BALOG SHOCKER
Pagan attened in two rounds by unfancied import
UNSUNG Jan Balog pulled out a tremendous right cross to destroy Basildon’s Davis Pagan at 2-44 of the second round inside York Hall. Pagan crashed down on his side, and referee Mark Bates waved it off at once to allow the medics to get to him. After being given oxygen, Pagan was able to leave the ring on his own accord. It had been scheduled for eight.
It was a total shock. Going in, Pagan had won eight out of nine, with his sole loss having been reversed; Balog was on 12 straight losses. The Czech southpaw was willing to come forward but Pagan moved well, scoring with jabs. Pagan was hitting back effectively in the second when Balog landed that single devastating right.
In another slated eight on this British Warrior Boxing promotion, Jez Smith (Harrow Weald) had too much power for Horden’s Anthony Hardy, who was counted out after 58 seconds of the fifth. Southpaw Hardy came to fight, but was being caught by heavy rights as early as the second. In the third, a right to the head had Hardy down for ‘four’, and Smith’s follow-up had him holding on. Smith dug to the body, and Hardy went down again. He was wrestled over later in the round, and held after shipping a three-punch burst to the head.
A Smith attack had Hardy holding again in the fourth, and he went on the move, trying to counter. In the fifth, Hardy was caught on the ropes, and a right clip sent him down for ‘four’. A combination to the head put him down again, to take referee Bates’ count on his knees.
Bermondsey’s Chris Kongo made it 10 straight wins by clearly outscoring Adam Grabiec (Poland), referee Bates scoring 60-54. This got messy, with Grabiec being wrestled over five times and thrown down once (in the last). What clean work there was came from Kongo, and Grabiec finished with bumps under both eyes.
Denzel Bentley (Battersea) made short work of Poland’s Daniel Urbanski, who was floored three times and halted at just 1-11 of a scheduled six. A right-left quickly had Urbanski down, face-first, for ‘two’, and then a right to the body put him down again. Up at ‘two’, he shipped a right to the head, and Bentley banged in a left as he started to go down. Referee Lee Every then waved it off.
A free-swinging meeting of debutants ended with Londoner Conor Hinds halting Mac Pemhiwa, a Zimbabwean based in Edinburgh, after 2-47 of the third (set for six). There was a great deal of missing from both, but in the third Pemhiwa was trapped in his own corner and Hinds was landing at will when Mr Every intervened.
Two other first-timers won in fourrounders, with Londoner Louis Lye flooring and halting Hungarian Norbert Szekeres after 1-07 of the second. Lye was quickly on target with lefts, and then two rights had Szekeres down. The bell rang seconds later, but in the second Szekeres was rocked by a right and then floored by a big left hook. He beat the count, but referee Robert Williams waved it off at once, and Szekeres received some attention in the corner. Meanwhile,
Mason Smith dominated Slovakia’s
Rudolf Durica, who was rocked by left hooks in the first half and wound up a 40-36 loser on referee Williams’ card.
Taran Willett (Bedfont) decked Hungarian Ferenc Zsalek in the third and won 40-35 for referee Williams, while southpaw Alfie Price (Hoddesdon) clearly outscored Innocent Anyanwu (Amsterdam via Nigeria). Referee Bates had this one 60-54, with a right to the head leaving Anyanwu looking unsteady in the last.
Chessington’s Richard Harrison suffered slight damage to the nose and a welt under the left eye, but ended up a 40-37 winner against Sheffield’s Haroon Karim. Mr Bates officiated.
Mr Every handed 40-36 verdicts to Hayes pair Mitchell Preedy and Fuaad Husseen over Barcelona-nicaraguan Geiboord Omier and Lithuanian Simas Volosinas respectively, and also to Luton’s Alex Bishop against Slovakian Ivan Godor.
THE VERDICT One punch can change everything.