FOX CATCHES THE JONES
Anthony scores latest upset atop much-changed bill
THE best-laid plans of mice and promoters... This event originally featured a Welsh title fight and two clashes in which unbeaten Welshmen challenged for Celtic crowns. It would be televised live on S4C.
But Kody Davies pulled out injured; the domestic showdown was lost. Then Gavin Gwynne dislocated a kneecap and was out of his Celtic clash. Worse, the Welshlanguage channel turned down a suggested replacement and withdrew their cameras and their cheque-book.
And two days from fight night, Chris Sanigar was informed that Cardiffian Nathan Thorley was ill and the third 10-rounder was also off.
At least Morgan Jones, the man due to face Davies, was still standing. But a fourthround knockdown condemned him to a shock eight-threes loss to unsung Anthony
Fox and an uncertain future. The Aberdare man, who learned his craft at the Ex-servicemen’s gym just across the river from Merthyr Leisure Centre, admitted afterwards that Fox’s big overarm rights had hurt him in every round. But, unlike his previous outing, on the Joshua-parker undercard, when he went from total control to be halted eight seconds from time, here Jones battled to the end.
Indeed, he produced a tremendous twofisted onslaught in the final stanza which stunned Fox and denied him the freedom to launch the round-ending attacks that had perhaps earned him earlier points. It had looked enough to give the Welshman the verdict, but there were no complaints from the home corner when Martin Williams, scoring for triallist ref Chris Jones, saw the Westbury man ahead 77-76.
Morgan was the more skilled, but missed opportunities to follow up his successes and was worryingly open to the highly visible rightgs Ectotmininggbhetistewra:y. One such dropped him Bateson on his backside continues late in the fourth, to improve while another rocked him in the seventh; each time the local failed even to grab his tormentor for a moment’s respite and was rescued only by the bell.
Jones has too much talent to walk away now. Meanwhile, Fox – whose unimpressive statistics hide the fact that he has lost to only one of his four Welsh foes – was talking optimistically of a title shot somewhere down the line.
The surviving undercard went according to plan, although two unbeaten prospects had to work for their wins. In a six-round thriller Bristolian Aaron
Sutton, on his first venture outside the West Country, had to dig deep to outscore Port Talbot warrior Geraint Goodridge 59-56 for Mr Williams. Goodridge, fighting for a sick father, gave everything, but could rarely get past Sutton’s educated left.
Spanish newcomer Izan Dura arrived with a three-man corner team and bags of ambition, but found Risca youngster Jake
Tinklin that bit better in all areas. Referee Reece Carter’s 40-36 card reflected the fact, but the 19-year-old from Valencia, wellschooled and willing, would be welcomed back.
The early contests followed the prescribed script – with one exception. Swansea’s popular Kristian Touze had a gentle step-up to six-threes against Swedish pacifist Edward Bjorklund, able to set his own pace and ease to an inevitable 60-54 vote from Mr Williams, assisting Mr Jones. Ammanford’s Jake Anthony and
Robbie Vernon (Bridgend) won hastily arranged four-rounders against Londoner
Richard Harrison and Torquay trier Adam Bannister, the latter over two-minute sessions. Both ended 40-36, Mr Carter doing the sums for Mr Jones in the first, while Mr Williams handled Vernon’s action.
The night’s other four-threes was heading the same way when Ricky Rowlands (Phillipstown) caught Warminster’s Paul
Cummings on the temple and wobbled him, prompting Mr Carter to dive in at 27 seconds of the last. By 28 seconds, a protesting Cummings was perfectly fine.
THE VERDICT S4C have promised they will be back and luck will surely favour the hard-working Sanigars next time.