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This past Friday at the Bolton Arena, Ryan Rhodes continued his career resurgence with a dramatic 7th round stoppage of world ranked Jamie Moore. With the victory, Rhodes claimed the European 154 pound title and put himself in the mandatory challenger's position for the WBC junior-middleweight crown held by Sergio Martinez.
Photographer Chris Royle was ringside to capture all the hard hitting action.
Salford's Jamie Moore (left) entered as the reigning European champion, having captured the belt with a 3 round destruction over Michelle Picirillo earlier this year.The all-action fan favourite brought an 11 bout winning streak into the contest, and an overall record of 32-3.
Ryan Rhodes (right), the challenger from Sheffield, also entered on a good run having won his last 7 bouts, reviving a career that until recently appeared destined to fall well short of the promise once shown.
As expected, Moore set a fast pace from the opening bell, attempting to overwhelm the challenger with heavy pressure.
He succeeded in backing Rhodes up, but the 32 year old used movement and solid counter punching to hang tough in the early going.
The intense action was starting to even up by the 3rd and 4th rounds with the bout developing into a give and take battle featuring a number of good exchanges.
The 4th through 6th rounds were fought at a torrid pace, with both men standing in the middle of the ring and trading. Moore still had a slight edge, but Rhodes had several good moments.
Rhodes stunned the crowd by landing a huge right hand early in the 7th. The punch caught Moore flush as he leaned in, sending the favourite crumpling to the canvas along the ropes.
Moore quickly found his legs after the knockdown and proceeded to take the fight hard to Rhodes, only to run out of steam in the final minute of the round. A crunching right hand from the Sheffield fighter sent Moore staggering backwards into the ropes. A follow-up assault left referee Howard Foster with no choice but to jump in with 25 seconds remaining in the round.
The new European champion, and now mandatory challenger for the WBC 154 title celebrates his stunning victory with his team.
Last Saturday night in Nottingham, battle tested British super-middleweight Carl Froch took on American speedster Andre Dirrell in the first round of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic.
Photographer Justin McKie was ringside at the Trent FM Arena to capture all the action from the much anticipated super-middleweight clash.
Carl Froch arrives at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham - the scene of his memorable 12 round victory over Canadian Jean Pascal last December.
From wrapping the hands, to getting warmed up, trainer Rob McCracken prepares his fighter for a hard night's work.
Fighting on foreign soil for the first time as a professional, Andre Dirrell looks relaxed and confident as he makes his way to the ring.
The 26 year old from Flint, Michigan, brought a perfect 18-0 record into the contest.
With the clock already past 2 AM local time and the crowd eager for action, Froch makes his entrance.
The hometown fighter is coming off his two biggest victories - a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal and a last minute stoppage of Jermain Taylor - and sports a perfect record of 25-0.
The early rounds were fought mostly at long range, with Froch edging forward and the switching hitting Dirrell using his jab from both the conventional and southpaw stance to stay at long range.
Dirrell also mixed in plenty of movement, avoiding much of Froch's early attacks with his fast feet and quick reflexes.
The action intensified in the 3rd and 4th round, with Froch upping the pressure, but still having a hard time catching up with the speedy American.
The action started to get a little messy as the bout moved into the mid rounds. The fighters often came together awkwardly, with Dirrell slipping to the canvas more than once.
Both men were guilty of numerous infractions in what was becoming an increasingly untidy fight.
Froch was cautioned on more than one occasion for hitting behind the head, while referee Hector Afu was forced to warn Dirrell several times for holding. Eventually Afu took a point from the American for excessive holding.
Boasting a significant edge in hand speed, Dirrell often beat Froch to the punch when he lets his hands go.
Above - Referee Afu looks on as Froch lands a hard left hook. Froch had many of his best moments during the second half of the fight, with Dirrell occasionally looking rattled by the pressure.
After struggling through rounds 6-9, Dirrell came to life at the end of round 10 and closed strong over the final two frames. Below he lands a hard left hand between Froch's guard.
After 12 hard fought rounds, the decision was as contentious as the action, with the judges disagreeing on the winner.
Judge Alejandro Rochin Mapula scored it 114-113 for Dirrell, but was overruled by judge's Massimo Barrovecchio and Daniel Van de Wiele, who both had Froch in front by 115-112 scores.
Next up for Froch will be a trip to Denmark to face perhaps the most complete fighter in the tournament, Mikkel Kessler. Dirrell has his work cut out as well, as he'll be going up against Germany's heavy handed Arthur Abraham.
The post-fight press conference. Dirrell is seated with promoter Gary Shaw, while Froch is accompanied by Rob McCracken.
This past Friday at the Bolton Arena, Ryan Rhodes continued his career resurgence with a dramatic 7th round stoppage of world ranked Jamie Moore. With the victory, Rhodes claimed the European 154 pound title and put himself in the mandatory challenger's position for the WBC junior-middleweight crown held by Sergio Martinez.
The new European champion, and now mandatory challenger for the WBC 154 title celebrates his stunning victory with his team.
Last Saturday night in Nottingham, battle tested British super-middleweight Carl Froch took on American speedster Andre Dirrell in the first round of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic.
After 12 hard fought rounds, the decision was as contentious as the action, with the judges disagreeing on the winner.
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