Bristol's Lee Haskins had little trouble with British soldier Ross Burnkinshaw this past Friday night at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. Olympic Bronze medalist Tony Jeffries was also in action, picking up his 3rd win to remain perfect as a pro.
Matt Chudley has the recap.
Check out The Boxing Bulletin's preview of this Saturday's Sky Box Office show: Amir Khan vs Andriy Kotelnik Preview
Read more!
Friday, July 10
Haskins Stops Burkinshaw in 4
By Matt Chudley
Southpaw Lee Haskins made a successful first defense of his British super-flyweight title with a one-sided 4th round stoppage of Ross Burkinshaw.
In his customary stance with his hands down by his waist, Haskins settled into the contest quickly, using his quick feet, sharp reflexes and upper body movement to avoid the incoming while loading up with powerful hooks and uppercuts from unorthodox angles.
Possibly overwhelmed in appearing on live national TV for the first time, Burkinshaw came out extremely tentatively, as he looked to cover up and weather the early storm. Though it was clearly his intention to try and see out Haskin's best, Burkinshaw failed to catch many of the Bristol man's lead-off hooks and uppercuts on his gloves and was shipping clean shots from the opening moments.
Despite his impressive height for the weight, Burkinshaw currently lacks a sturdy jab and was unable to capitalize on this advantage and coupled with his flat feet and lack of power it meant the Sheffield fighter posed little threat to Haskins. He briefly opened up midway through the 3rd but went back into his shell after Haskins connected with a right hook. The young soldier began to take sustained punishment in the 4th when Haskins two fisted attack continued to land consistently prompting referee Ian John-Lewis to step between the fighters and call an end to the action.
Many felt that the stoppage may have been premature but as soon as the referee advanced, Burkinshaw tried to take a knee and then made no protest after realizing the contest had been stopped.
Next up for Haskins appears to be an attractive contest against Frank Warren prospect and unbeaten holder of the Commonwealth title, Don Broadhurst. With Broadhurst being named the mandatory challenger for the Lonsdale belt, purse bids will be called if necessary but Maloney and Warren are on much better terms in recent times and an agreement is likely to be reached.
On the under-card…
Hometown favourite Tony Jeffries was responsible for selling nearly all the tickets and didn’t disappoint his loyal following, blasting out Ilya Shakuro midway through the 1st round. The limited Shakuro proved too game for his own good, looking to engage the heavy handed Jeffries from the start. With Shakuro dropped and hurt from a left hook to the body, Jeffries pressed on with a vicious two fisted attack to leave the Belarussian defenseless and reeling on the ropes, with ref Gary Williams no choice but to jump in and save the visiting fighter. With the win, Jeffries improved his record to 3-0, while Shakuro falls to 2-2.
Fellow North East prospect Travis Dickinson was equally impressive in stopping the 9-6 Hamed Jamali with a short counter right in the second round after suffering a cut from a clash of heads in the first. Also in action, light middleweight Brian Rose extended his unbeaten record to 13-0-1 with a hard fought 8 round decision over durable Frenchman Francis Tchoffa.
e-mail Matt Chudley
Sunday, July 12, 2009
British Scene: Haskins Stops Burnkinshaw
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
British Scene: Haskins vs Burkinshaw Preview
Sky will be in Sunderland this Friday night for the Lee Haskins vs Ross Burnkinshaw British super-flyweight title fight. Haskins will be attempting the first defense of the crown he won last November from Andy Bell.
The card also features fan favourite light-heavyweight Tony Jeffries. The Olympic bronze medalist will be making his 3rd pro appearance in a 4 rounder against Ilya Shakuro.
Matt Chudley has the preview.
Make sure to check back in after the weekend for Matt's recap.
Read more!
Friday, July 10
Lee Haskins vs Ross Burkinshaw (Sky 2)
By Matt Chudley
This Friday night at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland, Lee Haskins defends his British Super-flyweight title against serving British Soldier Ross Burkinshaw. The main attraction and reason why both Haskins and Burkinshaw are fighting more than 100 miles from home is the occasion of Tony Jeffries's third pro fight. The Olympic Bronze medalist and North-East sports personality of the year has quickly emerged as a fan favourite and huge ticket seller.
In a similar vein to Ricky Hatton, Jeffries has a strong affiliation with his local football team and possesses a humble yet jovial disposition. With Sky Sport's minimum requirement for a live Friday Fight Night card being a British or Commonwealth title fight, it can be expected that many a Frank Maloney promoted title fight will gravitate to the Tyne and Wear vicinity over the next few years.
Defending his Lonsdale belt for the first time, Lee Haskins will be looking to remain unbeaten below Bantamweight. The once hyped prospects' two defeats both came at the 118lb limit, in a one sided 6th round stoppage at the hands of the classy Tshifhiwa Munyai and then a withdrawal after 7 rounds against Ian Napa due to a hand injury.
Struggling to make 112lbs and having come unstuck at bantam, Haskins believes he has found his niche following the 2007 introduction of the British super-flyweight title and will be looking to rebuild his career there after having featured in the WBO top 10 at flyweight back in 2006.
Currently a member of the Rifles Regiment of the British Army, the 22 year old Burkinshaw will be contending for the Lonsdale belt in only his 10th professional fight. Holding a 6-1-2 record and formerly a two time combined services champion in the amateurs, Burkinshaw has been given the opportunity to fight in the paid ranks as part of a PR move by the Army. With his only defeat resulting from a dislocated shoulder and being tall for the weight at 5'8, the teak tough soldier will present some interesting problems for the wild southpaw from Bristol who struggled with the superior reach of Munyai previously.
The undercard...
The aforementioned Jeffries will take on 2-1 Belarussian Ilya Shakuro in the featured preliminary. The 20 year old Shakuro is on a two fight winning streak, after starting his career with a loss last November.
Also on the bill is fellow Northumberland prospect Travis Dickinson. Dickinson won two junior ABA titles defeating blue chip prospect George Groves in the process and will be joined on the card by his brother Jon-Lewis. Travis will take on 9-6 Iranian Hamed Jamali over 4 rounds at light heavyweight, while Jon-Lewis will go against a short notice opponent over 4 at cruiserweight.
Brian Rose 12-0-1 will also see action against 5-2 Frenchman Francis Togba Tchoffo in a 154lb 8 round contest.
e-mail Matt Chudley
Posts
