BROGAN KEEPS BUSY
Lightweight ticks over with a win after Central Area title challenge falls through
THE most compelling drama came before the first bell as promoter Steve Wood tried to tie up a few fights. Ryan Briscoe had been slated to make his debut against Ricky Starkey over four, only for his team to reject the bout, which in turn prompted Wood to hand his contract back.
Skelmersdale’s Steve Brogan was scheduled to meet holder Ben Wager for the Central Area lightweight belt, only for it to fall apart at the 11th hour. Wood made two more attempts at matching Brogan for the title vacated by Wager, only to concede defeat and bring in Barcelona-based Nicaraguan Arnoldo
Solano for an eight-rounder. The limited import was peppered with one-twos throughout – although Brogan’s ability to find the range waxed and waned in the early going. It was therefore no surprise that “Serious” was handed an 80-72 win by referee Mark Lyson.
Highly touted local prospect Marcel Braithwaite excelled with a dominant four-round win over Sweden’s Edward Bjorklund. On Eurovision night, it quickly become clear that ABBA’S Björn Ulvaeus would offer more of a threat to Braithwaite, as Bjorklund was floored in the second by a double jab followed by a right hook.
Bjorklund beat referee Jamie Kirkpatrick’s count and tried to tie up his opponent, before being warned for use of the elbow. In round four, the visitor stuck to his plan of clinching his way to the final bell – he was warned for holding, use of the head and pushing, his most consistent run of form in the fight, pity it was all illegal – only to be felled by a short left hook. He rose then held on to Braithwaite like it was the last song of a school disco to survive. Mr Kirkpatrick turned in a 40-35 card.
Skelmersdale’s Colin Day was coming off his first defeat, a four-round points reverse to Jordan Ellison in December, so he took no chances against Reading journeyman Ibrar Riyaz en route to a 60-54 win on Mr Lyson’s card.
Performance of the night went to Tom Mcguinness. The Liverpudlian had a reconnaissance mission in round one of his scheduled four against Braintree’s
Dylan Draper, before closing the show in the second with a left hook to the body and right to the head that prompted Mr Kirkpatrick to correctly step in at 0-56.
Small hall shows can be a refuge from the incessant hype of larger productions, or so we thought until the Isle of Man’s Danny Roberts walked out to Sweet Caroline to prove that there is no escape from the Neil Diamond song.
There was no escape from the clutches of Southwark-based Italian Victor Edagha, either, as he held from the get-go before going down 40-36 on Mr Kirkpatrick’s card. A few fans had made personal bets on the Lazio-born boxer to win. One of them had asked for my input earlier in the night. I told him to always bet on the red corner. Buoyed by sage advice from “the guy from The Boxing Times”, he made himself a few easy tenners.
Nathan Quarless, the son of former fighter Noel, made history in March when he became the first boxer to turn over under the banner of the famous Salisbury ABC. The Liverpool-based prospect selected his punches well against Lithuanian Remigijus Ziausys
to earn a straightforward 40-36 win from Mr Lyson.
Liverpool’s Sean Cairns floored Sheffield’s Kieran Holman twice in round one, before engineering a solid 40-34 victory from Mr Kirkpatrick.
Another local lad, Nathan Bennett,
was the recipient of a 39-36 decision win over Paul Ducie; he dropped his opponent in the first with a left hook, only to let Ducie back into the fight, particularly in round three, which Lyson gave to the Welshman.
Sheffield’s Anthony Tomlinson beat Stourbridge’s Kevin Mccauley 60-55 – referee Lyson giving Mccauley a share of the second for his efforts.
Nathan Wheatley handed Lewis van Poetsch’s moustache its second battering in the space of a week. Warrington’s Wheatley had Lydney’s van Poetsch down in the third after landing a pair of right hooks. The journeyman recovered in time to beat the count, seeing out the final round to lose by of a score of 40-35 from Mr Kirkpatrick.
THE VERDICT The BT Convention Centre could become Liverpool’s go-to place for midsize shows.