Andy Whittle
A CONTEST for the vacant English middleweight title was the main offering served up by Black Country Boxing Promotions at Walsall Town Hall. Rowley Regis’ previously unbeaten Tyler Denny collided with Leeds’ Reece Cartwright in a scheduled 10-rounder which was brought to a halt late in the eighth on the advice of the ringside doctor, with Denny having sustained a nasty injury to his lip.
There were 35 seconds of the round remaining when referee Terry O’connor – already having consulted the doctor prior to the session regarding a growing swelling beneath Denny’s right eye – waved it off. Truth be told, it would have required a late turnaround of some margin for southpaw Denny to have triumphed.
After some closely contested early rounds, the fight was increasingly bossed by Cartwright who, already on top and with Dominic Ingle giving instructions in the corner, was making the most of the fact that Denny’s right eye was now almost closed.
Czech Jan Korec isn’t the biggest fan of this venue – he lasted less than a round here against Alex Florence back in March and succumbed inside the distance this time too at the hands of exciting Wolverhampton first-timer
Connah Walker. Korec was rescued at 1-54 in the final round of a scheduled four by referee Shaun Messer. A more merciful corner might have pulled Korec out earlier, as he immediately had his work cut out and endured a beating from the impressive young debutant.
There was precious little by way of charity afforded to the visitors in the five remaining bouts, all of which saw not a single round of the 22 boxed being won by the away corner.
The sole six-rounder, between Tividale’s Stewart Davies and Stockport’s Jamie Quinn, was overseen by Mr Messer, who didn’t really need to check his sums at the finish as Davies bounced back quickly having fallen to the first loss of his career against Rob Hunt last time out in July. There were no such problems here, though, as Davies was on top throughout against a lighter opponent who intermittently jabbed by way of reply. The score was 60-54.
James Beech Jnr of nearby Bloxwich proved too much for Lithuania’s Simas