LOUIE LOUIE
O’doherty makes some noise by beating Mason, writes Daniel Herbert at ringside
BETHNAL GREEN
FEBRUARY 24
★★★★★ WHOLE SHOW ★★★★★ ATMOSPHERE
IT WAS like the good old days when TM14 Promotions in association with Mo Prior staged a cracking 10-bout show at York Hall, including two exciting battles for vacant Southern Area titles.
The value of a long amateur grounding was never better demonstrated than in the all-essex battle for the lightweight belt, which saw former national elite winner Louie O’doherty outbox and grind down Marley Mason.
Southend’s Mason was pulled out by his corner after eight rounds when he was surely well behind and in danger of falling apart – the closing seconds of the session had seen O’doherty stun him with big shots from either hand and drive him into his own corner.
It was that odd thing, a competitive one-sided fight. Mason worked hard in every round, yet O’doherty (Halstead) was always on top, slipping most of the blows coming his way and countering with solid work to head and body.
A big left jolted the Southend boxer in round three and just when it seemed Mason’s non-stop effort might earn him the fourth, O’doherty rallied late to clinch the session with some quality punches.
By the middle rounds Mason was marking up under the left eye and had a bloody mouth, yet he never stopped trying. His problem was that O’doherty had an answer to everything he did.
In round seven the pace was clearly telling on Mason, who complained of a rabbit punch, only for referee Mark Bates to tell them to box on. And when O’doherty kept the hurtful punches coming in round eight, at the end of the session Mason’s corner did the right thing by sparing their man further punishment.
The Southern Area superfeather belt now resides in Great Yarmouth after Mikie Webberkane scored a sixth-round stoppage of Chatham’s Robert Caswell, who was down four times in total.
Physiques contrasted, with Caswell tall and slim against the barrel-chested Webber-kane. But the Norfolk man showed good technique as he probed intelligently – and he enjoyed an early reward whe, in round one, a right stung Caswell and made him take a count.
In the next, a right-left put the Kent man down again and it seemed we might be in for an early night. But Caswell survived the crisis and tried to work his way back into things as Webber-kane boxed and moved rather than go all-out for the finish.
Caswell jabbed well enough to win the fifth – the first round I gave him – but then it all fell apart in round six. A big left hook dropped Caswell heavily before another left made him sink down for the mandatory eight count.
Upon the resumption, Webber-kane opened up to have him under heavy pressure, and referee Sean Mcavoy intervened with Caswell’s trainer Adam Martin on the ring apron holding the white towel. Time was 2-01.
Closing the show was an intriguing welterweight 10 that pitted unbeaten Welling southpaw Jake Henty against West Molesey’s Alfie Winter, returning seven months after defeat in a Southern Area title fight. And it was Henty, trained by the Smith brothers, Stephen and Paul, who got the win by 96-94 for referee Mcavoy.
Winter enjoyed a good first half of the fight, moving well and jabbing sharply – and he had Henty under pressure late in round four with a barrage of heavy blows.
But over the last five rounds, Henty came into things much more, advancing steadily and landing lefts as Winter let his workrate drop. And Henty finished strongly, opening up with both hands in a dominant last round.
A couple of six-rounders that looked straightforward on paper turned out to be anything but, even though the house fighters did emerge victorious.
Unbeaten Bromley super-welter Billy Jackson had a shock when a simple right over the top from Richard Helm dropped him soon after the opening bell. Jackson slammed back to hurt his Rochdale opponent several times but referee Bates’ 57-56 score for Jackson suggested Helm competed well enough to win two rounds (assuming the first was 10-8).
Another Northerner to extend a Kent hopeful at super-welter was Hyde centurion Dale Arrowsmith, whose strong finish earned him two rounds from referee Mcavoy in a 58-56 defeat to Robert Vincent. The Orpington southpaw did his best work with left crosses in the early sessions.
Popular Guildford middleweight Joel Bartell outworked Islington’s durable Jordan Grannum for a 60-54 verdict from Mr Bates, while Wickham Market debutant Eilish Tierney pleased her fans by beating Sherriee Barnes (Sheffield) 40-36 for Mr Mcavoy.
THE VERDICT Three even matches atop a fine bill send the large crowd home happy.