EARNING THEIR CORN

Mills gets it done before the final bell against Broadbent

BEDFORD OCTOBER 19 ★★★ WHOLE SHOW

THE Corn Exchange played host to a sevenbout Shamrock Boxing promotion, all seven contests taking place over four rounds and all but one of them running their full course. The one that didn’t go the distance between Bedford’s Micky Mills and Tommy

Broadbent of Leeds made it as far as the halfway stage. The Yorkshireman, having just had a point docked by referee Lee Cook and the guiltier of the two for holding in what had been a messy affair from the start, retired citing a groin injury.

A trio of bouts overseen by referee Mark Bates saw wide wins for the home boxers.

Mohammed Aziz (Bedford) and wellsupported Lauren Parker (Stevenage) secured 40-36 victories over Caerphilly’s still-winless Robbie Forster and Slovakia’s experienced Claudia Ferenczi respectively. Aziz, showing fast hands, improved with every round and hurt Forster in the last of an oft-scrappy contest, while Parker jabbed well against an opponent in survival mode. Bicester’s Scott James banked a slightly closer 40-37 win over Warminster’s Paul

Cummings, who took a share of the last. Another bout scored 40-37 (by Mr Cook) after a closer final session gave Bedford’s

Michael Stephenson a third straight win, this latest one against Cambridge’s Gianni

Antoh. While on the receiving end for the most part, Antoh did land a few decent rights.

New starter Connor Downs from Northampton sent his numerous supporters into raptures when he floored Blackburn’s

Naheem Chaudhry inside the opener. He remained on the front foot to claim a 40-35 win from Mr Cook.

Locally-based Albanian Ermal Dida slipped to a first defeat in four when, despite having the better of the last frame, he stood off too often and was edged out 39-38 by Basildon’s harder-working Latvia-born Kristaps Zulgis. Again, Mr Cook was the man in the middle.

FULL RESULTS

Micky Mills, 5-0, w rtd 2 Tommy Broadbent, 8-7 (2); Michael Stephenson, 4-1, w pts 4 Gianni Antoh, 1-10; Connor Downs, 1-0, w pts 4 Naheem Chaudhry, 2-58-1 (1); Kristaps Zulgis, 4-12-3 (2), w pts 4 Ermal Dida, 3-1; Scott James, 5-6-1, w pts 4 Paul Cummings, 2-42; Mohammed Aziz, 2-0 (1), w pts 4 Robbie Forster, 0-11; Lauren Parker, 3-1-1, w pts 4 Claudia Ferenczi, 20-72-8 (10).