KING OF THE SOUTH
Antwi grinds down brave Smith to claim Southern Area crown
SAMUEL ANTWI overcame a slightly shaky start to floor and halt popular
Jez Smith in eight rounds and annex the vacant Southern Area welterweight title at York Hall. Smith (Harrow Weald) was unbeaten in 12 going in, while Antwi had eight wins against one defeat. The statistics seemed to favour Smith, but Antwi delivered, dropping Smith three times in the seventh and once in the eighth before referee Lee Cook waved it off after 1-01.
Both began by feeling each other out, but a sustained burst from Smith in the opener had Antwi holding on, and soon after a right to the head had him grabbing again. Antwi (Stockwell) tried to hit back, but lacked Smith’s power. Smith used his extra reach, scoring with long jabs, and looked on top in the next two sessions. He dominated the first half of the fourth, too, a right to the head forcing Antwi to hold. But the shorter Antwi kept coming forward, and in this round things changed dramatically. Smith was pressured into a corner but seemed composed, moving his head and blocking punches. Then suddenly Smith wasn’t avoiding the shots any longer, Antwi was getting through. Smith got away at last but Antwi ploughed after him.
The bell came as a relief for Smith and he started the fifth strongly, landing two rights to the head. But Antwi came back, and again Smith was taking stick on the ropes. Antwi shipped a decent right but fought back, though Smith’s rally had him holding on. Smith attacked again in the sixth but Antwi returned fire. Smith covered up as best he could, but some solid punches were getting through. And the seventh was a nightmare for Smith. A left hook to the body nearly doubled him over, and Antwi’s follow-up had him down by the ropes. He took the full ‘eight’, and a burst ending with a right to the head had him down again. Up at ‘eight’, he tried to fight back as Antwi came in, but a right to the body floored him a third time – the bell rang at ‘six’, and Smith took the eight-count before walking to his corner.
Smith had to be lifted off his stool when the bell rang for the eighth, and the end wasn’t long coming. Smith attacked gamely but was soon forced to hold. Another Smith assault had Antwi hitting back, and finally a right to the ribs had Smith down again. The towel came in from Smith’s corner, and referee Cook signalled the end.
The only other inside-schedule finish on this British Warrior Boxing bill saw Gerome Warburton (Colwyn Bay) halt fellow southpaw Celal Ozturk
(Hackney) in the second of a scheduled four. Both debutants landed jabs in the opener, but in the second a right to the head had Ozturk down by the ropes for ‘eight’. Warburton’s follow-up had Ozturk holding on, and finally a burst to the head had Ozturk down again, for ‘eight’. Warburton followed up with both hands to prompt referee Lee Every to wave it off after 2-49.
Louis Isaacs (Islington) outscored Cardiff’s Rhys Saunders, referee Ian John-lewis scoring 59-55. Isaacs was always a move ahead, and Saunders bled from the nose in the first and was staggered in the fifth by a head shot, but he fought back grimly under pressure, and made it to the end.
Seaham’s Jordan Ellison looked like going down after being tagged by a right in the second against Tottenham’s Jeff Ofori. But Ellison survived, hit back when he could, and lasted the full six – referee Every scoring for Ofori by 59-56. Ofori landed consistently with both hands, to head and body.
Mr John-lewis had Ollie Pattison
(London Colney) beating York’s Harry Matthews by 39-37, and there were 40-36 victories from Mr Cook for Davis Pagan (Basildon) over Liam Griffiths
(Bognor Regis) and Mason Smith
(London) against Naheem Chaudhry
(Blackburn). The same scoreline (40-36) also went to Obi Egbunike (Acton) over Liverpool-based Lithuanian Genadij Krajevskij (Mr John-lewis) and debutant Alex Ananivi (Ghana/ Edgware) against Barcelona-based Nicaraguan Geiboord Omier (Mr Every).