WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
Respected campaigner Renda retires after a bloody battle
From Doncaster, Birmingham and Aberdeen, all the way to Thailand
THE English super-middleweight title eliminator at a noisy Doncaster Dome between heavy-handed local Luke
Crowcroft and Peterborough’s Southern Area champion Cello Renda promised fireworks aplenty and, in the four-anda-half rounds it lasted, it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Both bled heavily from the nose in a brutal encounter. Renda, who had been sat down in centre ring by a right towards the end of the opener, had to hang on under heavy fire to make it through to the bell, before later picking up a cut by the left eye.
After that early setback, Renda dug in and gave as good as he got to restore a degree of parity going into the fifth. However, having been on the receiving end of two further spells of intense pressure, Renda was duly halted without complaint by blood-splattered referee John Latham at 1-43 of the round (set for 10).
Renda announced his retirement afterwards. In his 14 years as a pro I can’t recall him ever giving less than 100 per cent. Happy retirement, Cello.
Doncaster’s James Flint had been set to go in against triple centurion Kristian Laight before the Nuneaton stalwart announced his retirement a couple of days previously, so in came another veteran in the shape of Dewsbury’s Syria-born Youssef Al Hamidi. Their four-rounder, as expected, finished 40-36 in favour of Flint. Howard Foster did the sums from ringside, while trialist Andy Brook – on his first evening in charge – controlled proceedings inside the squared circle.
The always-on-the-move Al Hamidi offered little of a positive nature until the very last session. Having been tagged by a precise right uppercut, he replied with a brief burst to the head, but it was never going to make a difference.
While not boasting the greatest of records and having returned to the ring only recently after a four-year absence, Wigston’s Michael Williams is always value for money and never turns up just to make up the numbers. Former English lightweight champ Lee Appleyard, meanwhile, was looking to continue to rebuild after coming a cropper against fellow Rotherham man Atif Shafiq in March.
Referee Foster scored the contest 60-54 in favour of Appleyard yet, while the result was undoubtedly correct, the numbers don’t adequately reflect Williams’ gutsy contribution to what was a thoroughly entertaining encounter. Appleyard, to the consternation of his corner at times, opted to stand and trade instead of sticking to his boxing. Williams picked up an early nick beside the left eye.
Newark’s Fonz Alexander had been halted just three times in 89 previous outings, his last inside-the-distance loss coming at the hands of Robbie Davies Jnr way back in July 2015 in what was only his 19th paid outing. There were eyebrows aplenty raised at ringside, therefore, when he was halted by onefight Sheffield novice Levi Kinsiona with six seconds of the third and penultimate round remaining.
Having been given something of a battering in the opener by the supremely confident Kinsiona, Alexander was then sent over in the next session. Referee Brook’s intervention brought little by way of protest from Alexander.
One that, on paper, looked a little lopsided was the four-rounder between Doncaster’s Lewis Booth, who had won all eight previous contests, and East Londoner Lee Hallett, who went in winless in four. Little surprise then that this was another where every round went the way of the popular local. Working away behind the jab, Booth experienced only very rare replies from the outgunned visitor. Mr Latham scored 40-36 from ringside, with Mr Brook the man in the middle.