ALL PRAISE THE GENTLEMAN
BOXING has taken a battering lately for a variety of factors, and with good reason.
But only boxing, though, can give moments of almost indescribable joy, as it did on Saturday night for Chris Billamsmith. I feel privileged to have been ringside for such a special occasion, both for Bournemouth and for a very special individual. Hats off to a real warrior in the ring who lives up to his nickname of 'The Gentleman‘ outside the ring. This success really couldn ‘t have happened to a nicer man.
Tim Farmer
OKOLIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DQ'D
WHAT a night for Chris Billam-smith. A great buildup, a great fairytale ending, boxing needs more of this - hometown heroes in hometown events where the community can get behind their fighter. Glad he got the verdict but, for me, Okolie should have been disqualified by the halfway mark for the constant grabbing and holding.
Referees need to get stricter on eradicating what are illegal wrestling tactics. Even Henry Akinwande would have been embarrassed by the amount of holding Okolie did. He partially redeemed himself by his humility in defeat, but in the contractual rematch, his grab-holdwrestling needs to be dealt with early on and hopefully send a message to other fighters that this is pugilism and not WWE! Paul Thorpe
WOOD SIMPLY OUTSTANDING
OUTSTANDING performance from Leigh Wood – he executed a game plan perfectly and learned from the first fight.
Ben Davison is a trainer in ascendancy,. He was faultless in his advice and the cut man was also perfect.
Throughout, Wood kept his right hand high and I counted only two occasions when he backed up in a straight line with his chin high. World-class fighters adapt and Wood has proved he belonged. Mauricio Lara is a dangerous, exciting fighter who fell short, but I’m sure he’ll continue to be a draw. Almost Wilderesque, his threat made the fight intense for the entire fight.
Morgan Howell
DON'T IGNORE RINGSIDE CARE HOME
I WAS reading Tris Dixon's excellent book Damage this week and in it there’s a mention of an attempt by renowned physician Ernst Jokl to set up a home for brain-damaged fighters way back in 1937. This inevitably never happened and as Tris succinctly puts it: "Boxing shrugged its shoulders as it always has." What a shame, then, and to modern boxing’s utter embarrassment, that 86 years on this is still the case with regards to The Ringside Charitable Trust and the care home they're trying so hard to open. Lawrence Doolan