NIGHT NURSE
Essuman collects a career-best win over a respected rival
NOTTINGHAM’S Ekow Essuman took quite a scalp in a successful first defence of his English welterweight title at a packed Harvey Hadden Sports Village (Scott Calow Promotions). Going in with his toughest opponent to date, Essuman came out on top at the culmination of an absorbing bout against Huddersfield’s former British super-lightweight champ Tyrone Nurse. The fight saw both men suffer cuts above the left eye, Essuman as early as the second and Nurse, a lesser wound, late in the fourth.
I had the taller Nurse, with good movement and plenty of snap to his work, edging ahead early doors, but Essuman was increasingly starting rounds at quite a pace. On numerous occasions, Nurse was forced to cover and bide his time on the ropes, as his Botswana-born foe unloaded, before working his way clear and finding the space to land decent shots of his own. One wondered if those prolonged early periods of pressure from Essuman would prove pivotal, or if Nurse’s more precise work once those bursts had subsided would see him upset the locals.
Two of the three judges had it close at the finish, as did I and several others at ringside. Victor Loughlin scored 96-94 for Essuman, while Terry O’connor had it all square at 95-95. Shaun Messer, however, was obviously an admirer of Essuman’s busy early work in a number of the sessions. He turned in a card reading 98-93 for the champion. A majority decision victory for Essuman was therefore announced, proving the cue for noisy celebrations from most in a hall once more packed to the rafters. The third man was Mark Lyson.
Doncaster’s Mark Bennett was pitched in against fleshy Stockport southpaw
Chris Healey, and what transpired was a highly entertaining 12 minutes, with both combatants throwing, and taking, some huge bombs. Quite how Healey – who was counted in the second by referee Messer after only the ropes prevented him going down – absorbed some of those that caught him flush, before slamming back his own shots, was quite something to behold.
Going into the last, both were tiring visibly and there remained a feeling that it was still there to be won, should either be able to mount one last big attack. Bennett backed Healey up once more with another huge right, but the man from Cheshire wouldn’t crumble and duly made it through to the finish, at which point Bennett was acclaimed a 39-37 winner.
Impressive on his debut was Beeston’s
Joe Underwood-hughes. He needed all of 56 seconds of a slated four-rounder to dispose of Leeds’ experienced Russ Midgley, who was initially hurt by a spiteful left uppercut and then sent to his knees in centre ring by the follow-up. Referee Loughlin called it off, despite Midgley just managing to beat the count. Midgley, 36, retired afterwards.
There were pro bows for two other ticket-sellers. Newark’s Regis Sugden, whose elder brother Chad already punches for pay, and Ilkeston’s Kyle Hughes were both victorious to the tune of 40-36 on the card of Mr Messer against Italian
Victor Edagha and Salford’s
Steven Backhouse respectively. Sugden opened up a healthy early lead courtesy of some nice work to the body, and while Backhouse had some decent spells of his own, the first-timer was a worthy shutout winner. The Southwark-based Edagha, meanwhile, picked up a couple of warnings for transgressions along the way in losing to Hughes.
A further quartet of fours all went the distance. The first, overseen by Mr Messer, resulted in Radford’s Omari Grant securing a 40-36 win over Stockport’s Jamie Quinn, who, while finding the odd moment to clown, was well beaten.
Mr Loughlin awarded victories to Clifton’s Ryan Amos against Sheffield’s still-winless Karim Khan (40-36), Worksop’s well-supported Dylan Clegg over Lydney centurion Lewis van Poetsch (40-37), and Bilborough’s Paul Thompson, who, despite picking up a cut to the left eyebrow in the third, edged a 39-38 decision versus Plymouth’s Chris Adaway.
THE VERDICT Another full house, including old favourite, Jason Booth.