HUMBER-LIEVABLE

Down but not out, Coghill turns it on its head, writes Andy Whittle

BOXING returned to the City Hall with a bang after an absence of four years, with the final two bouts proving absolute barnstormers. Sent to his knees twice by body shots, in the third and seventh of a scheduled eight-round bout by Armenian Davit Hovhannisyan, Hull’s Connor Coghill had to dig deeper than ever before to keep his 100 per cent record.

With defeat staring him in the face, Connor summoned up the strength to slam home several huge head shots, forcing the intervention of third man Darren Sarginson with 15 seconds of the penultimate session remaining.

Hull’s unbeaten Lewis Sylvester came out on top against Seaham’s Northern Area superwelterweight champ Jordan Ellison. Referee Mike Alexander scored 59-56 at the finish, the score not fully recognising Jordan’s contribution.

Keighley’s unbeaten Ibrahim Nadim had a six against Nicaraguan Engel Gomez who fell away late and was unable to prevent the Yorkshireman taking all six rounds for referee Darren Sarginson. The same official turned in an identical card at the conclusion of another more spirited six between Hullbased Lithuanian Evaldas Korsakas and Middlesbrough battler CJ Wood who, outboxed, finished with a slightly bloodied nose.

Success over six too for Scunthorpe’s Luke Fisher who after getting through to the body of Russian Evgenii Vazem with several eyecatching lefts took the 59-56 decision of Mr Alexander. Two four-round tussles brought distance victories for the home corner, Darlington’s Ben Marksby romping to a particularly one-sided win over Blackburn’s Naeem Ali and local debutant Logan Richardson emerging a 39-37 winner of a feisty encounter with Bradford’s Jake Pollard, respective referees being Doncaster’s Mike Alexander and Manchester’s Darren Sarginson.

FULL RESULTS

Connor Coghill (127lbs 7oz), 11-0 (1), w rsf 7 Davit Hovhannisyan (131lbs), 5-10 (1); Lewis Sylvester (142 1/2lbs), 9-0 (3), w pts 6 Jordan Ellison (141 1/2lbs), 13-37-2 (1); Luke Fisher (158 1/2lbs), 6-0 (2), w pts 6 Evgenii Vazem (152 1/2lbs), 9-24 (4); Ibrahim Nadim (123 3/4lbs), 7-0, w pts 4 Engel Gomez (123lbs), 8-8-1 (4); Evaldas Korsakas (154 1/2lbs), 11-8-3 (5), w pts 6 CJ Wood (156 3/4lbs), 3-3-2 (1); Ben Marksby (143 1/2lbs), 4-0, w pts 4 Naeem Ali (154 1/2lbs), 2-82-1 (1); Logan Richardson (120lbs 2oz), 1-0, w pts 4 Luke Pollard (118 1/2lbs), 0-32.