By Scott Gilfoid: IBF bantamweight strap holder Stuey Hall (16-2-2, 7 KO’s) retained his title tonight after he collided heads with his much smaller challenger Martin Ward (18-2-1, 4 KO’s), causing a cut over Ward’s eye that resulted in the fight being halted just 35 seconds into the 2nd round at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom. The crowd of course hated it and booed loudly. However, it was obvious that a cut was going occur eventually given the way that Ward was coming in heard first like a billy goat.

It’s unclear at this point if there will be a rematch between these two guys. I, for one, don’t have any interest in seeing these guys ever fight again. Hall should face someone like Randy Caballero or Julio Ceja next. Ward had his chance and he blew it.

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Commonwealth welterweight champion Frankie Gavin (19-0, 12 KO’s) had to get up off the canvas in the 2nd round to defeat little known fighter Sacky Shikukutu (18-3-1, 12 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 119-109, 118-109, and 117-111. I had the fight a heck of a lot closer than that. Shikukutu won at least 5 rounds of the fight, and I had him barely losing. He was faster than Gavin, and was landing well to the head and body.

Gavin got away with some rabbit shots more than once, and some low blows, which the referee did nothing about. Gavin should have had a point taken off in the 5th round for braining Shikukutu when he had his back turned. Interestingly enough, Shikukutu didn’t seem the same after getting nailed in the back of the head. Whatever the case, I had Shikukutu winning the first 5 rounds of the bout. But after the rabbit shot in the 5th, Shikukutu seemed to be unsteady on his feet and fighting on fumes. I mean, it was a beautiful textbook rabbit punch that Gavin threw, but the referee should have stopped the action and taken a point off.

Gavin is ranked #4 WBA, # WBO, #8 IBF, so he’ll probably be getting a world title shot sooner or later against one of the welterweight champions, but I don’t see him doing well at all. The power just isn’t there for him, and he seems more like a guy who tries not to get hit than one that does the hitting. Gavin is still fighting like an amateur with the way he tries to score points. That style won’t work if he gets shoved into the ring against someone like Marcos Maidana. We’re talking massacre when and if that happens.

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A toned up heavyweight Eddie Chambers (37-4, 18 KO’s) defeated journeyman (Tomas Mrazek (9-46-6, 5 KO’s) by a controversial 6th round stoppage. The referee halted the bout prematurely in the 6th round at 2:35 of the round, even though Mrazek looked perfectly fine. Granted, his left eye was swollen looking, but he was still fighting back and nailing Chambers with shots. It was actually a horrible stoppage.

Chambers was hitting Mrazek at will with shots the entire fight, but he was still getting hit back occasionally with some healthy looking shots. Chambers looked decent, but not hardly good enough to compete against the top heavyweights in the division. If a journeyman like Mrazek was able to time Chambers to nail him with shots then just imagine what someone like Deontay Wilder would do to him. I think Chambers should move back down to the cruiserweight division, because he’s way too small to be fighting as a heavyweight.

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Other action on the card:

John Lewis Dickinson TKO 10 Neil Dawson