THE FIGHTBACK
Mccord recovers from two early knockdowns to KO Laskowski
MY father once said you can tell a lot about a boxing match by looking at the fighters’ shorts. And sure enough, the attire worn by Calvin Mccord and Marek Laskowski in their vacant Scottish lightweight title bout told a story.
Local man Mccord sported dazzling colours festooned with sponsors’ logos; Laskowski plain black. Mccord’s dress code spoke of the vibrancy of youth, the confidence of an unbeaten record, and the money behind him. Laskowski, meanwhile, was the unassuming outsider; a Polish migrant from Aberdeen with neither a travelling fan base nor corporate backing. But his choice of colours also hinted at a no-nonsense approach; a fight-anyone attitude and a certain grit.
Mccord, 22, from nearby Ayr, was boxing on home turf for the first time and was reckless in his intent to please his fans on this Kynoch Boxing promotion in the Trump Turnberry resort. Laskowski stayed composed and countered sharply from his southpaw stance as Mccord rushed in. He dropped the local favourite with right hands in both of the first two rounds, and it looked as though Mccord, previously fed a diet of reliable losers, was going to be found out.
Veteran Laskowski was boxing with the poise of a man whose experience dwarfed his rival’s, but youth, as it so often is in boxing, was ultimately served. Mccord’s sheer doggedness broke down the eight-years-older Laskowski bit by bit, and he had taken control by the halfway mark. Body shots scored knockdowns in rounds seven and eight and Laskowski, a former holder of this same belt, could not beat the count a second time. Mccord was crowned at the 0-44 mark by referee Kenny Pringle, and will have learned more from this fourknockdown thriller than his previous five victories combined.
Dave Allen will be encouraged by the events of Lucas Browne’s surprise appearance in rural Scotland. The “special attraction” pitted the Australian heavyweight against Polish journeyman
Kamil Sokolowski in what looked a routine affair on paper, but it almost upended Browne’s mooted match with Allen. Browne was dropped by a left hook in round two, and generally looked rather pedestrian. He turns 40 next month. Still, his jab busted up Sokolowski down the stretch and saw him squeak a win by just one point (57-56) on referee Darren Maxwell’s card.
Paul Kean showed old rival Stefan Sanderson how to bounce back from a defeat. Kean surrendered his unbeaten record to Sanderson when they fought six months ago, but looked much improved here. Contesting the vacant Scottish super-welterweight title, Glaswegian co-challenger Craig Kelly ploughed forward incessantly, only to be picked apart by expertly timed counters from Dundee’s Kean. A right cross dropped Kelly hard in round three. He got up at ‘eight’ but reeled back and was rescued by Mr Pringle at 1-24.
Sanderson was another aggressor undone by a sharp counter-puncher. Celtic super-welterweight title-holder
Jay Byrne of Dublin boxed with the confidence befitting a new champion, taunting and frustrating Sanderson (Glasgow), and increasingly punishing him as the fight went deeper. Judges Shaun Messer (98-93) and Mr Maxwell (96-94) rewarded him accordingly, while Mr Pringle’s 95-95 vote was much too close. Victor Loughlin refereed
If Sanderson learns from this maiden defeat in the same way Kean did from his, a rematch between them looks a natural, especially as Kean now holds the belt that Sanderson claimed in their first encounter. Sanderson may look to go up a weight, though, as he failed to make the limit for this one, coming in one pound over and forfeiting his chance to win the title. Byrne, in making weight and winning, is credited with a successful first defence.
Promoter Sam Kynoch suggests Dean Sutherland might be “the hottest prospect in Scottish boxing.” The flashy, fast-handed Aberdonian continued to impress, surviving a spirited effort from Northolt veteran Ryan Toms and finishing strongly in this all-southpaw affair to earn a 59-56 verdict from Mr Maxwell. Former two-time Southern Area champ Toms came to win, which is more than could be said for Southwarkbased Italian Victor Edagha, who led Trigger Wood on a merry dance, testing the patience of his Dumfries opponent, the referee and the fans. Mr Maxwell’s 60-54 card was inevitable from the start.
THE VERDICT A night of action and variety creates numerous talking points.