Sleigher joy for local pair
... but Connor suffers a freak injury
Chris Hitchin and Atlantic Promotions staged a compact yet entertaining night of professional boxing at South Parade Pier.
The four-fight Christmas ‘Sleigher’ show was unavoidably reduced to three bouts as Portsmouth’s Connor Edney suffered a freak calf injury while warming up backstage that forced him to withdraw just as his opponent entered the ring,
After a successful debut at the same venue in October, it was a bitter blow to the likeable bantamweight who had plenty of fans in the crowd, but 2020 will doubtless see him continue his momentum.
Nonetheless, a brace of Pompey boxers in Lucas Ballingall and Bailey Donald racked up wins in two enjoyable fights.
Lightweight hope Ballingall showcased his silky southpaw skills with a four round shut-out victory over Slovakia’s Ivan Godor, much to the adulation of the raucous fans.
Trained by his father Michael, Ballingall showed exceptional movement and accuracy as he chopped painful hooks to the head and body of an opponent who grabbed and mauled repeatedly in an attempt to disrupt the 23-year-old’s rhythm.
It was a good work-out for Ballingall who stayed composed throughout, despite Godor’s spoiling, and extended his unbeaten record to 13 fights.
Ballingall is overdue a shot at a title after Archie Sharp pulled out of a WBO European title bout earlier in the year. But as the mandatory challenger for the English title currently held by Myron Mills, 2020 could well serve up the deserves.
In only his second fight, welterweight Donald won all four rounds against Sheffield’s Qasim Hussain, a veteran of over a hundred fights who knew enough to survive down the stretch and yet retain enough energy to taunt Donald’s between rounds. opportunities he fans
Carrying his hands low, Donald showed good speed and lateral movement as he thoroughly dominated his opponent. Hussain’s shell-like defence prevented many of Donald’s shots from landing cleanly but, when they did get through, they hurt - briefly buckling Hussain’s legs in the second round and forcing him to spend long periods covered up on the ropes. Trained by Waterlooville’s Daron Wiseman, who has guided Donald throughout a highly successful amateur career, the teenager showed an aggressive, flowing style with plenty of punch variety that indicates he is well-suited to the professional game. The show opener featured a women’s super-featherweight contest between Sweden’s Lucy Wildheart and Slovakian Denisa Cicoova. The Scandinavian girl forced Cicoova to retire at the end of the second round. Southpaw Cicoova had no answer to the relentless pressure and power of Wildheart who bossed throughout. fights for Lucas Ballingall and still no defeats