Third time lucky
Firebomb Ferguson sees off G-rex in a rematch to claim Area strap
MARCH 23
★★★★★
STOKE
LOCAL hero Nathan Heaney might be headed for a big fight outdoors at his beloved Stoke City in the not-too-distant future, but promoter and ex-pro Scott Lawton stole a march on him, at least of sorts, by putting on this five-bout show at the stadium. However, the Area title bout atop the bill, between Stoke southpaw Beccy Ferguson and Chesterfield’s Amy Greatorex, was indoors.
Shrewsbury-born Ferguson, having won three on the bounce, had come up short in Birmingham in December, losing on points to Droitwich girl Sian O’toole for the vacant Midlands Area featherweight title. But just three months later she vied for Area honours for a third time, against old adversary Greatorex for the vacant super-featherweight version; a belt she’d failed to win when outpointed by Wombourne’s Vicky Wilkinson a couple of years prior.
Just reward, then, that ‘Firebomb’ – who picked her punches well and stepped up her workrate as the bout progressed – should emerge victorious at the third time of asking. Chris Dean scored Ferguson a 97-93 winner.
The same official was the man in the middle as local super-welterweight Jack Bettaney
banked a fourth paid victory. He proved too big for Newark veteran Fonz Alexander,
who was punching for pay for the 170th time, and the 40-36 score was no surprise.
Contrasting fortunes met two supermiddleweight new starts on the card. Joe Blandford triumphed by the narrowest of margins over four, with referee Peter Mccormack adjudging him a 39-38 victor over Sheffield’s Zane Clark, but there was disappointment for Market Drayton’s Kieran Tennant, whose inexperience told as he was outboxed and then halted at 1-43 into the second of a scheduled four by Grimsby’s Tom Ramsden. A scheduled six between Biddulph’s
Callum Hill and regular Rochdale operator
Richard Helm was cut short in round four when Helm, having fought well, was pulled out with a problematic back. Referee in both the Tennant and Hill bouts was Mr Mccormack.