AND STILL…
O’maison keeps English crown after hard-fought draw
SAM O’MAISON clung on to his English super-lightweight title by holding determined challenger Kay Prospere to a majority draw at York Hall. After 10 hardfought rounds, which saw the initiative switch from one to the other and back again, judge Steve Gray turned in a 96-94 card to O’maison, but was overruled by 95-95 tallies from Ian John-lewis and Robert Williams. At the final bell, Propsere (Luton) threw his arms up in triumph. When the verdict was announced, he sank to the canvas, inconsolable. This was so close, and such a crowd-pleaser, that it surely must go on again. I thought the result was fair. As round followed round, one or the other would launch an attack, only for the other to come storming back. Every session was close.
After starting orthodox, Prospere switched to southpaw in the second, and stayed that way virtually throughout. O’maison (Sheffield) stuck to his natural southpaw. It was intense and physical. Referee Marcus Mcdonnell warned O’maison for low blows in the sixth and ninth, and Prospere was wrestled over twice in the last – a session which saw a sustained O’maison assault stagger Prospere momentarily by the ropes.
There was joy for Luton in the chief support, with Linus Udofia halting Guildford’s Darren Codona in the seventh of their official 10-round final eliminator for the English middleweight belt. Codona started aggressively, but was floored in the third by a right to the side of the head, which sent him down in delayed action. He took the eight-count and fought back gamely, but Udofia had control now, and never relinquished it. In the sixth, an Udofia attack had Codona’s glove touching the canvas, and referee John-lewis counted.
Codona made a big effort in the seventh, but was pressured to the ropes, where an unanswered burst from Udofia prompted Mr John-lewis to make a welljudged stoppage after 1-44. Udofia will be targeting the winner of Reece Cartwright’s defence against Jack Cullen, set for May 11.
Former English super-flyweight champion Brad Watson (Guernsey) came back after more than a year out and stopped Bulgarian Georgi Georgiev in just 2-24 of a scheduled six. Georgiev looked altogether smaller, and a right to the head dropped him by the ropes. Up at ‘three’, he was under more pressure, and a burst, ending with a right to the body, floored him again. He was up quickly, to take the eight-count, but one more right to the head convinced referee Chas Coakley to call it off.
The biggest shock on this Goodwin promotion was Jumanne Camero’s well-deserved points win over Oxford’s
Adrian Martin. Going in, Martin was 9-0, while Camero had lost his last two. But southpaw Camero (Mitcham) grabbed the initiative from the outset, bulldozing his way forward, while Martin moved and looked to counter. It was gruelling, and there were some good exchanges, but generally Camero was outworking his man and was rewarded for it. Referee John-lewis tallied 59-56.
Duane Sinclair (Thornton Heath) claimed a third-round stoppage (set for six) of Bulgarian Tayar Mehmed. Sinclair dominated the first two against a willing opponent, with Mehmed looking unsteady in the second and later holding on when Sinclair opened up. In the third, a right sent Mehmed down, face-first. He was up at ‘six’, but referee Mark Bates counted to ‘eight’ and signalled the end. Meanwhile, Dana Zaxo (Hammersmith) well beat Hungary’s Norbert Szekeres, referee John-lewis scoring 40-36.
Mr Coakley had Mikael Lawal (Shepherd’s Bush) beating Swadlincote’s willing Kent Kaupinnen by 59-55, while Mr Bates scored for Robbie Chapman (Chalk Farm) over Islington’s Jordan Grannum by the same margin, and for Northolt’s Dennis Wahome against
Latvian Aleksandr Birkenbergs by 59-56.
Two debutants were victorious, with Croydon’s Ziggy Macaulay defeating
Callum Ide (Bognor Regis) by 39-38 (Coakley), and Kane Cantell (Hampton Court) taking a 40-36 verdict over Gloucester’s Andy Harris (Bates). Elsewhere, Mr Coakley handed 40-36 wins to Hayes pair Jack Newham and Ricky Heavens against Croatia’s Antonio Horvatic and Bulgarian Teodor Boyadjiev respectively. It was nice to see house seconds Dave Cowland and John Patterson called into the ring after working 1,000 corners.
THE VERDICT O’maison-prospere has to go on again.