British Scene Weekend Recap: McCloskey & Sexton Win in Northern Ireland

Matt Chudley recaps this past weekend's British boxing action.

Friday saw mixed fortunes for two of Northern Irelands most popular fighters as Paul McCloskey claimed the European Light-Welterweight title in Magherafelt, while Martin Rogan failed to regain the Commonwealth Heavyweight title less than 40 miles away in Belfast.

First to enter the ring on the night was McCloskey, who found himself in a favourable matchup against Daniel Rasilla for the European strap after champion Souleymane M'Baye withdrew less than two weeks before.

Giving away 3 inches in height to the Spaniard, McCloskey swept the first three rounds with the greater volume and accuracy as he bobbed and weaved from side to side in his customary style to avoid the oncoming. Renowned for his sharp reflexes, the local fighter’s quicker hands allowed him to fire out a more authoritative range finder, as he managed to out-jab the taller Spaniard in the early going, while showing more pop as well.

In the 4th, a slightly discouraged Rasilla started to open up, and McCloskey responded by bringing his right hook into play, briefly stunning Rasilla at the back end of the round.

Unable to cause any serious punishment with Rasilla pressed up against the ropes on a couple of occasions in the 5th and 6th rounds, the Dungiven southpaw became more patient in his approach and looked to pick Rasilla apart as opposed to pressuring him.

McCloskey's patience was rewarded in the 9th when he caught his wide open opponent with a short counter right on the inside that put the man from Santander down. With plenty of time left in the round, McCloskey missed with a few wild uppercuts before catching Rasilla coming in again, this time with a straight left. The second knockdown prompted Rasilla's handlers to enter the ring and save him from any further punishment.

Improving to 20(10)-0, McCloskey can now look forward to bigger fights against the likes of Junior Witter, Souleymane M'Baye and Andreas Kotelnik, who all occupy the upper echelons of the European rankings.

Another possibility for the Matchroom Sport fighter is a clash with the winner of Matchroom’s December 4th edition of the prizefighter tournament which features 140lb fighters, 3 of which are already ranked by the EBU.

Over in Belfast, Martin Rogan once again found himself at a packed out Odyssey arena despite a much less stellar supporting cast than his last visit. Spurred on by his massive support, he came out more aggressively than the previous fight and tried to throw a barrage of hooks to the body of Sexton, who had seemed to have some stamina issues last time out.

With Rogan wanting to work on the inside, the 25 year old champion did his best to hamper the action in close by holding, while trying to keep the fight at longer range where he could use his snappy jab and straighter punches.

The best punch of the early going was a solid right from Sexton in the 3rd which stunned Rogan, but Sexton noticeably slowed down in the next two rounds. An overhand right in close quarters shook him in the 5th, but Rogan smothered much of his follow up attack, and the 38 year old challenger was unable to capitalise.

After composing himself in the interval, Sexton settled back into the contest with his trusty jab and began to catch Rogan with right hands as the 6th wore on. The closing moments of the round saw a despondent Rogan with his hands low and his head bowed.

After returning to his corner with a look of resignation, trainer Paul McCullough was left with little choice but to pull his fighter after a distant Rogan offered nothing back, later citing an arm injury.

With the loss, it looks like Rogan's unlikely run in the heavyweight division may have come to an end. If that’s the case, it’s still fairly remarkable what he’s been able to accomplish after turning pro at 33 years of age.

With the contest doubling as a British title eliminator, Sexton can look forward to challenging an old and shop worn Danny Williams for the Lonsdale belt next.

On the under-cards...

On the undercard in Magherafelt, British featherweight champ Martin Lindsay improved to 15-0 with an 8 round shutout of Ghanian Alfred Tetteh, while the 22 year old Barry McGuigan managed 122lb prospect Carl Frampton advanced to 3-0 with a third round stoppage win over 1-6-2 Hungarian Ignac Kassai.

In Belfast, local favourite and former WBO welterweight challenger Neil Sinclair (33-7) dispatched 38 year old Hungarian Janos Petrovics (18-29) with a vicious body attack, eventually forcing the referee’s stoppage in the 4th round.

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British Scene: Rogan vs Sexton II & McCloskey vs Rasilla Previews

Matt Chudley previews tomorrow night's Sky double-header, featuring two shows from Northern Ireland.

Sky Sports continue their impressive autumn line up with a split location live double header from two big cards in Northern Ireland this Friday.

In Belfast at the Odyssey Arena, local favourite Martin Rogan will be looking to regain the Commonwealth Heavyweight title he lost in controversial circumstances to Sam Sexton at the same venue back in May.

Meanwhile, across Lough Neagh at the Meadowbank Arena in Magherafelt, Dungiven's unbeaten southpaw Paul McCloskey headlines another big card with a challenge for the vacant European Light Welterweight title against short notice opponent Daniel Rasilla.

Sam Sexton vs Martin Rogan II

At 38 years old and having parted ways with highly regarded trainer John Breen to work out at a local amateur gym, the short but exciting career of Martin Rogan could be under serious threat. His moniker 'The Entertainer' is undoubtedly well earned with 2 domestic fight of the year candidates already in the books and another thriller is likely on the cards.

Rogan was a huge favourite heading into the previous encounter in May, and was criticised by many for taking on a soft opponent ahead of a possible European title fight. However, Sexton proved a far tougher opponent than originally given credit for, and the bout turned into a back and forth battle, that ultimately saw Rogan pulled by the ring doctor with his left eye almost completely shut, while Sexton was on the brink of being finished.

Though he may have almost completely lost the use of his left eye, Rogan had turned the fight on its head in the 8th after a tough 7th and after appearing to hold back against a defenseless Sexton for a stoppage from Dave Paris, the defeat left a bitter taste.

Sexton will no doubt look to once again capitalise on his superior boxing skills and try to pick the brawling Rogan apart from the outside. While Sexton did seem to have a good game plan and the necessary skills last time out, his lack of conditioning was almost his downfaill. This could once again be a factor, as having yet to go beyond 8, the scheduled 12 still poses questions for Sexton whereas Rogan showed during the Matt Skelton fight in February that he can stay strong into the championship rounds.

The added confidence and experience from claiming the belt last time out can only benefit the once beaten fighter from Norwich, while the 13 year age gap also looks favourable after a six month layoff for the pair.

Paul McCloskey vs Daniel Rasilla

Barry Hearn brings his unbeaten charge Paul McCloskey back to his home county of Londonderry in a fight for the European title with a strong supporting cast. The 19-0 southpaw had been set to challenge European champion Soulymane M'Baye for the strap but the Frenchman withdrew and vacated after sustaining a bicep injury in training.

While almost all of the biggest names in Irish boxing including John Duddy, Any Lee, Bernard Dunne and Rogan have suffered tough setbacks in the last 18 months, McCloskey has continued to quietly gain momentum in the 140lb division posting solid wins over the likes of Cesar Bazan and Colin Lynes.

An accomplished amatuer, having represented Ireland on numerous occasions and winning a silver medal in the EU championships, McCloskey got a late start to the pro game at 26 and reliant upon his sharp reflexes may need to be moved quickly if he’s to fulfill his potential.

Unsurprisingly there wasn’t a que of fighters atop the EBU rankings eager to take on the tricky stylist a few miles from his home on less than two weeks notice. The unenviable task fell to unheralded 15-2 Spaniard Daniel Rasilla who enters as an opportunist with nothing to lose.

A career lightweight, Rasilla has ventured to Ireland before in dropping a 12 round decision to Andy Murray for the European Union lightweight title in March on the undercard to Dunne-Cordoba. Up from his natural weight and with only 4 KOs to his name thus far, Rasilla will likely play spoiler and see if he can cash in on the erratic and often questionable mainland European judges provided by the EBU.

Also on the card in Magherafelt is British featherweight champion Martin Lindsay (14-0) who looks to stay busy over 8 against teek tough Ghanian Alfred Tetteh (10-3-2) ahead of a fight with mandatory challenger Jamie Arthur in the new year.

In action as well is Barry McGuigan prodigy Carl Frampton (2-0) who appears in his homeland for the first time as a pro. A successful amateur, having boxed internationally Frampton will be taking on 1-5-2 Hungarian Ignac Kassai as he looks to make an impression on the domestic super bantamweight scene.

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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!

British Scene Weekend Recap: Sexton Stuns Rogan

There was a fair bit of controversy over the ending of the Martin Rogan vs Sam Sexton Commonwealth heavyweight title bout this past Friday in Belfast.

Matt Chudley has the details, along with some notes on the under-card bouts.

Friday May 15 Rogan Controversially Stopped by Sexton By Matt Chudley Sam Sexton relieved Martin Rogan of his Commonwealth title this past Friday in one of the more memorable heavyweight fights of recent memory. The circumstances however were highly controversial as the refereeing of Dave Paris became the deciding factor in the contest, leaving a packed house at the Odyssey Arena incensed. From the outset it was clear that the underdog Sexton had capable enough boxing skills to use his superior reach to outscore and control Rogan from the outside. Using these advantages, Sexton started well, surprisingly rocking Rogan in the second, when single right hands staggered the hometown fighter. Sexton continued to pot-shot the oncoming Rogan over the next three rounds, while successfully tying him up on the inside. Cheered on by the partisan home crowd, Rogan kept to his game plan, and by the mid-rounds his pressure and superior conditioning were beginning to tell. The tiring Sexton was becoming less mobile, and Rogan’s lunging attacks were now starting to find the target, although by this time, an ominous swelling had appeared under his left eye. In the 7th round, with the direction of the fight turning, Sexton showed his mettle and fought back hard. Standing his ground, he wobbled Rogan on multiple occasions with right hands that left the Irishman hanging on for dear life in the clinch. At the start of the 8th, Rogan’s left eye was almost completely shut, but he kept putting the pressure on, and his desperate swings paid off when he badly hurt the challenger with a right hand, left hook combination. To avoid the onslaught, a lost and defenseless Sexton turned his back in the corner in an attempt to shield himself from further punishment. With Rogan still swinging away, Paris stepped in to get Rogan a drawn out warning for hitting behind the head, which afforded the challenger precious time to recover. It was not long before Sexton was in big trouble again, and after he stumbled backwards with his hands down, the fight looked to be over. However, in a bizarre act of sportsmanship, Rogan held back and motioned for Paris to stop the fight, but the man in charge did not oblige. Having passed up the opportunity to attack his seemingly defenseless opponent, Rogan went back to worth with Sexton still just hanging on, only for Paris to again stop the action and take Sexton over to his corner for his gum-shield to be put back in. The delay took at least 15 seconds, and with every moment precious to Rogan due to the circumstances, it proved to be a huge break for Sexton. A few moments after the bout had resumed, Paris called time and sent Rogan over to the ring doctor. Unable to see out of his left eye, Rogan was pulled out by the doctor, giving the TKO victory and Commonwealth title to the man from Norwich and stunning the hometown crowd. Though a rematch appears on the cards, promoter Frank Warren may have some hard words for his matchmaker Dean Powell. Sexton had been selected as a voluntary defense for Rogan’s big homecoming and despite his lesser accomplishments, in hindsight appears to posses a style that will always give the Irishman problems. On the undercard… Faced with a chorus of boos, Olympic middleweight Gold medalist James DeGale turned in a stunning performance to relieve some of the pressure that resulted from his lackluster debut. Southpaw DeGale caught 5-0 Czech fighter Jindrich Kubin with a hard right hook that sent the slightly off balance Kubin down early in the 1st. Kubin was never given a chance to recover as the fired up DeGale, having switched to orthodox stance, finished him off with an onslaught of measured right hands. Former amateur World Champion, Frankie Gavin faced a far less game opponent in the shape of Frenchman Mourad Frarema. The cagey Frarema was on his bike from the opening bell. Normally a counter-puncher himself, Gavin used the jab effectively to eventually catch-up to the Frenchman and used a two fisted attack to force a referee stoppage at the bell for the third round. 19 Year old Olympian Billy Joe Saunders used a vicious body attack to break down 2-1 German Ronny Gabel in the 2nd to move to 2(2)-0. Veteran former British welterweight champion, Neil Sinclair did give the locals some cause for celebration, as the Belfast fighter stopped County Mayo's Henry Coyle to capture the Irish light-middleweight title. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene Weekend Preview: Martin Rogan vs Sam Sexton

Sky's Friday night boxing show will be at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast for Joe Rogan's Commonwealth heavyweight title defense against challenger Sam Sexton.

Matt Chudley has the preview.

Saturday May 16 Martin Rogan vs Sam Sexton By Matt Chudley This Friday's Sky Sports card sees the return of the ever popular Martin Rogan to his hometown of Belfast. With Irish boxing on a high following big wins from the likes of Bernard Dunne and Martin Lindsay, Rogan will look to continue the momentum against fellow Prizefighter winner Sam Sexton. A cabbie by day, Rogan burst onto the scene in April of last year, claiming Barry Hearns' inaugural Prizefighter tournament. The format which consists of 8 fighters competing in a elimination style tournament over 3 rounders saw Rogan demonstrate his now trademark toughness and fighting spirit. After stopping Alex Ibbs and winning a unanimous decision over Dave Ferguson, Rogan bested bookies favourite David Dolan in a thrilling final, clinching it with a knockdown in the final round. Subsequent gutsy upset wins over the heavily favoured Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton have seen the Ulsterman achieve cult hero status and capture the Commonwealth title. The challenger, 24 year old Norwich prospect Sam Sexton won the 2nd Prizefighter heavyweight tournament held last September. Entering on the back of a loss to the highly touted Derek Chisora, Sexton came through an arguably weaker field than Rogan did to take home the £25,000 first place cheque. Having never been beyond 6 rounds, and coming into the contest with far less big fight experience, Sexton will be firmly up against it, fighting a scheduled 12 rounder in hostile territory. The undercard… Amongst a bevy of local talent on a busy undercard, Frank Warren's prized trio of Olympians makes their second foray into the professional ranks. After a lackluster debut, Gold medalist James DeGale has been matched against the 5(3)-0 Jindrich Kubin in the hope that a more aggressive opponent will bring a better performance out of the counter-punching Londoner. Former amateur world champion Frankie Gavin goes against 2-3 Frenchman Mourad Frarema, while Billy Joe Saunders takes on 2-1 German Ronny Gabel. In the most evenly matched fight on paper, local favourite and former British welterweight champion Neil Sinclair takes on the Chicago based Henry Coyle over 10 rounds with the Irish light-middleweight title on the line, in what could well be the fight of the night. e-mail Matt Chudley

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