Top bombing
Reporters’ star ratings for main events and undercards are based on in-ring entertainment, competitiveness and whether overall expectation was met Zorro and Hutchinson get impressive wins in well-matched fights, writes from ringside
BETHNAL GREEN
MAY 12
WHOLE SHOW
Hutchinson kept his pre-fight promise to beat Maderna in four and the Argentine, the older boxer by 12 years at 36, was taken to hospital afterwards as a precaution.
Hutchinson shouted “you’re next” at Dan Azeez after spotting him at ringside before admitting, “I need to keep my left hand up,” recognising Maderna had his successes.
At the opening bell, Hutchinson marched purposefully towards the centre of the ring and within seconds, he ate a right. He took the shot well and soon had Maderna on shaky legs after connecting with a chopping counter. Maderna just managed to keep his glove off the canvas and reached for Hutchinson’s waist. The Scot shifted his feet to land a clipping left hook that had Maderna flapping again.
Maderna pulled himself together and cracked a right off Hutchinson’s jaw in the last 40 seconds of the round to bring gasps from a good-sized crowd.
The Argentine took the fight to Hutchinson at the start of the second – and walked onto a left hook that put him down.
Up quickly, Maderna nodded at Hutchinson and was outboxed until the dying seconds when he grazed Hutchinson’s chin with a right.
Hutchinson spent much of a quieter third as a southpaw before finding an exclamation-mark finish in the next, arcing a right over Maderna’s lazy left hook and onto his jaw.
Maderna froze for a moment, then clasped both gloves to his face before toppling over.
Hutchinson walked off with his arms aloft, convinced the fight was over. He was right, though Maderna made a couple of attempts to beat the count before it was completed by referee Kevin Parker at 1-15 of the round.
Lewisham cruiserweight Zorro announced himself by suddenly blasting