Wigglesworth defends title
HULL STAR BEATS SELLARS ON POINTS TO RETAIN BELT
MATTHEW Wigglesworth successfully defended his Central Area Middleweight title with a battling points win over Jack Sellars at the KCOM Stadium.
Wigglesworth narrowly saw off his Halifax-based counterpart 96-95 after an emotional war of attrition spanning ten rounds to extend his unbeaten professional record to seven wins and two draws from nine fights.
The 27-year-old started slowly in a testing first round as Sellars was the first to find his range, but after coming out at a blistering pace in the second Wigglesworth soon had success and hurt his challenger with a right hook.
As the fight progressed there was little between the pair as they bit down on their gumshields and embarked on a gritty contest of which much was fought at close quarters.
However, it was Wigglesworth who consistently delivered the most eye-catching shots in what was the most entertaining fight of promoter Carl Greaves’ show in the Kingston Suite.
The Hull fighter thought he had found a breakthrough in the ninth round after Sellars hit the canvas briefly following an exchange, only for it to be ruled a slip by the referee.
Ultimately, though, he didn’t need the knock down with the scorecard ruling in his favour to defend his Central Area crown for the first time.
Hull-born Ryan Gibbons fought his way to a third successive points win in the second fight of the evening in a four-round contest against the spirited Stephen Maguire.
Buoyed by the home support, Gibbons came out of his corner quickly, picking quick and effective shots before unleashing devastating combinations to rock his opponent in the first round.
The bantamweight did pick up a cut above his right eye in the third round, which served to spur Maguire on in the second half of the fight and prompting wild swinging shots from the Manchester man as he sensed an upset.
But, despite the gash threatening to impose on his vision, the Iceman kept his cool and showed the class he possesses to box smartly and remain behind his jab to win all four rounds convincingly and continue his unbeaten start to life in the professional ranks.
Luke Fisher got the evening underway with his second career win over the tricky journeyman William Warburton.
Scunthorpe’s unbeaten welterweight found joy behind the jab and stalked his experienced opponent, who was taking part in his 180 professional fight, around the ring to win all four rounds before seeing his arm raised in victory.