CONTROVERSIAL
Mendes gets verdict over Little, writes Daniel Herbert from ringside
BETHNAL GREEN MARCH 26 ★★★☆☆ WHOLE SHOW
IT seems the scoring debate just won’t go away. The latest controversy came in the main event of the Goodwin show at York Hall, which saw Daniel Mendes given a 96-95 points victory over Mark Little after 10 rounds for the vacant Southern Area cruiserweight title.
I had it 96-94 Little (six rounds to four), and the ringside consensus was that the Romford man had done enough. But scoring referee Lee Every disagreed, his card presumably meaning 5-4-1 in rounds to Silvertown southpaw Mendes.
It came down to quality or quantity. Mendes had the better technique, which enabled him to land the cleaner punches – but he didn’t land that many.
Little chugged forward throughout, letting shots go constantly, and while not everything got through, enough did to give him the edge in most sessions – or so it seemed.
Mendes definitely won the first two rounds, when he moved around the ring and used his long arms effectively to catch the incoming Little. But the musclebound Mendes couldn’t sustain his efforts for long, and by round three Little’s pressure was starting to tell as he pinned his man in a corner.
Mendes spent most of round four on the ropes, gulping in air, and when Little’s attacking kept him under pressure in the fifth and sixth, it seemed the “Boleyn Boy” had taken firm control of the contest.
But for all Mark’s endeavour, he could never find a concussive blow, and Mendes edged the seventh with a cracking left-hander as the Romford man’s workrate dipped.
Little kept ploughing away to win rounds eight and nine for me, his efforts stifling Mendes, who spent most of the time on the ropes, rarely punching back.
There was a good exchange to begin the last but although Little banged in a good right to the body, Mendes roused himself enough to nick a gruelling session – and, as it turned out, the verdict for the lone man that mattered.
With several fights falling through, this “Box Mania 1” card was reduced to six bouts, but the undercard was entertaining.
Ilford maths teacher Ramaz Mahmood rejoices in the nickname “Mathmagician” – and he certainly produced enough skill to outpoint Cornwall’s Marcus Hodgson in a superfeather six-rounder.
Referee Chas Coakley scored 60-54 but that seemed a little harsh on the effort Hodgson (Launceston) contributed in the contest’s first half, when his hand speed allowed him to land some decent rights as Mahmood came forward.
The middle rounds were enjoyable as both slammed away freely, but as Hodgson tired, Mahmood got well on top to bloody his opponent’s nose in round five and land a big right in the last.
The other six was at cruiserweight and saw Peckham’s Ross Mcguigan also win 60-54 for Mr Coakley, over rugged Willesden man Ossie Jervier.
Mcguigan, in only his second pro outing, produced plenty of flash as he let go fast jabs and banged in rights both upstairs and down. But experienced Jervier just kept rumbling in, trying to cut down his opponent’s punching room – and absorbing everything that did find the target.
Another who had won his only previous pro fight wasn’t as successful as Luke Ransley (Dover) could only share a 38-38 draw with York man Harry Matthews in a light-heavyweight four.
Both had their moments. Matthews, known as the “Pocklington Rocket”, landed a good right in the first and followed up with a thumping right to the body in round two.
Ransley went on the attack in round three, when he scored with a notable left hook, but by the final bell he had a bump under his left eye – and a drawn verdict from referee Lee Every.
Two popular London debutants made winning starts in fours, albeit in contrasting fashions.
Super-lightweight Emmanuel Zion
switched stances effectively while banging in hurtful uppercuts and body shots to beat Melksham’s Liam Richards
40-36 for Mr Every. Richards suffered a bloody nose in round three.
But middleweight James Mcateer
was pushed hard by veteran Jordan Grannum (Islington), getting home narrowly at 39-38 for Mr Coakley in the show-opener. Mcateer scored well with rights early on, only for Grannum to rally with his own right-handers in the contest’s second half.
THE VERDICT Once again, boxing scoring comes down to a matter of interpretation.