British Scene Weekend Recap

This past Friday night at the Bellahouston Sports Centre in Glasgow, Ricky Burns defended his Commonwealth super-featherweight title against Kevin O'Hara. The show also featured the return of Edinburgh's Alex Arthur.

Dave Oakes has the recap.

Check out Dave's Preview of the Show: Ricky Burns vs Kevin O'Hara Preview

Saturday June 13 Burns Scrapes Past O'Hara By Dave Oakes Ricky Burns survived a tough test on Friday night to retain his Commonwealth super-featherweight title at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow. Burns never seemed to find his rhythm and struggled to establish himself against a fired up Kevin O’Hara. O’Hara has been guilty of underachieving when he’s taken a step up in class in the past, but it was a different story this time as he jumped on the champion early and tried to force the pace of the fight. The first four rounds were very even, with O’Hara pressing but not landing many punches and Burns back-pedaling whilst also not landing many punches. Burns fared slightly better in rounds five to eight, he wasn’t dominating but he was out-hustling O’Hara to edge the rounds. O’Hara was starting to look a touch tired in the seventh but continued to press forward where Burns met him with a jab before clinching. This was to be a pattern in the fight, Burns didn’t look comfortable when O’Hara was on the inside and was content to tie him up rather than trade with him. O’Hara seemed to get a second wind in the last few rounds; he was pressing with more authority but was still landing very little. O’Hara was only throwing left-hooks; Burns had noticed this early in the fight and was now catching most of them on his gloves. Despite the predictability of his opponent, Burns wasn’t doing much other than throwing the odd jab and left hook to the body before tying O’Hara up on the inside. Surprisingly he didn’t seem capable of countering O’Hara and looked uncomfortable and awkward all through the fight. O’Hara was deducted a point in the ninth for deliberate use of the head. With the fight looking to be very close, it was a daft thing for O’Hara to do. As it was, it didn’t make any difference as the judges scored the bout surprisingly wide in favour of Burns. The judges scorecards read: 117-110, 117-111 and a much more sensible 115-113. All in all, this wasn’t a particularly entertaining fight and has to go down as the worst performance by Burns since he lost to Carl Johanneson a couple of years ago. He didn’t seem to be motivated and was lucky that O’Hara was one-dimensional in his attacks; if O’Hara had mixed it up a bit more he could’ve pulled off a shock win. Burns may be in need of a break to help recharge his batteries before making another defence of his title later this year. I don’t think it would be wise at this stage of his career to go looking for fights against Kevin Mitchell and Roman Martinez like he’s been talking about. Both of those fighters would make very easy work of Burns based on Friday night’s performance. On the undercard… Alex Arthur made a successful return to the ring by blowing away the hapless Mohamed Benbiou inside ninety seconds. Benbiou was down three times and looked hurt every time Arthur landed. It was a big left hook to the body that brought the mismatch to an end. Arthur is now campaigning at lightweight; it’ll be interesting to see how he does there after a fairly successful career at super-featherweight. e-mail Dave Oakes

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British Scene: Ricky Burns vs Kevin O'Hara Preview

Tomorrow night in Glasgow, Commonwealth super-featherweight champion Ricky Burns makes the 3rd defence of his title against challenger Kevin O'Hara.

Dave Oakes has the preview.

Make sure to check back in with us on Monday for our recap of this show.

Saturday June 13 Ricky Burns vs Kevin O'Hara (Sky) By Dave Oakes The ever improving Ricky Burns makes the third defence of his Commonwealth super-featherweight title on Friday night against former amateur star Kevin O’Hara. O’Hara was a top class amateur but has so far failed to reproduce that form in paid ranks. He turned pro just over six years ago and has amassed a disappointing record of 16-4 with only five of those victories by stoppage. All four defeats have come in fights where he’s taken a step up from fighting journeymen. There’s no disgrace in losing to Willie Limond or Choi Tseveenpurev, who are both very good fighters, but his defeats against Henry Castle and Eddie Hyland are much more worrying. Castle is entertaining to watch but is nothing more than a crude slugger, and whilst Hyland has talent, he’s got very little ambition and doesn’t punch with any authority; they’re the kind of fighters that are made for O’Hara, yet he managed to let himself get outworked by them and lost both fights on points. Burns is coming off a career best win against an old but always dangerous Michael Gomez. Burns was on top form that night, controlling the pace of the fight with a ramrod jab and keeping his hands held high and his chin tucked down. He kept Gomez off balance all night and I was really impressed with his hand-speed as well as the patience he showed before turning up the tempo in the sixth and seventh rounds to stop Gomez. Burns’ only defeats have come against Alex Arthur and Carl Johanneson but he’s improved greatly since those fights. Those defeats have improved him as fighter and it goes to show that an undefeated record in a young fighter doesn’t mean anything other than they’ve been well matched. Burns has won by stoppage in both of his title defences and is showing improved power. However, I’d be surprised if he stopped O’Hara, who’s got a very solid chin and knows how to slip away from punches to minimise the effect. O’Hara is a lovely boxer when he’s allowed to settle into a rhythm, so Burns must use his jab to full effect to stop that happening and to set up his own attacks. I think he will do just that and will control the fight from start to finish to take a wide points decision in front of his hometown fans at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow. Former world champion Alex Arthur makes his long awaited return on the undercard. Arthur hasn’t boxed since losing his world title to Nicky Cook last year and will be looking to shed some ring rust against little known Frenchman Mohamed Benbiou. e-mail Dave Oakes

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British Scene Weekend Recap

Ricky Burns was in action this weekend, defending his Commonweath super-featherweight title against Michael Gomez, while Tony Quigley and Tony Dodson engaged in a classic super-middleweight encounter for the British Title.

Dave Oakes and Matt Chudley bring you all the action.

Friday March 27 Burns Retains Title By Dave Oakes Ricky Burns retained his Commonwealth super-featherweight title on Friday night with an impressive 7th round stoppage of Michael Gomez. Burns started the fight quickly, keeping the aggressive Gomez off balance by working behind a solid jab. At the end of the first round you sensed that this was going to be a long hard night for Gomez. The Mancunian seemed to be taking every punch on the chin with his defence non-existent and his head offering a stationary target for the fired up Burns. The second and third rounds were the same as the first with Gomez trying bravely to back Burns into a corner but not having the foot speed to do so. Burns was taking full advantage of the challenger’s slow march forward and was landing left hooks and straight rights at will. When Gomez did get close enough to trade punches, Burns would hit him with a quick combination before holding and smothering the challenger’s work. The fourth round provided Gomez’s only success of the night when he landed a big uppercut that had Burns clinging on for a few seconds to clear his head. The rest of the round was scrappy as Burns seemed to abandon his jab and was content to just stifle Gomez by constantly holding him. Burns started the fifth in the same manner as he ended the fourth with more holding than punching. The round was halfway through when the referee had seen enough and deducted a point from Burns for excessive holding. This seemed to re-ignite the fire in Burns, who finished the round strongly, crashing punch after punch against the tiring Gomez. The sixth round was one-sided as Burns completely took control of the fight, with Gomez offering very little in response to the champion’s quick and accurate combinations. Gomez’s corner tried to fire their fading fighter up in the corner when really they should've been thinking about pulling him out. He was allowed out for the seventh round but with less than a minute gone he was backed onto the ropes and caught with a huge right hook that shook him badly. The follow up barrage of hooks had him sinking to the canvas just as the referee jumped in to save him from further punishment. For Gomez, the end is now in sight. After the fight he stated that he wanted to have a couple of easy four round fights to take his record to 40-10 before bowing out. He can retire knowing he’s provided the fans with some of the most entertaining domestic fights of the past decade and can look at his Lonsdale belt with pride. The ever improving Burns will now be looking towards a fight with Kevin Mitchell, Nicky Cook or maybe even the new European champion, Sergey Gulyakevich. On this form, he'd make those three potential fights very interesting. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday March 28 Quigley Stops Dodson in Thriller By Matt Chudley Tony Quigley may have left his stool for the 12th round behind on the cards but the final momentum swing of the back and forth tussle during the 11th round left him with every confidence that he could see off the challenge of local rival Tony Dodson. He did just that during a dramatic final stanza that saw him crowned the new British super-middleweight champion, in a fight that will undoubtedly receive strong consideration for British fight of the year, if it doesn’t at least take that honour. Dodson, the elder Liverpudlian got out of the gate slowly, and after being cut twice, once on the bridge of the nose and once over the left eye, was put down by a by a huge right hook in the second round. Quigley poured on the pressure but the unsteady Dodson did well to keep his upper body moving and avoid more punishment. Quigley came out for the third in measured pursuit, but the direction of the fight changed halfway through the round. Pressed up in his own corner Dodson turned his man landing a left uppercut and followed up with a left hook. The punches clearly affected Quigley and Dodson took over the role of aggressor stalking Quigley around the ring and looking to work to the body and head and out landing his opponent for the rest of the round. Using his superior size and strength, Dodson maintained his upper hand through the next few rounds and into the second half of the fight, but his face was showing the effects of the battle. With some swelling now accompanying the two cuts, the ring doctor was forced to have a quick look during the 7th. Dodson, who had expended an enormous amount of energy in taking charge of the fight, was now slowly become less efficient in his attack, smothering much of his own work and also striking a lot of air. With Dodson tiring, Quigley started to come alive again in the ninth, although he was shaken by a big left hook at the end of the round. Suffering under the pace he’d set, Dodson’s work was determined but ragged in the tenth, while Quigley, who was growing in confidence landed the more eye catching stuff. The younger fighter started the penultimate round purposely and sensing his opponent was tiring, he seized his chance in piling on the pressure. Dodson’s brave effort was now starting to unravel, and Quigley's assault, punctuated by a right hand and a a big left, forced him to hold on for the final minute of the round. Implored by his corner to go all out for the stoppage, Quigley came out guns blazing in the twelfth. He put Dodson down early with an overhand right, and with his follow-up attack, sent his game opponent down yet again, this time with a let hook. Dodson climbed off the canvas, but quickly found himself down once more, this time from a slip. He courageously rose but was unable to intelligently defend himself, and referee Victor Loughlin compassionately called a halt to the proceedings, crowning Quigley the new champion. On the undercard... Debuting Heavy David Price looked a much needed addition to the division, showing a good body attack and the ability to end a fight with one punch. Having started patiently Price came to life in the 3rd. After Price's mouthpiece fell out, the referee shouted stop boxing, only to have Ingleby catch the distracted Price with a massive right hand sucker punch. Though hurt, this fired up the nice guy from Liverpool who proceeded to blast Ingleby out in that same round with a huge right hand. All of 6’8, with a solid jab and good amateur pedigree, he will be a useful sparring partner for his promoter David Haye in preparation for the fight with Wladimir Klitschko. Also on the show was Merseyside fighter John Watson, who survived a final round onslaught from Martin Gethin to win their exciting 10 round British lightweight eliminator. Derry Mathews will have to think long and hard about his chosen career path. He was controversially counted out having claimed to have not heard the count, but has now lost three of his last 4 having previously been ranked by the IBF and WBO at featherweight. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene Weekend Preview

In store for British boxing fans this weekend...

Dave Oakes previews Friday night's commonwealth super-featherweight title clash between champion Ricky Burns and challenger Michael Gomez.

Matt Chudley takes a look at the vacant British super-middleweight title bout between Tony Quigley and Tony Dodson. Matt also touches on what might be next for Ireland's Bernard Dunne.

Friday March 27 Michael Gomez vs Ricky Burns (SKY) By Dave Oakes Michael Gomez’s demolition of Alex Arthur in 2003 remains the career highlight for the erratic, self-proclaimed madman of Manchester. On Friday night, he returns north of the border to challenge Ricky Burns for the Commonwealth super-featherweight title at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow. A lot has happened to Gomez since that famous night, namely a movie of his life story being made, a split from trainer Billy Graham, four knockout losses, including his strange walk-out midway through the 5th round of a fight he was winning comfortably against Peter McDonagh, and a dabble at lightweight resulting in a failed attempt to beat the then unbeaten Amir Khan. It’s safe to say Gomez doesn’t do quiet. He had Khan down and hurt that night, but was taking too many punches and was ground down in the 5th round when he appeared to run out of energy. It’s a common trait in Gomez’s career, if he doesn’t get his opponent out of there early, he tends to fade later on. The similarities between this fight and the Arthur fight are there to see. Burns is a long range boxer with height and reach advantages and is considered the up-and-coming fighter. Gomez is seen as past his best and is the underdog going into the champion’s backyard. Gomez knows this and will thrive off it; he’s already started the war of words and will certainly try to unsettle his younger opponent at the weigh-in with his usual antics. This will be Burns’ second defence of his title and his biggest fight since losing to Carl Johanesson two years ago. He has improved since that fight but the fact he struggled to cope with the aggressive style of Johanesson must be a worry for his team. Burns will be looking to hit and move rather than trading with the stronger Gomez. His stiff jab and quick straight right will be of great importance in this fight and the need to keep a calm head early on could decide the way the fight goes. Gomez will be looking to force Burns onto the ropes from the first bell and will deliver some punishing hooks to head and body. If Burns can survive the early attack and establish his jab as the fight progresses, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him wear Gomez down and stop him around the 9th round. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday March 28 Tony Dodson vs Tony Quigley (Setanta) By Matt Chudley On Saturday at the Echo Arena in Liverpool Tony Dodson and Tony Quigley clash for the vacant British super-middleweight Title on a card that has seen more chopping and changing than the average HBO Boxing after Dark show. Initially the main event was to involve British light-middleweight champion Ryan Rhodes defending his title against loud mouth Londoner Anthony Small with the co-feature being Belfast’s Brian Magee defending his British super-middleweight title against local boy Tony Dodson. Rhodes, the resurgent Sheffield fighter pulled out due to a cold although the idea of facing awkward stylist and mandatory challenger Small when he had once again crept into the WBC top ten couldn't have been the most enthralling of prospects. After suffering a back injury during training Brian Magee opted to vacate his Lonsdale belt, allowing scousers Tony Dodson and Tony Quigley to contest the vacant title. Dodson, a big character on the British circuit held the title previously but was unable to defend it himself after suffering a string of injuries resulting from a car crash in May 2004. It is a big step up in competition for Tony Quigley, who auditioned unsuccessfully for a place on the latest series of mixed-martial-arts reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter”. Sporting a soft 12-1 record Quigley was afforded the opportunity out of convenience as he was previously scheduled to fight for the English title on this card. While Haymaker Promotions may have lost the three most established fighters from this bill they have been lucky enough to hold onto the services of the two biggest tickets sellers. The last of the British Olympians to turn pro and the oldest of the group, local Heavyweight Bronze medalist David Price will accompany the controversial “Dirty” Derry Mathews in filling out the undercard. Mathews, who is renowned for testing referees and socializing with football stars had built quite a following in the region until losing 2 of his last three and is looking to rebuild against South African journeyman Harry Ramogoadi over six rounds. Price is to take on short notice trail horse David Ingleby, also over six. e-mail Matt Chudley

What next for Bernard Dunne? Without a doubt the fight which everyone in the British Isles would like to see is Dunne vs Leicester man Rendall Munroe. However, it is reasonable to assume though that the same promotional complications that have hampered this potential fight will continue to plague it. Dunne’s promoter Brian Peters has an ongoing deal with Irish flagship broadcaster RTE and Munroe’s promoter with the British based Sky Sports who are also present in Ireland. With an unwillingness to jump networks, an overstating of their man’s value and the public finger pointing it has become a similar situation to that of Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm. The real WBA champion Celestine Caballero has been amongst the many who have now called out the Irishman, guaranteeing a sell-out crowd and a big TV audience in his native land Dunne has become the meal ticket of the division. Peters had said that their dream fight would be Israel Vasquez in Las Vegas but that a voluntary defense is the likely next move. - Matt Chudley

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