Due to a scheduling conflict with Lost (don't fret - it will now be on 9pm-10pm Friday nights, leaving the 10pm-12am slot free for boxing!) I could only catch snippets of this week's action.
Highlight of the night was Jason Booth (32yr old, 35(15)-5(0)-0) facing Matthew Marsh (27yr, 13(1)-2(2)-0) for both Booth's British Super-Bantamweight (122lb) and the vacant Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight belts.
From what I could see, the bout was rather electric and evenly fought between the two, with Marsh more regularly catching Booth off-guard with some great precision punching. There wasn't a lot of clinching, but far too many punches behind the back of the head for my liking.
A clash of heads early on led to a small cut opening up above "2 Smooth" Booth's left eye, perhaps explaining his rather flat-footed performance in the early rounds. However, he turned it around in the later stages, throwing many powerful uppercuts among his hooks and jabs.
Lady Luck was the eventual winner of the night, with the referee forcing the final bell early in the 11th Round due to a large gash opening up above Marsh's right eye. It was entirely the right decision but, with 5 minutes boxing left and being ahead on two of the judge's scorecards, Marsh would have had every right to be enraged.
However, in the post-fight interview both fighters were extremely courteous and honest about the bout, Booth in particular being very humbled by the win, admitting he was not on fire and rather flat-footed. (And, in my opinion, despite the gaping wound Marsh was sporting, Booth certainly seemed the more damaged of the two). Frank Maloney was also on hand, with promising talks of a future rematch, hopefully incorporating the European belt for a triple-title outing.
Unfortunately, the cut above Marsh's eye looks as though it may cause him troubles throughout his, hopefully long, career.
In other news, Ovill McKenzie (30yrs, 18(7)-9(1)-0) made short work of Billy Boyle (33yrs, 13(7)-5(2)-0). Although both are naturally Light Heavyweights, they fought at a slightly larger 180lb fight average.
McKenzie came out with fantastic power and speed, swinging his whole arms with terrifying accuracy. Boyle was beaten down by the halfway point of the first round, barely managing to defend himself against the barrage of McKenzie's blows and, after suffering several straight punches to the face, the referee rightly called the fight to a halt. With Boyle clutching at his left eye immediately after the fight had ended, I for one was glad for the short finish as serious damage could have been done.
It will be interesting to see if McKenzie's next opponent can handle that type of ferocity.
Ovill McKenzie - vicious.
All in all, another good outing from Maloney - I just hope he stays clear of the Frank Warren route of having well-suited main event fights bolstered by mismatched undercards.
Highlight of the night was Jason Booth (32yr old, 35(15)-5(0)-0) facing Matthew Marsh (27yr, 13(1)-2(2)-0) for both Booth's British Super-Bantamweight (122lb) and the vacant Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight belts.
From what I could see, the bout was rather electric and evenly fought between the two, with Marsh more regularly catching Booth off-guard with some great precision punching. There wasn't a lot of clinching, but far too many punches behind the back of the head for my liking.
A clash of heads early on led to a small cut opening up above "2 Smooth" Booth's left eye, perhaps explaining his rather flat-footed performance in the early rounds. However, he turned it around in the later stages, throwing many powerful uppercuts among his hooks and jabs.
Lady Luck was the eventual winner of the night, with the referee forcing the final bell early in the 11th Round due to a large gash opening up above Marsh's right eye. It was entirely the right decision but, with 5 minutes boxing left and being ahead on two of the judge's scorecards, Marsh would have had every right to be enraged.
However, in the post-fight interview both fighters were extremely courteous and honest about the bout, Booth in particular being very humbled by the win, admitting he was not on fire and rather flat-footed. (And, in my opinion, despite the gaping wound Marsh was sporting, Booth certainly seemed the more damaged of the two). Frank Maloney was also on hand, with promising talks of a future rematch, hopefully incorporating the European belt for a triple-title outing.
Unfortunately, the cut above Marsh's eye looks as though it may cause him troubles throughout his, hopefully long, career.
In other news, Ovill McKenzie (30yrs, 18(7)-9(1)-0) made short work of Billy Boyle (33yrs, 13(7)-5(2)-0). Although both are naturally Light Heavyweights, they fought at a slightly larger 180lb fight average.
McKenzie came out with fantastic power and speed, swinging his whole arms with terrifying accuracy. Boyle was beaten down by the halfway point of the first round, barely managing to defend himself against the barrage of McKenzie's blows and, after suffering several straight punches to the face, the referee rightly called the fight to a halt. With Boyle clutching at his left eye immediately after the fight had ended, I for one was glad for the short finish as serious damage could have been done.
It will be interesting to see if McKenzie's next opponent can handle that type of ferocity.
Ovill McKenzie - vicious.All in all, another good outing from Maloney - I just hope he stays clear of the Frank Warren route of having well-suited main event fights bolstered by mismatched undercards.
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