SHAK ATTACK
Pitters triumphs in the second instalment of Ultimate Boxxer
AS with Prizefighter, the key to succeeding in Ultimate Boxxer’s one-night tournament format will regularly prove reaching the final without having sacrificed your finest rounds, and it was that that had contributed so much to the eventual winner Shakan Pitters’ by-then predictable victory over Dec Spelman.
Birmingham’s 6ft 6in Pitters remained largely fresh as he walked to the ring at the O2 Arena’s Indigo (Carl Greaves Promotions), where waited Spelman, blood barely having stopped running from the nose damaged during his punishing semi-final with Joel Mcintyre.
Admirably, the 26-year-old Spelman – from Scunthorpe and the lightheavyweight competition’s highest-profile fighter as a consequence of February’s tragic fight with Scott Westgarth – then gave Pitters his hardest rounds as a professional, before being punished for his ambition and pursuit of the £50,000 prize.
When Pitters’ sharp jab first landed, blood again began to fall from Spelman’s nose in the first round, contributing to him breathing through his mouth and the desperation that brought his second knockdown of the evening when he ducked into a strong right hand, increasing its impact.
Hurt but again on his feet and despite also being made to miss, Spelman had greater success during the second, landing rights on a relatively inactive opponent whose retaliations and occasional uppercuts regardless remained cleaner.
Significantly shorter than the 29-yearold Pitters, Spelman struggled to make his punches consistently count, and while there was no question of referee Michael Alexander needing to intervene – even as the gushing blood discoloured his face – respective scores of 30-26, 30-26 and 29-27 from judges Kieran Mccann, Lee Cook and Lee Every were a near-formality.
Spelman had been similarly aggressive in both his semi and quarter-finals, and in the former against Portsmouth’s Mcintyre so nearly to his cost. After a competitive opening they fought toe-totoe throughout the second, exchanging similar knockdowns. First, the reckless Spelman went down following a right on the counter, taking an eight-count from referee Cook, and then with Mcintyre attacking he found a powerful right of his own. In the naturally cagier third that followed, BN observed Mcintyre throwing the cleaner punches, despite him harshly losing via scores of 29-28 from Every and Mccann, and 29-29 from Alexander.
It was largely with the jab that Pitters eased to his second-round, semi-final stoppage of Georgii Bacon. He impressed in the first and put Bacon, from Cheshunt, down in the second when landing a left to the body after switching from the head. After he returned to his feet nine seconds into referee Mccann’s count, the same shot soon put him over for ‘10’ at 2-13.
Pitters’ earlier victory over Swindon’s Sam Smith was similarly convincing. Smith’s face was already red when he was put down by a left-right combination in the second. Referee Alexander then debated intervening as Smith struggled to defend himself, but after a barrage led to a further knockdown he unexpectedly survived, losing via scores of 30-25 from Mccann and Every, and 29-26 from Cook.
Spelman’s win over Frimley’s Sam Horsfall was brutal by comparison. In the second round, having twice been knocked down by lefts and with referee Mccann tempted to intervene, Horsfall was a powerless, stationary target as Spelman landed another big left, sending his head crashing against a ringside table and leaving him requiring oxygen. Before the stoppage was confirmed at 2-59, Spelman was on his knees praying for his stricken opponent.
Bacon had entertained against Jordan Joseph, of Hemel Hempstead, who recovered from a flash knockdown to put Bacon down with a right under the supervision of Every in the opener. They traded to a standstill by the end of the third, at which point Mccann and Cook scored Bacon a 29-28 and 30-28 victor respectively, while Alexander tallied 29-28 for Joseph.
Mcintyre’s win over Chelmsford’s Darrell Church was the only lacklustre fight of the seven. Church was floored by a right in the first en route to a scrappy unanimous 30-26 loss (Every, Alexander and Mccann). Cook officiated.
The less written about the evening’s only other fight, an attention-seeking undercard matchup between reality television’s Idris Virgo and Vaidas Balciauskas from Lithuania, the better. Birmingham’s Virgo had at least attempted to convince as referee Every scored him a 40-36 winner.
THE VERDICT Giant Pitters is one to keep an eye on.