JOYCE vs PALMER
Palmer is blown away in just 38 seconds, as Joyce turns his focus to better foes
It’s all over in 38 seconds, as the attention turns to Dereck Chisora
ONE right hand, thrown less than half-a-minute into the scheduled eight-rounder, saw Putney’s Joe Joyce dispatch Americanhonduran Donnie Palmer at York Hall. The right caught Palmer (Dorchester, Massachusetts) on the side of the head and he crashed down on his back. After a few seconds he started to rise, and managed to beat the count, but he stumbled into the ropes, and referee Jeff Hinds waved it off after 38 seconds.
Joyce – a 2016 Olympic silver medallist – is likely to next appear on the undercard of Tony Bellew-david Haye II on May 5. Dereck Chisora has been mentioned as a possible opponent but a deal, at the time of going to press, is not sealed. Haye’s promotional outfit, Hayemaker Ringstar, promoted this show in association with Goodwin Boxing.
Making the first defence of his British cruiserweight title, Matty Askin (Blackpool) landed a sickening left hook to the body and challenger Stephen Simmons was down, with no hope of beating referee Ian John-lewis’ count. It was all over after 1-53 of the second.
Simmons (Edinburgh) made a fast start, and Askin seemed taken by surprise. However, he quickly settled, and started working both hands. The champion opened up, but Simmons came back, and a Simmons attack in the second had Askin holding briefly. Then came the body-shot that ended it. Southpaw Wadi Camacho (Canning Town) is chasing Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Luke Watkins, following a successful Southern Area title defence against previous victim Danny Couzens, of Titchfield. The challenger gave it a good try but was floored twice in the ninth of a scheduled 10. The second time referee Lee Cook waved it off, leaving Camacho the winner by technical count-out after 1-53.
Couzens came forward, and hit back after being caught. There was a bump under Camacho’s right eye in the fourth, and by the finish Couzens was marked below both eyes. Couzens was trapped on the ropes in the sixth and seventh, but fought back grimly. In the ninth a Camacho attack had Couzens in trouble on the ropes again, and finally he went down. He took the full eight-count and tried to rally, but he was trapped in his own corner, and another attack had him down again. That was enough for Mr Cook.
Linus Udofia, a Nigerian based in Luton, knocked out Port Talbot’s Geraint
Goodridge in the third of a slated six. Udofia dominated the first two, though he was warned for a low left in the second. In the third a sustained attack had Goodridge down for ‘seven’. Trying to cover up on the ropes, Goodridge finally went down again – apparently from an accumulation of punches – and took referee Mark Bates’ count on one knee. Time was 1-49.
The remaining bouts were all scheduled for four. Witham’s Darrell
Church KO’D Farnham’s Rikke Askew after just 2-53. A left hook dropped Askew on his back for ‘seven’, then a burst to the head put him down for ‘five’. Askew’s corner threw in the towel, but referee Cook either didn’t see it or ignored it, and a final left hook dropped Askew for the full count. He was sat on his stool and given oxygen, but happily recovered quickly.
Romford’s Mark Little edged home after an up-and-downer against Croatia’s
Tomislav Rudan, referee Lee Every scoring 38-37. A right to the head floored Rudan for ‘two’ in the first, but he hit back, and in the third a series of rights put Little down. He was up at ‘five’ – the bell ringing during the count – and the pair put up a spirited last round.
There was a delay to the start of the bout between East London debutant Ruqsana Begum and Bulgaria’s
Ivanka Ivanova, as the visitor didn’t have the proper protection required under British rules. Eventually the necessary was found, and the pair went all-out for the full fourtwos, and few could argue with referee Hinds’ 38-38 draw. Tunji Ogunniya (Nigeria/enfield) beat Bulgarian Konstantin Alexandrov, who retired abruptly after one round. Ogunniya looked much the stronger, but Alexandrov moved and countered when he could. Mr Bates refereed.
Southpaw Daniel Mendes (Silverton) survived a first-round knockdown (left hook) to take referee Hinds’ 38-37 verdict over Bulgarian Grigor Karastoyanov. The visitor bled from the nose and had a swelling on the right cheek. Southpaw Dan Dan Keenan (Hammersmith) edged Bulgaria’s Ilian Markov, Mr Every tallying 39-38. Keenan bled from the nose, and Markov had a swelling on the right cheek. Mr Bates scored Aylesbury’s Adi Burden a 40-37 winner over Callum Ide (Bognor Regis), while Mr Every had Hayes’ Ricky Heavens beating Jordan Grannum (Islington) by 40-37 and Wembley’s Youssef Khoumari besting Kristian Laight (Nuneaton) by 40-36.
THE VERDICT Joyce and Askin march on and both are ready for next level.
COUZENS WAS TRAPPED ON THE ROPES, BUT FOUGHT BACK GRIMLY