November Nightmare Ends in A Dream As Four Title Fights Captivate The York Hall
Liam Dillon vs Youssef Khoumari – English Super-Featherweight Title
In a fight that was going to be difficult to beat entertainment-wise, undefeated Londoners Liam Dillon & Youssef Khoumari went to war over 10 rounds in an English title fight that offered a lot to those in attendance.
In an unpredictable start to the fight, the first 3 rounds were fought at an unprecedented pace with Dillon perhaps dominating preceding’s.
As the pace dropped slightly, Khoumari who had had his moments already started to come into the fight more and more, arguably winning more of the middle rounds.
As the contest reached its conclusion, the body language of both corners made it obvious that this fight was anybody’s which set up a fiery conclusion in the last couple of rounds.
Therefore, the fight started as it ended with both fighters trading shots up until the end despite having both used their engines up.
Uncertain what the outcome was going to be when the final bell went, a mixture of surprise and disappointment reigned throughout York Hall as scores of 96-95 (Khoumari), 97-94 (Dillon) & 95-95.
Ekow Essuman vs Curtis Felix Jnr – English Welterweight Title
Ekow Essuman defended his title in style, taking Curtis Felix Jnr apart in 8 rounds.
Felix Jnr who was mandated as Essuman’s next challenger provided a great challenge to the champion, who showed that he’s able to compete at the English level moving forward.
Originally dropping Curtis Felix Jnr in the 7th round with a heavy knockdown, Felix’s corner intervened in the 8th round after seeing their fighter touch the canvas again.
One fight that didn’t have a clear conclusion on Saturday night was Chris Jenkins vs Paddy Gallagher who fight was halted during the 4th round due to an accidental head clash. Taking place in Birmingham, the fight was for the British Title which Essuman could have potentially moved on from the English level and challenged the winner.
Still possible but perhaps not as likely, Essuman may decide to defend his English title instead. Felix Jnr, on the other hand, was handed the 1st loss of his professional career and may drop down to Southern Area level.
Linus Udofia vs Tyler Denny – English Middleweight Title
After over a year of waiting, Linus Udofia finally fought for a professional Boxing title and came out victorious.
In a fight of the night contender, Udofia & Denny were evenly matched throughout the contest with Udofia clearly being pushed further than ever before.
Despite not having his hand raised, Denny left the ring having increased his stock and with a reputation as an extremely tough fighter to those in attendance. Taking a number of shots throughout the 10 rounds both to the head and body, Denny chose to respond with an attack rather than defence to the admiration of those watching.
Adding a bit of controversy to the fight, Denny claimed a knockdown in the middle rounds which wasn’t given by Referee Mark Lawson. However, it wouldn’t have mattered when it came to the scorecards being readout.
In what wasn’t a certainty, Udofia won the English title via a majority decision with scores of 96-94, 97-94 & 95-95.
Ryan Walker vs Piotr Mirga – Southern Area – Super Bantamweight Title
In what had been an evening full of close fights, the final contest of the evening ended up being another one to debate over as Ryan Walker & Piotr Mirga both went after their 1st professional title.
After 10 rounds that were all very close and included a mixture of skill and walk forward fighting from both, it was all left up to Referee Ian John Lewis who was both taking charge of the contest as well as scoring.
Awarding the fight with a score of 97-94 to Ryan Walker much to the surprise of Mirga & co whilst Walker and team celebrated adding another title to the stable.
Walker who almost exactly a year ago was blown away by Michael Ramabeletsa within a round whilst competing for an English title in only his 9th fight was on the other end of the spectrum as a fantastic night of championship Boxing came to an end.
Undercard
Liam Shinkwin vs Jamie Speight – Super Lightweight
2 months after making his comeback to Boxing SIX years after retiring from the sport, Liam Shinkwin made a swift return, coming up against former southern area champ Jamie Speight.
Bringing trainer Don Charles to his corner, Shinkwin looked a much-improved version of himself after his rusty comeback fight in September.
Getting a knockdown towards the end of the 1st round, Speight did very well to get back up against Shinkwin who didn’t stop throwing throughout the 4 round contest.
Improving further as the fight reached its conclusion, Shinkwin dominated all the way up until the final bell, receiving another valuable 4 rounds.
Jordan Dujon vs Paul Cummings – Super Welterweight
Super-Welterweight prospect Jordan Dujon moved to 3-0 against journeyman Paul Cummings, winning every round of the contest.
Dujon who trains alongside Ryan Walker & Ramez Mahmood is tipped for titles in 2020.
The undercard was also made up of victories from some of the up and coming prospects which started with Mo Gharib who now moves to 6-1 after a victory over Lee Devine.
Denis Denijakajev moved to (5-0-1) after a victory over veteran journeyman Lee Connelly (7-52-4)
Ellis Zorro extended his unbeaten record to 8-0 after an impressive victory over Dmitrij Kalinovskij
Wrapping up the card were victories for Dalton Miller, Tom Ansell, Jumaane Camero and Domonic Felix
Photos - Lee Smith
Twitter - @PullingThePunch