TIGERS ROAR
David Wainwright sees local talents thrive on entertaining show
HULL-BASED Lithuanian Evaldas Korsakas, the super-welterweight Central Area champion, ended 2019 on a high with a comprehensive 60-53 victory over countryman Arvydas Trizno on Carl Greaves’ Hull’s Tigers show at KCOM Stadium.
What made this result more impressive was that tough southpaw Korsakas pretty much boxed the whole fight one-handed due to a hand injury; he’s booked in for surgery this week. He put Trizno down during the final round with a cracking shot to the ribs, but his compatriot held on to hear the final bell. Fight of the night was the six-round war between Scunthorpe’s unbeaten superwelterweight Luke Fisher and durable Devonian Shane Medlen.
Former three-time Combined Services champion Fisher was cruising to victory until he got caught by hurtful head shots towards the end of the second.
From that point on the fans were treated to a real barnstormer as the fighters traded blows - and despite a final warning by referee Ron Kearney for pushing during a bruising fourth, Fisher prevailed comfortably by 59-57. There were first-time stoppages for Hull pair Conor Seymour, back after 19 months away from boxing, and
Lewis Sylvester, over respectively Manchester’s Ryan Hibbert and Hereford’s Dean Evans. Referee Kearney rescued Evans after one minute 30 seconds of round two and stopped Hibbert from getting seriously hurt at one minute 21 seconds of round three. York’s busy Cam Shaw won convincingly over four rounds (40-37) over Batley’s game Nabil Ahmed. This was Shaw’s fourth professional fight in as many months, and he will be looking to keep this going in 2020.
Hull debutant Chelsey Arnell became the first female boxer from the city to fight for nearly 60 years and showed great determination to overcome early nerves to salvage a draw against tough Lithuanian Vaida
Masiokaite over four hard-fought rounds.
THE VERDICT Korsakas and Fisher will aim for bigger fights in 2020.