by: Ross Tuohy – A later start than advertised due to accidents on the M6 did nothing to dampen the spirits of fight fans who packed Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall to the rafters in order to watch local warriors leave it all in the ring.
Swadlincote Middleweight Craig Wilshee clashed with Stoke on Trent’s Mark Till to start the action. Wilshee came into the 6 round contest with a perfect record and a furious opening left hook to Till’s jaw let Till know he planned to keep it unblemished.
After 3 hard fought rounds with both boxer’s forcing their opponent into the corners and unloading every punch in their arsenals, ‘The Freight Train’ exploded out of the corner at the fourth bell, brawling with Till against the ropes and using a combination of jabs and uppercuts to dismantle his defences. A vicious uppercut sent Till to the canvas at two minutes and twenty seven seconds, securing the second knockout of Wilshee’s career and preserving his undefeated steak.
Super featherweight and hometown hero Dez Bolwater picked up a win against Stockport’s Jaime Quinn, coming out on top 59-55 and retaining his own perfect record through a combination of impenetrable defence and fancy footwork.
Redditch Super Middleweight Andrew ‘D’Animal’ Robinson used a more methodical style to dispatch Derby’s Elvis Dube in another six round contest. His precision shots and use of the jab to keep the heavier fighter at range proved to be Dube’s downfall in the sixth after Robinson dominated with power punches in round five. Robinson set up a sledgehammer to the body with his jab sending Dube down to the canvas for eight and although Dube showed admirable courage in getting to his feet, it wasn’t enough and a second knockdown after a savage flurry of blows from Robinson secured victory one minute and forty three seconds into the last round. Robinson’s more methodical style was a stark contrast to the usual fast paced, powerful surges that characterise his time in the ring. A well fought victory ahead of his battle against London’s Frank Buglioni on the Fury vs Chisora undercard at the Excel Arena this November, may be just the driving force he needs to capture the vacant WBO European Super Middleweight title.
Brummie Tommy Langford conquered middleweight Gary Boulder over six rounds, his powerful combination punches and hooks to the body stopping the Surrey slugger in his tracks. Boulder attempted to counteract Langford’s aggressive with periodic displays of quick head movement and well timed footwork in order to gain an angle on his opponent but Langford powered through and ratcheted up the pressure. While both fighter’s were feeling the effects of the relentless pace going into the final round Langford’s hard single shots and ferocious hook to the jaw on the bell netted him the win 60 points to 54.
New to the professional world of boxing, Dan ‘The Hurricane’ Breeze fought his third pro bout against the Czech Republic’s Jan Balog. Although Balog fought a good fight and attempted to keep Breeze at range to negate the Bloxwhich native’s superior speed, he could do nothing to silence the deafening outpouring of support from fans in the stands. This spurred the young fighter on throughout the match and he claimed the win 40-36.
Lithuanian Simas Volosinas fought another Bloxwhich resident ‘*Cool Hand*’ Luke Paddock in ten rounds to decide who would take home the vacant Master’s Silver light welterweight title. Paddock used a no frills style to take Volosinas the distance and claim the belt 100-91, dominating the fight in the later rounds after breaking through a solid defence. Paddock turned up the power in the third, sixth and final rounds to slam Volosinas with a favoured three-punch combination to the head and body.
The final fight of the night saw Birmingham’s favoured son Frankie Gavin lock horns with Hungary’s Matt Horynak. Gavin entered the ring with something to prove after losing both the European and Commonwealth welterweight titles to Italy’s Leonard Bundu at the same venue back in August. Britain’s first Amateur champion was back on form.
Gavin rocketed out of the gate on the first bell, his in and out style seemed to intimidate Hornyak who did little to respond. Gavin slipped what few shots the Hungarian threw and responded with punishing hooks to the body, it was obvious Gavin wanted to make the crowd forget his single defeat. Gavin finished round one with an impressive pinpoint jab.
It was obvious this more aggressive Gavin had got inside Hornyak’s head when the second round began as his attempts to block Gavin’s bouncy jabs had little effect, seizing the moment Gavin blazed forward with a huge combination forcing Hornyak back into the ropes and sending him crumbling to the mat after a piston like hook to the ribs. The referee gave Hornynak an eight count and allowed the fight to continue, Gavin pounced and after a second huge shot to the ribs, Gavin nabbed the knockout victory.
Promoter Tommy Owens brought the night to a close by announcing his intention to break the Guinness world Record of most rounds boxed continuous in order to raise money for the Acorn’s children’s charity. The record stands at 123 rounds but Tommy hopes to set a new benchmark by raising the total to 130. The event will take place on the 8th of February 2015 at Aston Villa’s Holte Suite, anyone who wishes to box a round with Tommy will have their names entered into the Guinness Book of World Records and every penny raised from ticket sales will go towards helping many needy children.