JUST CHAMPION!
Dillon, Robinson and Mendes win Area titles
CHINGFORD’S Liam Dillon captured the vacant Southern Area super-featherweight title with a seventh-round stoppage of brave David Birmingham at York Hall.
Referee Jeff Hinds halted the scheduled 10-rounder at 1-08 of the seventh with Birmingham taking stick on the ropes. Birmingham (Portsmouth) reacted angrily, but the stoppage was justified – the loser had been under more and more pressure, and his face was banged up. Sportingly, Birmingham led the applause when the decision was announced.
Both started fast, Dillon pressing while Birmingham looked to counter and get away. Birmingham went down in the first – it was ruled a slip, but I thought he’d taken a right to the head – and already Dillon looked that bit stronger.
The pattern continued – Dillon stalking, Birmingham moving and countering. In the fifth blood started coming from Birmingham’s nose, and he was under pressure on the ropes. Birmingham gamely tried to hit back in the sixth but his face was showing the signs of battle, and Dillon was landing solid uppercuts.
Birmingham made a big effort in the seventh but wilted when Dillon opened up, and Mr Hinds waved it off.
There were two other vacant Southern Area title bouts on this Goodwin Promotions bill, both going the 10-round distance.
At super-welter, Sean Robinson (Seven Kings) bested Marylebone’s Joshua
Ejakpovi in a meeting of unbeatens, referee Hinds scoring 98-92.
Ejakpovi scored the only knockdown, a southpaw left counter sending Robinson to his knees for seven in the third, and Robinson found it hard to get inside Ejakpovi’s long right. But when Robinson did get close he scored effectively – especially in the eighth, with a series of solid rights.
There was a similar clash in the cruiserweight set-to between Silvertown’s
Daniel Mendes and Titchfield’s Danny Couzens, Mr Hinds scoring 99-91 for Mendes. Southpaw Mendes used the long right as a weapon, landing as Couzens came in – and that was the difference. Couzens came forward, occasionally switching to southpaw, and probably won the last by getting close and unloading.
Shocker of the night was Bulgaria’s
Stefan Sashev, who pulled out a right counter to floor and halt Rochester’s
Brandan Ball in just 1-42 of a scheduled four. Ball walked onto a right and crashed down on his back. He beat the count but looked unsteady, nearly went down again by the ropes – and when his legs did another lurch, referee Lee Every called it off. Ball was given oxygen in the corner.
There was a torrid debut for Hemel Hempstead’s Dean Wingrove, beaten in the first of a scheduled four by Sydenham’s unbeaten Jonathan Palata.
Palata’s two-fisted attack quickly had Wingrove covering up, and referee Every called it off after 1-42 with Wingrove helpless in Palata’s corner. Oddly, both this and the Sashev-ball result were announced incorrectly as technical count-outs.
The third one-round winner was Islington’s Sam Cox over Bulgarian southpaw Georgi Andonov.
Cox pressed, Andonov moved – but Cox landed a left-right to the head and Andonov went down by the ropes. He was up at “three,” but Mr Every finished the eight-count and waved it off at 1-18. It was scheduled for four.
There was a bizarre ending to the scheduled six between Palmers Green’s Nick Parpa and Manchester’s Taha Mirhosseini. A left-right to the chin dropped Mirhosseini near the end of the first, the bell sounding during the eightcount. In the second there was a swelling under Mirhosseini’s left eye, and Parpa was well in control – but Mr. Hinds’ decision to call it off after 1-22 was baffling, and Mirhosseini was furious.
Super-feather Mark Butler made a dream debut, beating Croatian Anto Nakic by third-round count-out. It was scheduled for four. A combination to the head dropped Nakic in the second for “six” and in the third Butler opened up with both hands until Nakic finally sank down on one knee. Referee Every counted him out after 1-40.
Sicily’s Angelo Bevilacqua continued his UK campaign with a third-round retirement win over Chatham’s Ricky Rose.
It was scheduled for six. Bevilacquila was too strong. Rose was dropped twice for “seven” in the third and had a large bump under the left eye. The bell rang during the count for the second knockdown, and during the interval Rose’s corner indicated to referee Every that he had injured his hand and was retiring.
THE VERDICT Southern Area title bouts at York Hall – just like old times.