TalkingBoxing Articles
UK Update: Cook roasts Dazzo; Earl comeback stops Bennett
FRI June 24, DAVE CRELLIN - The slight delay in this week’s update was caused in no small part by the large amounts of boxing activity last weekend. With good cards from Thursday to Sunday, it was a bumper few days for British fight fans.
Thursday’s Dagenham card may turn out to be the most significant as featherweight Nicky Cook defended his European and Commonwealth belts and annexed the British belt from Dazzo Williams with an emphatic second round KO win. Cook’s work was all to the body and after a first round of softening up, the finish in the second came when a vicious left hook to the ribs crumpled Williams for the count and more. Cook is the goods, and he may well be the best featherweight on these shores: Scott Harrison is occasionally impressive but consistently one-dimensional and a square-off between those two would give Harrison an opponent with skill, a high work-rate and a solid punch. It’s not likely to happen, however, but Cook shows plenty of promise.
On the undercard comebacking Ian Napa lost a close (and disputable) call to Marc Callaghan.
On Friday up in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall Willie Limond won a good bout against Northern Irishman Kevin O’Hara for something called the Celtic Super-Featherweight Title. Both are nice boxers without significant power to fall back on, and this was a classic boxing match, with both men producing moments of quality. Limond settled first and was doing some crisp work, particularly to the body but the busy O’Hara rallied in the fourth. Limond, though, was able to control the distance better and a lot of O’Hara’s work fell short or was blocked.
O’Hara, knowing he was down on the cards, kept the pace going well in the final two rounds of this ten-rounder but Limond deservedly got the call. The Scot, of whom great things were once hoped, seems to have found his domestic level.
Chief support saw British Pakistani Haider Ali lose a questionable call to Ricky Burns over eight. Ali seemed to be doing the more quality work but Burn’s application gave him the nod.
The most hyped card of the weekend was actually a Sunday afternoon one as Graham Earl (who surprisingly lost to Burns last time out) retained the British lightweight title and won the Commonwealth version in stopping Kevin Bennett in the ninth. It was a real shame for Bennett, who poured everything into the early rounds and by halfway had built up a healthy lead. Earl was floored in the sixth from a corking right cross and looked for all the world to be there for the taking but Bennett just couldn’t put him away.
The energy that Bennett had expended clearly began to tell after this. By the eight round, Bennett was visibly exhausted and in the ninth Bennett’s solid defence disintegrated. Earl sensed his opportunity and barraged his opponent with a series of hard shots. Benett was out on his feet when the referee, quite rightly, stepped in. On paper a good win for Earl who once again showed plenty of grit. If this fight reflected his game-plan, however, there may not be too many more milestones on his career path. Nonetheless it was a good match with both boxers contributing to the excitement and in this climate of warm-ups and easy defences a rematch would surely be welcomed by the fans
On the undercard Tony Oakey’s comeback came and went with yet another of this weekend’s disputed decision losses. Winner was the English light-heavy title holder Peter Haymer.
The July 22nd clash between David Haye and Mark Hobson seems to be warming up nicely, with both fighters doing plenty of posturing at the other’s expense at this week’s press conference.
Wayne Elcock has been forced to pull out of his 15th July challenge for Scott Dann’s middleweight title after breaking a finger. Richard Williams is almost inked as his replacement, making for a great fight.
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