TALE OF THE TOWEL
Phillips’ corner end his bout with Ball, much to the loser’s frustration
FOR two-and-a-bit rounds, the Mtkpromoted Merseyside derby between undefeated pair Brian Phillips and Nick
Ball was everything one would expect from a battle with local pride at stake. The action was intense and the exchanges were plentiful, but the contest came to a confusing close as the towel from the former’s corner was hurled in with only 30 seconds in the second session remaining.
Ball, a natural aggressor, demonstrated the bullishness that brought him amateur success as a junior, and his relentless work rate during round one was admirable. Phillips had success with a few right hands that Ball acknowledged, but it was not enough to deter the Everton Red Triangle man, who just kept moving forward.
The same determination was apparent in round two, with Ball letting out the occasional smile, perhaps satisfied that his marauding tactics were winning the day. Phillips tried to punch with him and during one of the frequent trades near his own corner, the corner man of Phillips, Scott Hamilton, climbed the ring steps with towel in hand and observed the fight from the height of the middle rope. He remained in that position for a few seconds as the action continued, until he decided his man had taken enough.
A protesting Phillips snarled at his corner following the interference, and the anger on his face was mirrored by the cluster of supporters that had boisterously cheered him on. Afterwards, Hamilton would state that his charge had issues with his eyes following the first round and he didn’t forecast a way back into the fight for his man. Despite the premature ending, Ball displayed a ruthless maturity and is certainly one to keep an eye on moving forward. Jamie Kirkpatrick oversaw the scheduled eight-rounder.
Impressing on the undercard in another all-liverpool affair at the Greenbank Sports Academy was Meshech Speare. Having his second professional outing, Speare was far too much for BBBOFC debutant and city rival Paul Peers, and he was able to find the target with alarming ease from the outset. A series of well-timed hooks were hurting Peers throughout the inaugural stanza, and a left to the side of the head from Speare had his opponent over in a neutral corner. Peers was unable to beat the count of Mr Kirkpatrick, and the end came at 2-59. It had been set for four.
It seemed likely that Ged Carroll
would get his first stoppage from eight fights when several eye-catching body attacks made Reading’s Ibrar Riyaz
wince in the opening rounds. Instead, the Liverpool man had to settle for another six rounds in the bank, although his display was dominant and he set a blistering pace for the full duration, earning a 60-54 nod from referee Steve Gray. It appears that Carroll’s apprenticeship is almost over, and the possibility of an Area title tilt must be on his immediate radar.
A lot of excitement exists for cruiserweight prospect Craig Glover.
The heavy-handed Liverpudlian is a student of Georgie Vaughan and Derry Mathews, and that wise pair are optimistic regarding Glover’s seemingly limitless potential. Pursuing his sixth consecutive early finish, Glover started patiently, but quickly realised that there was a huge gulf between himself and Westbury’s Kevin Williams. A quick combination floored Williams a minute in for an eight-count, and the finish came immediately after, as another brutal attack from Glover had his foe down for the full count from Mr Gray at 2-55. It had been slated for six.
A big upset got the night’s action underway as the Brian Magee-trained Mathew Fitzsimons surrendered his undefeated ledger to the previously winless Taka Bembere. Belfast’s Fitzsimons was in control for large portions as he landed at will while escaping the wild hooks of the Oldham man. This plan was working well up until the last session, when one of those unorthodox attempts finally hit the mark. Fitzsimons was up at ‘eight’ and instantaneously on the move to evade more damage, but any hope of resisting his oncoming rival was shattered moments before the final bell as another wild Bembere attack felled Fitzsimons again, prompting Mr Gray to halt proceedings with one second remaining in the four-rounder.
THE VERDICT The ruthless Ball is one to watch.