by Dave Crellin
11/4 - ‘Don’t blink’ I said. If you did, and your blinks last for 59 seconds, you could well have missed the contest which saw Scott Harrison crowned as the Scottish boxer with most ever ‘world’ title defences. Samuel Kebede was the man of mystery who most people picked to at least give the champion a few rounds with his slippery boxing skills. He didn’t. Frank Maloney, handling Harrison, had criticized poor ticket sales in the run-up to this card, wondering where the ‘so-called tartan army’ were. If there’s one thing about Scotsmen that’s true it’s that they don’t like wasting money.

Kebede was down with almost the first meaningful punch of the night, and even that one didn’t land cleanly. That was 15 seconds in. Harrison wandered in and decked the Swedish-based Ethiopian again before referee Micky Vann waved it off just before the minute mark. There were boos before Harrison made a point, with which I have some sympathy, that he had just knocked out a 24-0 (16) guy. But the lack of class on Kebede’s record should have been obvious. Granted, the early years fighting unknowns in South Africa can be a good schooling but the European opponents he’d faced since were hardly preparation for a fighter like Harrison.

As for Harrison, he did his job and fair play to him for that. Talk abounds of an Injin Chi match, maybe Barrera, maybe Michael Brodie, maybe even Manny Pacquaio, and there’s talk of a move up a division but that seems to be a longer term plan. Interestingly, Harrison will be ringside for the third Barrera – Morales clash. Harrison is keen on the big names and there just seems to be more of a buzz about the Cambuslang man than many of his fellow high-profile Sports Network peers. He deserves the chance to perform on the world stage, but that is based on past performances: this showing proved absolutely nothing.

On the undercard, Willie Limond continued his rehabilitation following his loss to Alex Arthur with a resounding points win over Frenchman Frederic Bonifai and Lawrence Murphy made the first step back following the violent annexing of his WBU middleweight title by Anthony Farnell with a tight points call over moderate journeyman Michael Monaghan over six rounds.

There was also a small card in Worksop on Friday night that produced a win for Arv Mittoo. Mittoo, with a record of 10-80-4 now, hadn’t won for some 47 bouts (nearly a bout a month) but stopped debutant Gary Connolly in the fifth of six. Mittoo is a real character, perhaps best epitomised when, waiting for Nadeem Siddique to finish his ring walk in April, he sat on his stool, head down, leafing through the programme whilst Siddique made his way ostentatiously to the ring.

And so after a three-week hiatus to Scotland the travelling British boxing supporter heads back down to England, and specifically to Hereford Leisure Centre for a card headed by firey Welsh lightweight Jason Cook. Cook attempts o defend his IBO lightweight title against former Ricky Hatton victim Aldo Rios. The Maesteg man is a good fighter to watch, all action, plenty of aggression, and tough. His skills are solid, but he doesn’t really have the knockout power to rely on, especially with a man as tough as Rios. However, he can box well, as he showed when winning the title against Ariel Olveira and in his subsequent defence against Kevin Bennett.

Rios is himself a replacement for Philip N’Dou, the respected South African who had to pull out and retire due to a worrying brain scan. However, he is an excellent substitute, being the South American champion and having mixed with some tough boxers and world-class lightweights in the past. He’ll be an excellent barometer for Cook’s potential on the global stage. Cook must know this and will come out all guns blazing. He won’t stop Rios and it’ll be tight but Cook should have just a bit too much for Rios, but only if he’s on top of his game. The upside is that Rios himself doesn’t have the heaviest hands in the world, so the odd slip might not be fatal.

Chief support sees Dazzo Williams defend his British featherweight title against John Simpson, a Scot who, whilst doing well at the moment, should find Williams a step too far too soon. It’s over 12, which Williams has had to do in his last three and Simpson has yet to attempt, and this combined with the better experience gained by Williams should see the local man through on points.

Johnny Nelson has been order to face Italian Vincenzo Cantatore in a defence of his WBO cruiser crown. Could be good.

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