Graceful Luke shows just why he belongs on the world stage
A SHOT AT THE BIGGEST PRIZE NOW AWAITS FOR CAMPBELL. JAMES SMAILES LOOKS AT HOW HULL’S BOXING CHAMPION PROVED HIS TITLE CREDENTIALS IN THE CAPITAL
Graceful, precise and with movement and footwork which would wow the judges of a certain Saturday night dancing show, Luke Campbell delivered a performance Strictly from the very top drawer.
The prize for his unanimous points victory over Yvan Mendy is a world title shot at the WBC belt, a fitting reward for a performance that underlined Campbell’s world level ability.
All three judges at Wembley Stadium gave the home favourite the decision, with no complaints at the wide margin of the result (119-109, 118-111, 116-112), such was the southpaw’s dominance on a wet and cool night.
The contest may not have contained the type or explosive power that followed from Anthony Joshua in knocking out Alexander Povetkin, but it didn’t need to. While the heavyweights brought the brute force, Campbell extolled the virtues of movement, speed, a relentlessly effective jab and footwork Fred Astaire would be proud of.
There were no surprises from Mendy, who followed a formula which had taken him to number one in the WBC rankings.
Commanding the centre of the ring, the Frenchman came forward, not with wilful abandonment but poise and patience, trying to close Campbell down before getting within striking distance.
The difficulty he found was an opponent fleet of foot. Mendy may be known as The Lion, but it was Campbell who circled the ring as if hunting his prey, boxing beautifully on the back foot and remaining elusive to the point of increased frustration for Mendy.
Drawing in his opponent, the Hull boxer’s hand speed, accuracy and power were too much for Mendy, who continued to keep coming forward seemingly unaware how to change his approach. There was the occasional success for the 33-year-old from Paris, coming in the second and again penultimate round as