KIWITT WINS THROUGH
Knockdowns prove crucial for Freddy against Gallagher
FREDDY KIWITT shrugged off a cut eye, boxed cleverly on the retreat and scored two knockdowns en route to a majority decision win over Belfast’s Paddy
Gallagher at York Hall. Valerio Mosca had it 95-95, but was overruled by Bence Kovacs (95-94) and Marcus Mcdonnell (95-93). So Kiwitt (Islington via Liberia), apparently the lighter puncher, needed those knockdowns – though I thought he won clearly.
Gallagher came forward, looked the stronger and hit the harder (despite the knockdowns). But Kiwitt kept moving, countering with bursts and scoring points. The pattern was set in the first – Gallagher pressing, Kiwitt pot-shotting on the move. Most of Gallagher’s punches were out of range, though a right to the head knocked Kiwitt into a corner and he was cut by his right eye (which referee Steve Gray indicated had been caused by a punch).
Gallagher kept up the pressure in the second. Kiwitt was countering, but Gallagher was clearly the stronger. In the fifth, Gallagher landed a burst in close, but Kiwitt went back on the move, and a right to the head had Gallagher down. He was up quickly, but it was a genuine knockdown. Kiwitt kept it up in the next, dodging Gallagher’s attacks and landing effectively.
Gallagher landed solidly to the body in the seventh but was backed up and forced to hold. The Northern Irishman started well in the eighth, with Kiwitt having to take a load on the ropes, his eye bleeding again. But Kiwitt got away, and a right to the head floored Gallagher a second time. Gallagher tried to keep up the pressure in the last two, but Kiwitt used his footwork to stay out of trouble. Overall, the styles blended well, and this could go on again.
Islington-based Turk Siar Ozgul comfortably outpointed Plymouth’s
Chris Adaway, referee Lee Cook scoring 80-73. All the effective work came from Ozgul, and Adaway’s face was marked up by the end (he bled from the nose in the fourth). Adaway covered up, and hit back when he could, but was consistently outlanded.
Lewisham’s Dan Azeez claimed a fifthround stoppage (set for six) of Stanislav Eschner (Czech Republic). Eschner had a smear from the nose in the second and was under some pressure in the third. Azeez kept it up in the fourth, and in the fifth a left to the head knocked Eschner back. Azeez followed up quickly, landing with both hands, and with Eschner taking stick, referee Cook waved it off after 1-58.
The quickest winner on this MTK bill was Rainham’s Liam Wells, who halted Manchester’s Sam Omidi in just 2-59 of a scheduled six. Both started fast but Wells quickly found the target with rights to the head. Three rights had Omidi defenceless on the ropes, and referee Kieran Mccann waved it off.
Southpaw Sultan Zaurbek (Kazakhstan) knocked out Bulgaria’s
Lyuben Todorov in the fourth of a slated six. Todorov bled from the nose in the third and was dropped by a right to the chin for ‘two’. A left hook had him down on one knee for ‘eight’, and a right to the body in the next put him down for ‘seven’. Finally, a left hook to the body decked him again, and he stayed down to be counted out by referee Cook after one minute.
Josh Adewale (Slough) floored Southwark-based Italian Victor Edagha three times in the third and won 40-33, while Donovan Mortlock (London) beat Slovakian Ladislav Nemeth by 40-34. Nemeth was grazed under the left eye and put down in the second and fourth. Jack Ewbank (Ashford) dropped Braintree’s Dylan Draper in the last, with a right to the chin, and took a 40-35 verdict. Draper bled from the nose. Mr Mccann officiated all three contests.
Nurtas Azhbenov (Kazakhstan) defeated Reynaldo Cajina (Barcelona via Nicaragua) by 40-36 (Cook), while
Billy Underwood (Camden) conquered Yeovil’s Bryn Wain by 39-37 (Mccann). Elsewhere, Huzaifah Iqbal overcame fellow debutant Gianni Antoh (Cambridge) by 39-37 (Cook), and first-timer Michael Elliott vanquished Lydney centurion Lewis van Poetsch by 40-37 (Cook).
THE VERDICT Contrasting styles produce a fascinating battle.