SUPER SOUTHPAWS
Hajee and Visioli win to set up intriguing London final, writes Daniel Herbert at ringside
DAGENHAM Roundhouse hosted the London Elite Championship semifinals on March 19, when 13 bouts (one female) were needed to decide the finalists at Ilford Coliseum tomorrow (Friday March 25, 7.15pm start).
There is an all-southpaw lightweight final after Hamza Hajee-sheriff and Giorgio Visioli both won unanimously, over Dettori Brown and Jiyan Oguz respectively.
Hajee-sheriff (East London Boxing Academy) used his height and reach advantages to control from the outside against Five Star’s Brown, who had been his clubmate until a couple of weeks earlier. The doctor inspected slight damage over Hamza’s left eye in the last but that was his only concern.
Visioli displayed good movement and fast hands to pile up points against Oguz. A big salvo brought the Finchley boxer a count in round two and by the last Visioli could afford to ease off slightly, victory in the bag.
Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice? It certainly did for Amo Singh (Fight For Peace).
In November, Amo (then representing Repton) was disqualified in round three of the London 64kgs final against
Mitchell Asare. They met again in a semi at 63.5kgs – and Singh was again thrown out, after being warned for holding in round one and twice for headwork in the second.
It was scrappy rather than dirty, and White Hart Lane’s Asare also received a warning for holding (in round two, before Singh’s warnings). Asare now meets
Oliver Donovan (Repton) in the final.
There was better luck for the Singh family when younger brother Ram Singh reached the 67kgs final with a 3-2 split win over Marius Potop (Peacock).
This was the afternoon’s best bout. Singh (Fight For Peace) started fast, using his height and reach to win the first with stinging rights. Potop, London champ in November at 69kgs, roared back in round two and made Singh grab under pressure.
Both had success in the last, with Potop’s single rights scoring – Singh took a count from one – but Ram landing himself with combinations. It could have gone either way, but it’s Singh who faces
Cameron Mckay (White Hart Lane) in the final.
At 71kgs both semis produced a 4-1 win, for Martin Mcdonagh (White Hart Lane) over Thomas Benett (Repton) and for Christian Thomas (St Pancras) over
Bilal Berkoun (All Stars).
Southpaw Mcdonagh used fast hands and a busy style to outwork gritty Benett, who was warned for “head” in the last.
Taller Thomas built an early lead over Berkoun that allowed him to survive a last-round rally from the All Stars entry.
Middleweight produced controversy as Dale Youth’s David Dariyon “Denzil” Bennett was disqualified in the last round when seemingly on the way to victory against Kiev-del Dyer (White Hart Lane).
Each was warned for holding in round one, but when southpaw Bennett dropped Dyer hard in the second it appeared he had taken a firm grip on the bout. But in round three referee Jumbo Basi threw out Bennett for use of the head.
Dyer now meets Jimmy Sains (Repton) in the final, while the 80kgs decider pits Omar Augustine (Earlsfield) against Oladimeji Shittu after the Five Star boxer used his movement and skills to unanimously outscore Dale Youth’s
Lucas Roehrig.
Dale will have a finalist, at 86kgs, after
Tino Bellot landed good left hooks and right crosses en route to a unanimous victory over Finchley’s Callum Mansell.
The other semi at the weight saw Tim Olla (Romford) make tell his heavier hitting against Daniel Buisha (Don Davies BA), who was counted on late in round three and finished extremely tired.
Jack Daly, November’s London champ at 91kgs, is back in the final at the new 92 weight after unanimously outpointing Mohammed Taleb. ELBA’S Daly landed many hard rights and gave Taleb (Stonebridge) a count in round two.
And it was a big right-hander that decided the other 92kgs semi, Peacock’s
Demur Macharashvili landing it on Tyrieq Campbell in round one. The Repton boxer crumbled into the ropes and it was waved off without a count for a “KO” verdict.
In the lone female contest, tall southpaw Paulina Biernat (Afewee) picked off the incoming Bianca Haynes
(Churchills) for a unanimous win at 54kgs. Biernat meets Jay Dujon (Repton) in the final.
Straight finals are Yusuf Thahmim
(Haringey) vs Darren Bailey
(Dagenham) at 54kgs, Billy Adams
(Dagenham) vs Aymane Bourhfir
(Afewee) at 57kgs, and Mala Misthry
(Churchills) vs Elizabeth Palmercouzens (Repton) at women’s 57kgs.