CZECH BOUNCED

Andy Whittle watches comebacking southpaw Ajisafe win early

IT was time once more for Steve Wood’s Jolly Boys show at the Victoria Warehouse. Five bouts – a scheduled six which didn’t go the distance and a quartet of fours which did – were served up after the last of the Christmas dinner had been polished off. It quickly became apparent that former British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champ

Bob Ajisafe, back for the first time since May last year, was in no mood for hanging around. After having a look in the opener, he duly halted fleshy Czech Dominik Landgraf in the next, sending him to his knees with a spiteful left to the body. The Leeds southpaw prompted the intervention of Jamie Kirkpatrick just moments later, when with just 1-33 gone he moved in to deliver the coup de grace. After slipping up last time out, Darwen’s

Luke Blackledge returned to winning ways, Steve Gray adjudging him a 40-37 victor over York’s Harry Matthews. The same official awarded two-fight novice Bradley Rea, from nearby Stretford, a shutout 40-36 win over Port Talbot’s Geraint Goodridge.

Leigh’s Kyle Lomotey had got the festive ball rolling against tattooed Liverpool firsttimer Genadij Krajevskij. After giving a decent enough account of himself in the first, Krajevskij fell away, having picked up a cut to the right eyebrow (four stitches) early in the second. Kirkpatrick scored 40-36, as was the case in the clash between another Leigh boxer,

Adam Ridge, and Reading’s Ibrar Riyaz. Ibrar was in once more as a late sub after a bout between Ridge and Joe Eko failed to materialise.

A fair few punters were in for a surprise on leaving, with an over-officious traffic warden, his Christmas spirit not yet taken hold, having issued tickets to around 30 vehicles parked on the road outside the venue.