British Scene Weekend Recap: Booth Stops Hunter

Matt Chudley recaps this past Friday's British super-bantamweight title match-up between Jason Booth and Michael Hunter.

Jason Booth successfully defended his British super-bantamweight title for the 2nd time with an impressive one sided 5th round stoppage of Michael Hunter at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland on Friday. It was a career best win for the slick Nottingham fighter, who also holds the Commonwealth bantamweight title.

Booth bobbed and weaved, as he looked capitalize on openings afford to him by Hunter who came out looking to use his size and strength and set a fast pace. The 5’4 man from Nottingham was able to time the 5’7 southpaw on several occasions with short left hooks in the first and really started to settle into his rhythm in the second.

With Booth quickly moving in and out of range and accurately countering, the challenger decided to set his feet to gain more purchase on his punches, but succeeded only in making himself even more of a stationary target as his poor timing and accuracy failed to improve. Having been out of the ring for 10 months, and without meaningful activity since losing in a bid for the IBF title to Steve Molitor in 2006, Hunter's rust was very evident.

By the third round it was now Booth who was the aggressor, pushing Hunter back as the former European champion fighter seemed out of ideas and was getting peppered by the smaller man.

After a dominant 4th from Booth who seemed to be picking his shots at will, Hunter’s corner sensed the fight was getting completely away, and gave their man a stern talking to, advising him to go out and give it his all. He responded by coming out with real intent for the 5th, but the fight slipped back into the same pattern with Hunter unable to pin the slick champion down. He was then forced to hold on, after Booth punished his body, before picking him apart for the remainder of the frame.

After the round, having failed to change the one-sided course of the fight, a dejected Hunter was retired by his corner without argument. Having looked out of sorts all night, he may very well need to give strong consideration to retirement from the sport.

Following the win, rumors of a big all Nottingham showdown with friend Rendall Munroe were quieted by promoter Frank Maloney and the two fighters. With a lack of domestic competition at 122lbs and the European and Commonwealth avenues blocked by Munroe, Booth will probably look to the 118lb division for his next opponent.

The obvious option is a rubber match with Ian Napa, should the Londoner regain his Lonsdale belt against Gary Davies next week. Booth could also be in the mix to take on European 118lb champion, Malik Bouziane.

On the undercard...

Tony Jeffries was given by far the toughest outing of his young career by Belarussian light-heavyweight champion Artem Solomko. Jeffries won every round on referee Andrew Wright's card in a scrappy contest but never came close to stopping Solomko, as he was extended the distance for the first time as a pro.

In his first fight under the Maloney banner, David Price looked unimpressive against Liridon Memishi who retired after two rounds due to a hand injury. Price seemed unable to press home his physical advantages and though in control, never looked like inflicting serious punishment on the German novice.

Also turning out for Maloney for the first time, much hyped super-middleweight prospect George Groves looked impressive in stopping an extremely negative Tadas Jonkus. With Jonkus (4-4) purely looking to survive, Groves forced the stoppage from referee Gary Williams in the 4th round after pinning the Lithuanian in the corner and firing in a barrage of unanswered punches.

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British Scene: Jason Booth vs Michael Hunter Preview

Matt Chudley previews tomorrow night's British super-bantamweight title showdown between Jason Booth and Michael Hunter.

Tomorrow night at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland, Jason Booth makes the 2nd defense of his British super-bantamweight title, and faces his first true test at the weight in the form of former world title challenger Michael Hunter.

With Sunderland's favourite son Tony Jeffries anchoring the card there are also a number of Britain’s finest prospects on show including the latest addition to the Frank Maloney stable, heavyweight Olympic Bronze medalist David Price in only his second pro fight.

Friday's action will also mark Frank Maloney return to the business after the tragic death of young charge Darren Sutherland and his own heart issues, with the amiable Londoner back in the fold sooner than his doctors would like but giving assurances that he will sit back in the stands and try to become less involved in the fights themselves.

Having shown much promise early in his career, but failing to capture a European title on three previous occasions, Booth has spent much of his career bouncing around the shallow lower weights in the UK. Now at age 31, it looks like he may have just found his niche in the super-bantamweight division. Having moved up in weight back in April for a shot at the vacant British title against Mark Moran on only 10 days notice, the Nottingham slickster put forth arguably the best performance of his career in outclassing the previously undefeated Moran.

While Booth has looked impressive at the weight thus far, it remains to be seen if that is more down to the opponents in the untested Moran and the game but limited Rocky Dean. Against Hunter, he’ll be giving up a significant height and reach advantage and will be looking to once again rely on his quick hands and sharp reflexes to better the naturally bigger man.

Should Booth come through this tough assignment, a big local Derby with friend Rendall Munroe, who defends his European title in November could lie ahead or the possibility of a rubber match with longtime rival Ian Napa.

A former holder of the British, Commonwealth and European Super-Bantamweight titles, Michael Hunter returns to the limelight for the first time since being stopped by Steve Molitor back in November of 2006. Fighting in his hometown of Hartlepool, Hunter was favoured by many going into the fight, but was conclusively stopped by Molitor after 5 one sided rounds. He has since taken three tune-up fights but has yet to fight in 2009.

Named the mandatory challenger for Booth's Lonsdale belt by the board of control, Hunter will be looking to reassert his dominance on the domestic scene. Well supported and not travelling too far from home, he should be able to count on a larger contingent of supporters despite not being the house fighter and can probably count on the support of the many Tony Jeffries fans who will be filling out the arena. Tall for the weight at over 5'7, Hunter will be looking use his size advantages and renowned work rate to press Booth and will likely look to attack the body early to slow the skilled title holder down.

On The Undercard...

The main attraction for the locals and already one of the bigger ticket sellers in the UK, Tony Jeffries will be looking to make it a perfect 4-0 to start his career when he takes on 10-17 Belarussian light-heavyweight champion Artem Solomko.

Having left Hayemaker Promotions after the collapse of Setanta, Olympic Bronze Medalist David Price will be making his debut under the FTM banner against 0-1 German Liridon Memishi. The 6’8 scouser will be eager to get back in the ring having been on the sidelines since March, and will be looking to come through unscathed as he’s scheduled to fight again in Bolton on the 23rd.

Another casualty of the Setanta fiasco, George Groves will be looking to prove that he is still one of the hottest prospects in the UK against 4-4 Lithuanian Tadas Jonkus. Also vying for plaudits, is Groves's amateur nemesis Travis Dickinson who faces debuting Steffan Hughes a division up at light heavy.

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British Scene Season Preview Part Two: Macklin vs Asikainen, Thaxton vs Murray, Sexton vs Rogan & Booth vs Hunter

Dave Oakes is back with the second half of The Boxing Bulletin's preview of the upcoming British boxing season.

In today's preview:

Matthew Macklin (photo © Justin McKie) vs Amin Asikainen - European middleweight title

Jon Thaxton vs John Murray - British lightweight title

Sam Sexton vs Martin Rogan - Commonwealth heavyweight title

Jason Booth vs Michael Hunter - British super-bantamweight title

Macklin vs Asikainen

The quality match-ups keep coming and 25th September sees Matthew Macklin challenge Amin Asikainen for the vacant European middleweight title. Macklin decided to vacate his British title to take this fight and must win to show that it was the correct decision to do so.

Macklin is finally discovering the form that made him one of the hottest prospects in British boxing when he turned pro in 2001. His career has been a slow burner but he’s now got the experience to not just challenge for the European title but to win it.

The quality match-ups keep coming and 25th September sees Matthew Macklin challenge Amin Asikainen for the vacant European middleweight title. Macklin decided to vacate his British title to take this fight and must win to show that it was the correct decision to do so.

Macklin is finally discovering the form that made him one of the hottest prospects in British boxing when he turned pro in 2001. His career has been a slow burner but he’s now got the experience to not just challenge for the European title but to win it.

Asikainen is a quality fighter and will be hoping to regain the belt that he held for two years before his shock knockout loss to Sebastian Sylvester. He’s also suffered a bad knockout defeat against Khoren Gevor and there are still unanswered questions about his punch resistance. There’s a feeling that whilst Asikainen is great when he’s in control, he falls apart when he starts taking heavy shots.

If Macklin can produce the same for that saw him demolish Wayne Elcock inside three rounds last time out, and applies pressure from the first bell, I can see no reason why he can’t stop Asikainen in the mid to late rounds.

Thaxton vs Murray

If you thought September looked pretty good then October is shaping up to be even better. The two best lightweights in Britain do battle on the first Saturday of the month, with Jon Thaxton and John Murray squaring off for the vacant British title.

The undefeated Murray lost the title on the scales last time out but followed it up with a solid performance against the always competitive Scott Lawton, whom he stopped in the sixth round after dishing out a vicious beating.

This fight is make or break time for Thaxton, he’s lost three of his last four and is starting to look like a fighter on the slide. The most surprising of those defeats came in his last fight when he was out-pointed by the game but limited Tom Glover up at light-welterweight. Thaxton believes that the extra weight was the reason behind his loss to Glover, but having spent half of his career fighting at that weight, I find it hard to believe that it would make such a huge amount of difference against someone as limited as Glover.

Thaxton should provide Murray with the hardest fight of his career but I expect the young Mancunian to have too much hunger, stamina and aggression for Thaxton to cope with.

Sexton vs Rogan

Next up is the much anticipated rematch between Sam Sexton and Martin Rogan on October 9th at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast.

Their first meeting in May this year was an action packed back and forth fight that either boxer could’ve won. Sexton started the better but started to struggle as the fight wore on. Rogan showed his usual grit and determination but made a fatal error when he stood back and waited for the referee to step in after wobbling Sexton with a couple of clubbing hooks in the 8th , all this did was allow Sexton to regain his composure, and his senses, when he should’ve gone in for the finish. The end came moments later when Rogan was stopped due to a badly swollen eye.

It was a rarity in that it was an enjoyable heavyweight fight with plenty of action. I expect the same this time but with Rogan coming out the victor via a late stoppage.

Booth vs Hunter

The best fight of the month could come a week later (October 16th) when Jason Booth defends his British super-bantamweight title against former world title challenger Michael Hunter. The ex amateur rivals have not been shy about letting people know of their dislike of each other, with Booth’s manager, Jimmy Gill, joining in by calling Hunter chinny and saying his man should be viewed as the red-hot favourite.

Booth is in the form of his life having won his last six fights, five of which were title fights. This is despite fighting at bantamweight and now super-bantamweight when he’s more of a natural flyweight. He’s always been a beautifully skilled boxer but has now got the experience and maturity to produce the performances everyone knew he was capable of.

The smooth skills of Booth should provide us with a nice clash of styles against the pressure fighting Hunter. Hunter is always at peak fitness, is always prepared to box or brawl his way to victory and has only been defeated once in thirty-one fights, when he was outclassed by Steve Molitor in a clash for the IBF title.

The main worries for Hunter will be his inactivity and his struggles to make the weight. He’s only fought three times in the past two and half years and two of those fights were up at super-featherweight. It was only a few years ago that Hunter was tearing through the division at British and European level but he seems to have lost his hunger since the Molitor defeat.

This fight is a real 50-50 battle; Booth has the skills to outbox Hunter, whilst Hunter has the size advantage and aggressive style to beat Booth. It’s a toss of a coin but I’ve got a feeling that if Hunter still has the desire to be a champion, he’ll find a way of winning a close fight.

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Check out the first half of Dave's season preview: British Scene Season Preview Part One; Simpson vs Truscott, O'Donnell vs Glover, Davis vs Napa, Fury vs McDermott & Olusegun vs Daws Read more!