FURY UNLEASHED AT THE YORK HALL AS NEW AREA CHAMPIONS ARE CROWNED
Despite worldwide concerns regarding the Corona Virus, Goodwin Boxing went ahead with their York Hall show on Saturday night which contained 3 southern area title fights.
All entertaining in their own way, three of the fights ended via stoppage victories as well as a hard-fought points win between two game cruiserweights.
Title Fights
Jose Lopes vs Iain Martell – Vacant Southern Area Cruiserweight Title
Taking the early rounds with ease, Martell seemed to storm into the lead on most of the publics' scorecards before Lopes firstly came out of his shell and then persuaded Martell to trade blows on a regular basis.
However, despite a more competitive 2nd half of the fight, Lopes was unable to do enough to claw the fightback on the official scorecard with many surprised that a scorecard as close as 97-95 was given, all be it to Martell who took home the first title of his career.
Davis Pagan vs Sean Phillips – Vacant Southern Area Middleweight Title
Peacock Gym fighter Sean Phillips won the first title of his career in brutal style, stopping Davis Pagan in the first round.
Aggressive from the get-go, Phillips seemed to hurt a shocked Pagan instantly before dropping the Essex man halfway through the first round leaving Pagan visibly shaken.
To his credit, Pagan successfully beat the count but didn’t do enough to convince the Referee to allow the contest to continue as Phillips wheeled away in celebration.
Dean Richardson vs Konrad Stempkowski – Vacant Southern Area Super Welterweight Title
Dominating from the start, Dean Richardson who was the only boxer to arrive at York Hall already a champion that night, successfully defended his title against the extremely tough Konrad Stempkowski.
Making a real effort to end the fight early and making Stempkowski look unsteady at times, Richardson continued to dominate, hitting his opponent with a variety of headshots throughout the contest.
Continuing to take punishment, a final onslaught from Richardson encouraged the Referee to halt proceedings in the seventh round as the 24-year-old recorded his fourth stoppage in a row.
Non-Title Fights
Joe Roswell vs Jamie Speight – Super Featherweight
Backed by 100+ fans for his professional debut, debutant Joe Roswell showed no sign of nerves in his first contest, giving the experienced Jamie Speight plenty of trouble throughout the four-round contest.
Deservedly, the 20-year-old took every round home with him in a lopsided decision.
Vladimir Georgiev vs Jan Ardon – Super Middleweight
Bulgarian Georgiev came through his first tough test against Jan Ardon (2-3), taking home the victory with a scorecard of 39-38 to improve his professional record to 4-0.
Jordan Dujon vs Jordan Grannum – Super Welterweight
Still yet to put a foot wrong in his pro career, Jordan Dujon moved to 4-0 with ease against Jordan Grannum.
Perhaps taking a more aggressive stance in the final round, the tough Grannum stayed resilient and saw the final bell against Dujon who is expected to fight for his first professional title this year.
Ellis Zorro vs Ossie Jervier – Cruiserweight
Many in attendance thought that they were going to be treated to the first stoppage of the evening as Jervier did very well to get up from a crunching body shot towards the end of the first round.
Dropped in the final round as well, Zorro cruised to a points win as well as moving to 9-0.
Neil Parry vs Dylan Draper – Welterweight
Making his first appearance in nine months, Neil Parry returned to the ring in what has been a scattered professional career so far which has included a draw and a loss.
In an early contender for fight of the night, Draper was able to keep the pace with Parry throughout the six rounds but ultimately lost out to the superior boxer via points.
Yaser Al-Ghena vs Ibrar Riyaz – Super-Lightweight
Syrian born Al-Ghena produced a cocky performance to dismiss the vastly experienced Ibrar Riyaz over four rounds.
Choosing when to scrap and when to dance, 24-year-old Al-Ghena cruised to a points win, frustrating Riyaz who would have clearly preferred to go toe to toe throughout.
Kofi Donker vs Lee Devine – Super Lightweight
Returning after 18 months out, Kofi Donker remained busy throughout the four-round contest, showing an improved performance from his debut.