British Scene Weekend Recap

Matt Edmonds and Gary Davies contested the vacant British Bantamweight Title in the only major bout on British soil this weekend.

Matt Chudley recaps all the action from the Friday night encounter held at York Hall in Bethnal Green.

Friday April 3 Davies Too Strong for Edmonds By Matt Chudley In a contest of relatively inexperienced domestic title challengers at York Hall in Bethnal Green, the power of Gary Davies proved too much for Welshman Matthew Edmonds. Davies, the puncher and naturally bigger of the two bantams looked to set his feet and load-up from the get go, and from outset it was clear that not only did he possess the edge in power but also in timing and speed. Despite the obvious disadvantages, Edmonds managed to keep the fight competitive early by utilizing his boxing skills and ring smarts and managed to steal the 3rd round, when he found a rhythm and made Davies miss on several occasions. Undeterred, Davies continued to push the fight and hurt Edmonds in the 4th with a right hand that forced the Welshman to hold on. Davies had previously never been beyond six rounds in his career and Edmonds strategy clearly involved taking him deep into unfamiliar territory. Edmonds however lacked the athletic ability to keep himself out of the firing line, and once it became clear that Davies was not burning himself out, Edmonds admirably decided to go for broke in the 7th. Having stood toe to toe and brawled with his stronger opponent for much of the round, Edmonds charged forward only to march straight into a hefty right hand, that sent him tumbling face first into the ropes for a knockdown. Having made the count but not having found his equilibrium, Edmonds touched down again seconds later. Though it seemed to be a forearm push, Dave Paris administered another count. Edmonds rose once more, although still on unsteady legs and appeared to be pushed down again, this time by Davies' right arm, prompting the seemingly confused Paris to call off the fight. With the stoppage, only Davies' ninth career victory, the 26 year old St. Helens fighter claimed the prestigious Lonsdale Belt. On the undercard… Local favourite Michael Lomax used a sharp body attack to out work the 6'4 French welter Yoann Camonin over 8. Prospect Ricky Owen's showcase was marred by several southpaw/orthodox head clashes which cut both fighters but kept his unbeaten record safely intact with a 59-56 points win over James Ancliff. Seasoned campaigner Nigel Wright rebounded from his loss to Lomax last time out with a routine 6 round decision win over Arek Malek. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene Weekend Preview

Matt Chudley previews this Friday's British Bantamweight Title bout between Matt Edmonds and Gary Davies.

Friday April 3 Matt Edmonds vs Gary Davies (SKY) By Matt Chudley This week's Sky Sports Friday fight night offering sees Matthew Edmonds and Gary Davies contest the vacant British Bantamweight Title at the York Hall in Bethnel Green. The title was vacated by Ian Napa when he opted to pursue European aspirations and the co-challengers for the belt must be considered fortunate that they operate in such a shallow division. At present there are only between 10 and 15 British professionals plying their trade in the 118lb division. Traditionally there have always been a small number of fighters competing below the bantamweight limit in the UK and the introduction of a super-flyweight title in 2007 has further diluted the level of competition. The 8-2-1 Davies has only lost when he's moved north of the 122lb division, with the draw and both losses coming against opponents who weighed in as featherweights and super-featherweights. The outcome of the fight may well hinge on his ability to make weight, as he's never fought as low as bantamweight. Edmonds brings a 10-2 record into the fight, with both losses coming when he has stepped up in competition. The second defeat was via 9th round TKO in a gutsy display against the vastly more experienced Jason Booth in a bid for the Commonwealth bantamweight title. The main under-card support comes in the form of local fighter Michael Lomax, who returns to the site of his victorious campaign in the prizefighter welterweight tournament. The 6 foot southpaw had provided many a good fighter with decent sparring but came from nowhere to win his three fights on the night and steal the tourney. He will go against 10-3 Frenchman Yoann Camonin over 8 rounds. Also on the card is 10-0 super-bantamweight prospect Ricky Owen who takes on the 6-4 James Ancliff over 6 rounds and experienced 140lb campaigner Nigel Wright who's opponent Arek Malek, has only 1 win in his past 20 outings. e-mail Matt Chudley

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