TalkingBoxing's British Update
Arthur, Thaxton take titles; Oakey takes small step back to big time
by
Dave Crellin
4/14 - Was this the second coming of Alex Arthur? The young Scot defended his British super-featherweight title and took away the Commonwealth title of countryman Craig Docherty with a very impressive display of control, technique and punching. Since the brasher version of Arthur got his come-uppance against Michael Gomez a year and a half ago, Arthur has been boxing much more calmly and this paid huge dividends against Docherty.
Docherty was always in with a shout and he played in his part in an absorbing contest. With both working body and head, Docherty established a good jab and a high pace before Arthur began to assert himself. But these two former amateur team-mates produced some quality exchanges of fierce punches in between periods of cagier boxing. Arthur frequently, but not always, came out on top.
Docherty, though, began to tire by the half-way point as Arthur continued with accurate long shots and clusters of short digs. The stoppage was that of a tired man, to a classic left hook to the ribcage. Docherty stopped, thought about trying to continue, then realised it was hopeless. With the wind totally out of him he went to the floor rising only as the referee finished the count.
A less careful Arthur might well have rushed into a full-scale tear-up and been caught (both were cut from an accidental clash of heads) but this was a good win for the Edinburgh man. Gomez was in the crowd and needed a police escort after baiting the new double champion at the post-fight press conference but that rematch seems, at this stage at least, unlikely. Arthur is chasing European champ Boris Sinitsin. Could be a good one.
Supporting Kevin Mitchell produced his best show so far with a controlled domination of late but handy replacement Frederic Bonifai. Bonifai has been around the block but Mitchell, like Arthur, boxed with far greater poise, picking his shots well and avoiding the occasional charges of the Frenchman. A good win for Mitchel,, who must be itching to move on himself.
In Norwich on Saturday local boy Jon Thaxton scored a fourth round KO to win the WBF lightweight title, beating another Christophe de Busillet. De Busillet had the home fighter on his backside briefly in the third but from the off it was Thaxton who was establishing the tempo and doing the quality work. The pressure and heavy hands of Thaxton (who looked in excellent shape) told by the fourth as the Frenchman caught a series of sharp shots before slumping to the floor, remaining there for the full count.
Looking forward and there’s not much settled so far this weekend. But it’s not all quiet on the western front as former Commonwealth light-heavy champ Tony Oakey continues his comeback. Oakey didn’t box in 2004 after being found to have cocaine in his system following an October 03 loss to Matt Barney, but in February the stocky Hampshire lad stopped a raw Armenian. This time it’s domestic round-provider Paul Bonson in the opposite corner. Bonson will probably come in heavier than Oakey, who is one of the few British men around this weight who Bonson has yet to fight. Unfortunately the vast majority have been losses – 75 reverses out of 100 starts makes things easy for the statisticians and prediction-merchants alike.
The Scott Harrison – Michael Brodie clash on June 3rd is starting to warm up. Very much in the shadow of Hatton – Tszyu at the same MEN Arena the following night, Scott’s father Peter has put his oar in in typically blunt fashion predicting an easy night for his son. Brodie, naturally, disagrees.
On the subject of Hatton, the Mancunian who took a lot of stick for his pudgy appearance not too long ago appeared as a summariser on Sunday for the BBC’s coverage of the Cuba – Britain amateur match (won 7-1 by the Cubans). Hatton looked much thinner in the face and appears to have lost just about all of that spare flesh.
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