MH Legg and claim the vacant Southern Area middleweight title while headlining a Mo Prior-promoted show at the O2 Academy.
Legg’s corner compassionately, and correctly, indicated to referee Lee Cook that their man needed to absorb no further punishment after seven completed sessions.
Jones floored the home fighter in the first and set about working off his textbook straight left to both upset Legg’s rhythm and soften him up. By the end of the opener, Legg had missed with his best hooks and had considerable nose damage. Tey Lynn then boxed at length and used straight shots to systematically dishearten and draw out Legg’s resistance. The Bournemouth man never stopped trying, but he couldn’t effectively adapt and had to soak up an enormous amount of leather before the fight was waved off.
Similarly, Cyclone prospect Chris Billam-smith maintained his unblemished run of stoppage wins as he floored Romanian Gheorghe Danut before the visitor’s corner wisely signalled Cook to stop the beating after five of a mooted six-threes. After a quiet opener, Billam-smith threw eye-watering left hooks and right uppercuts at the plucky Danut. For six minutes, it appeared that Gheorghe was tough enough to absorb everything and last the course. However, a left hook to the body forced the Eastern European to a knee in the fourth, and after a torrid fifth of taking sickening head shots, enough was enough.
Third man Chas Coakley officiated three fights on the bill. Firstly, Torquay’s
Dean Dodge was held to a 38-38 fourthrees draw by Chichester-based Zambian
Mwenya Chisanga. Dodge tried to close him down assertively but southpaw Mwenya was happy sharp-shooting on the back foot.
Secondly, Swindon’s Ross Noriega was outpointed over four-threes by Wales-based Pole Kamil Al-temimi. The body-beautiful Noriega started fast but Al-temimi used the counter right to stem Ross’ aggression. Kamil established his jab over rounds three and four.
Bournemouth’s Steve Liddell made a successful paid bow as he bested Bognor’s Liam Griffiths over four-threes by 39-37. Griffith’s movement seemed to pose a few problems but Liddell managed to use his left to measure long straight rights.
Finally, Brighton’s Ben Butler scored his second win in as many weeks as he and Christian Hoskin-gomez opened the show with an action-packed fourthrees.
The pair traded punches both inside and at range and it was Butler’s crisp and flashy hands-down work over the last two which earnt him the 40-37 decision on Cook’s card.
THE VERDICT Impressive indeed from Jones and Billam-smith.