LAST-MINUTE MAN
Late-notice opponent Blair is stopped in four by Flatley
STEVE WOOD put on a VIP Promotions show at the Victoria Warehouse to keep some of his prospects busy. There was a wedding taking place next door and the flustered bride shot me a glance of pure hatred when asked where the fights were taking place. After realising that her reception had not descended into chaos, she directed me to the appropriate venue.
It was a case of two Jacks in the city as Bolton’s Jack Cullen and Jack Flatley took on York’s Harry Matthews and Bangor’s Casey Blair respectively in the penultimate and final fights
Wood had been matchmaking until late on Friday, with Flatley the recipient of a few calls to Northern Ireland as Blair arrived shortly after 5pm to ensure that he could feature in a four-rounder.
Flatley, though, suffered a small, horizontal cut over his left eye after a head clash in round one. Undeterred, he clubbed his opponent to the canvas in the third. Blair rose to see the round out yet an unanswered salvo in round four prompted referee Darren Sarginson to jump in at 0-29.
Cullen was coming off his first defeat, an opening-round loss to Roy Sheahan in March. Switching stances throughout, he posted a 59-55 win over Matthews on referee Steve Gray’s card.
Ashton’s Charlie Schofield shifts a few tickets and the crowd really got behind him as he boxed his way to a routine 60-54 victory over Lithuania’s Remigijus Ziausys for Sarginson. Kane Gardner showed a different kind of perseverance in his scheduled four with Alex Bazza after the Beswick boxer was adjudged to have landed low blows in the first two by Gray, leading to a point deduction in round two. A further left to the body put Belfast’s Bazza down only for Gray to once again call a foul.
Gardner switched to the head in the third, landing often and hard enough for Gray to stop the contest with 50 seconds gone in the round.
Flixton’s John Telford did not hang around either, flooring Bulgarian Georgi Valevski courtesy of a nice right hook to the head in round two of their scheduled six. Sarginson correctly called it off at 1-04.
Islington journeyman Jordan Grannum showed some ability despite losing every round against an improving James Moorecroft. The Wigan fan favourite switched his attacks well, as Gray turned in a 60-54 card.
Moston’s rising star Lyndon Arthur jabbed Norbert Szekeres onto the back foot in round one then smashed him into submission after only 33 seconds of round two of their scheduled four. A left uppercut followed by a right hand put the Hungarian over and prompted Sarginson to dispense with the count.
Kieran Jones against Islington’s Jules Phillips preceded Arthur’s win. Droylsden’s Jones boxed well enough to net a 39-37 win on Gray’s card.
Liverpool’s Ricky Starkey started badly in his four-rounder against Cumbria’s Ross Cooksey after being a bit too liberal with the use of his head. Referee Gray did not even bother to caution him, electing instead to deduct a point.
Cooksey started to find a bit of range in the third, bundling Starkey over with a few swiped shots, including a right uppercut. Fully committed to defeat by this point, Starkey held and hit throughout the early stages of the fourth, once again losing a point. Calculators were handed around ringside as Gray totted up his card. He had it 40-33 for Cooksey.
Victor Edagha also lost a point in the first round of his four against Oldham’s
Jack Kilgannon for holding. The Lazioborn, Southwark-based fighter was warned by Sarginson in the second for clinching and was docked for the same offence in the third. Sarginson tallied 40-34 to Kilgannon.
Oldham’s Joe Eko handily outpointed Newark’s Fonz Alexander. Fonz had to have his long, luxurious hair greased back with Vaseline at the end of the first and it was not a happy day for him as he lost 40-36 for Gray.
Lewis van Poetsch rocked a wonderfully groomed moustache against Wigan’s Casey Connelly, only for the Lydney boxer’s work of facial art to be ruined by blood from his nose. He was also cut by the left eye and lost all four rounds on Sarginson’s card.
THE VERDICT Wood continues to keep his fighters busy, while the fans create a good atmosphere.