Ali rounds off year with third win
ROCHDALE boxer Muhammad Ali made it a perfect end to the year after winning his third professional contest on Saturday.
Ali defeated fellow unbeaten fighter Ben Fields at the Bolton Whites Hotel next to the Macron Stadium to make it 3-0 in the paid ranks.
Referee Andy Brook scored the bout 39-37 to Ali after four rounds, meaning he handed Fields the first loss of his career after he previously won his opening three fights.
The win over Fields goes alongside Ali’s wins over Danny Little and Andrej Cepur from over the last few months, and he is delighted with how things have gone.
“It was a great win on Saturday in a 50/50 fight with an unbeaten fighter. I will learn a lot from the bout,” he said.
“I want to thank my family, manager Asad Shamim and coaches Alex Matvienko for everything they do for me. This year has been a rollercoaster for me in terms of my license being granted and being able to box. Without my team and their commitment and love for me this wasn’t possible for me being able to box.”
It’s been a fast start for Ali in his career, with three fights in less than three months, and he plans on now having a small rest before his next contest.
“I will now have a short break and be back in 2019. The support has been absolutely amazing for me,” he said. “I’d like to thank everyone supporting me in attendance of fights and watching from home. I am also grateful to all of my sponsors for supporting me on my journey.”
There were a number of other up and coming prospects in action on the bill on Saturday, including Jack Cullen, who stopped Tomas Bezvoda in the third round. Ryan Kelly was victorious, as he stopped Nathan Hardy in round seven, while Jack Rafferty picked up a third round stoppage win over Radsolav Mitev. There were also points win for Jack Flatley, Mark Jeffers, James Moorcroft, Mickey Ellison, Casey Connelly, Jack Kilgannon, Andrew Fleming and Jamie Mitchell.