British Scene Weekend Recap: Paul Smith Edges Tony Quigley

Dave Oakes recaps this past Friday's British super-middleweight title fight.

Paul Smith claimed the British super-middleweight title on Friday night after an unconvincing split decision victory over Tony Quigley.

It was a scrappy fight in which neither man seemed to settle. Barely anything happened in the first round with both men looking frightened to commit in case they were caught with a counter punch.

Quigley improved in the second round, landing three solid jabs and a nice straight right. Whilst the round was close, Quigley gave the impression he was bossing it due to that fact he was walking forwards whereas Smith seemed too anxious to try and throw anything of any note. Quigley kept switching to the southpaw stance but was having very little success and looked rather uncomfortable in doing so.

The third was yet another close round but it Quigley who was the aggressor and took the round on work-rate alone. A overhand right late in the round from Quigley looked to have hurt Smith but the television replay showed that it was more of a slip or tangle of feet that caused Smith to lose his balance.

Smith finally started throwing punches in the fourth; he landed a nice left hook that seemed to give him the confidence to get involved more. It was still a close round but it was the first round in which Smith showed glimpses of what he’s capable of.

The fight from there on in was a close and scrappy affair with both fighters putting in disjointed performances. Smith was landing the occasional left hook whilst Quigley always tried to respond with a shot of his own. Smith was cut in the fifth round after a clash of heads, it wasn’t a bad cut and with master cutsman Mick Williamson in his corner, the cut was never going to be a problem for Smith.

Round eight was probably the best of a disappointing fight. Smith landed a hurtful left hook to Quigley’s ribs and seemed to be getting the better of the champion until Quigley responded with a big uppercut that had an effect on Smith’s legs. The left hook to the body was the first body shot that Smith had landed in the fight, considering he’s well known for his body punching, it was strange that he wasn’t prepared to throw any early in the fight.

Smith finished the fight the stronger; Quigley was blowing in the final four rounds but gamely fought back whenever Smith was starting to get the better of him. Smith was also feeling the pace in the final two rounds but did enough to edge the rounds.

Despite the MC announcing that it was a majority decision, the scores actually read 116-113, 116-112 in favour of Smith and 116-114 for Quigley making Smith the winner via a split decision. I had the fight a draw (115-115) but a lot of the rounds were very hard to score and the fight could’ve gone either way.

The undercard…

Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew destroyed Jindrich Velecky inside a round. The heavy-handed Bellew landed a left hook a minute in that shook Velecky to his boots, Bellew is a vicious finisher and went to town with a flurry of shots to head and body. Velecky survived the initial onslaught but was floored twenty seconds later by a huge right uppercut.

The ending came in bizarre fashion, Velecky beat the count but when the referee let the action commence, Velecky was staring at his corner rather than at Bellew, who sprinted across the ring and landed two straight rights that convinced the referee to stop the fight.

Bellew correctly described himself as a smashing machine after the fight. He’s quickly gaining a reputation as one of the biggest punchers in British boxing and has a nasty streak in him that will stand him in good stead when he gets to title level. Keep an eye out for him in future.

Michael Jennings went through the motions in an easy points win over Laszlo Komjathi. Jennings was originally due to fight Kell Brook for the British title but Brook pulled out earlier in the week with flu. Jennings dominated the fight from start to finish and never needed to get out of second gear.

Olympic gold medallist James DeGale smashed the brave but limited Ally Morrison to a third round stoppage. DeGale looked sharp and focused as he put together beautiful combinations that hurt Morrison every time they landed. DeGale is improving quickly and is winning over the fans who disgracefully booed him on his pro debut.

Another former amateur star on the bill looked impressive; Frankie Gavin stopped the tough Steve Saville in the second round after a one-sided beat down. Gavin hurt Saville to the body in the first round and then dropped Saville with a body shot in the second. Saville beat the count but the referee correctly waved the fight over.

Jamie Cox remained unbeaten after his opponent, Manoo Salari, retired after the third round. Cox was always in control but is still smothering his boxing and getting involved too much rather than using his skills. He’s possibly the most impatient boxer I’ve ever known, both in the ring and out off it. He needs to settle down and learn how to pace himself if he’s to stand any chance against the likes of Kell Brook, who he unwisely seems very eager to meet.

Stephen Smith, Paul’s brother, took his record to 8-0 with an easy points victory over Gary Reid. Smith has got to be considered one of the hottest prospects in Britain and is one to watch out for in the future.

Liam Smith kept his unbeaten record intact by beating Darren Gethin on points after a lacklustre performance.

Joe Selkirk stopped journeyman Alex Spitko in the fourth round to take his record to 3-0.

Tobias Webb also took his record to 3-0 after a hard fought points win over Pawel Trebinski.

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British Scene Weekend Preview: Tony Quigley vs Paul Smith

Dave Oakes previews Friday's British super-middleweight title fight between Tony Quigley and Paul Smith.

Tony Quigley makes the first defence of his British super-middleweight title on Friday night in an eagerly anticipated all-Scouse clash against Paul Smith at the Echo Arena, Liverpool.

The fight has generated a lot of interest on Merseyside and has nearly sold out the 10,600 capacity arena. The fact that there seems to be a bit of needle between the pair has only added to the high profile nature of the build up around the Liverpool area. Personally, I’m unsure as to how much genuine bad blood there is between the two, I get the feeling a lot of it has been done to help the promotion.

I do feel there’s a fierce rivalry between the combatants but not to the level it’s been built up to. The supposed bad blood started when Smith did a radio interview in the build up to Quigley’s fight against another Scouser, Tony Dodson. Smith claimed that that he could knockout both Quigley and Dodson on the same night and went on to describe Quigley as a “never will be”. Quigley responded by beating Dodson to win the title and will now get the chance to prove once and for all who the best super-middleweight in Liverpool is.

Quigley, 13-1 (6KO’s) was exceptional the night he beat Dodson. He started the fight in fine style by dropping his rival in round two; he then had to survive a ferocious comeback from Dodson as the fight wore on before a gargantuan effort from him late on helped him to a 12th round stoppage win.

Quigley showed a bit of everything against Dodson, he boxed well in parts, brawled at other times, took some heavy shots, dug deep when he needed to and showed great finishing instincts. It’s even more impressive when you take into consideration that he took the fight at two weeks notice despite never going beyond six rounds before.

Before the Quigley-Dodson fight, Smith was the much better known boxer. He was a top class amateur and received a lot of attention when he participated in the American show The Contender. Smith left the show after just one fight having sustained two bad cuts in his points victory over David Banks.

Smith, 27-1 (15KO’s), is the more experienced fighter, as well as his victory over Banks, he holds wins over the heavy handed Cello Renda and onetime world title challenger Jonathon Reid.

Smith also had an extensive career as an amateur, boxing all around the world. The high point being when he won the silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, narrowly losing in the final to Jean Pascal, the current WBC light-heavyweight champion.

Despite his amateur experience and high profile, Smith has yet to reach the level that was expected of him when he turned pro. His career has never really got going and I get the feeling that this title shot has come at the perfect time for him.

Quigley has a slight advantage in terms of skill and speed but Smith is definitely the puncher in the fight. Smith can be a skilful boxer himself when he applies himself but at times in the past he’s let his heart rule his head and has ended up brawling more than boxing.

I feel the early rounds will be vital; Smith needs to stamp his authority on the fight as soon as possible and try to hurt Quigley. I think Smith will go to the body early, he’s a noted body puncher and Quigley has shown he’s susceptible to body shots before, particularly in the only defeat on his record against Nathan Cleverly.

I believe Quigley will look to box early on before standing his ground more as the fight goes on. If he can outbox Smith early, and avoid taking the energy sapping body shots, I feel he’ll come through a tricky moment or two to claim a narrow points victory.

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British Scene: 2009's Best Fights (so far)

It's been an exciting six months in British and Irish rings, and with no shortage of quality battles to choose from, Dave Oakes and Matt Chudley had a difficult task in paring down the list of worthy candidates.

Here are their choices...

Make sure to check out The Boxing Bulletin's British Scene every Monday and Thursday for previews and recaps of all the big fight cards from the UK and Ireland.

1. Bernard Dunne vs Ricardo Cordoba Photo © Eoin Campbell Not many people gave Dunne a chance when he challenged the tough Panamanian for the WBA super-bantamweight title in March, and even fewer people thought he would stop Cordoba. That’s exactly what he did though, in what was a thrill a minute fight that included six knockdowns and some ferocious exchanges. Dunne’s chin was being questioned going into the fight after his one round capitulation against Kiko Martinez, but he showed tremendous resolve in getting off the canvas twice in the 5th round. This was after he’d already dropped Cordoba in the 3rd and was looking the stronger fighter, the knockdowns allowed Cordoba a way back into the fight but Dunne was not to be deterred and fought back toe-to-toe to eventually wear down Cordoba in the 11th round, dropping the champion three times before the referee stopped the fight. - Dave Oakes Check out the rest of Eoin Campbell's photos from this memorable bout. 2. Tony Quigley vs Tony Dodson Down on the cards, Tony Quigley dramatically stopped fellow Scouser Tony Dodson in the last round of their British super-middleweight title clash. The tiring Dodson had recovered brilliantly after being down, cut and close to being stopped in the 2nd round to build up an unassailable lead on the scorecards going into the 11th. Needing the stoppage, Quigley hurt Dodson late in the round, and piled on the pressure in the 12th, capping the stirring comeback by sending Dodson to the canvas twice, forcing referee Victor Loughling to call a halt to the thrilling contest. - Matt Chudley 3. Martin Rogan vs Matt Skelton Despite the lack of talent and exciting fights on the world stage, the British heavyweight scene has shown some very promising signs this year with the emergence of a handful of exciting prospects. Whilst the youngsters were learning their trade, it was two of the older fighters that provided the best heavyweight fight of the year so far. The likable Martin Rogan won the Commonwealth title after a bruising encounter with the usually dire to watch Matt Skelton. Rogan was the aggressor throughout the fight but Skelton had his moments and put in a gutsy effort. The fight was close until the midpoint when Skelton seemed to tire, Rogan’s better fitness in addition to his willpower came to the forefront and he wore down Skelton before bludgeoning him to the canvas and stopping him in the 11th round. - Dave Oakes 4. John Murray vs Lee McAllister Photo © Chris Royle Fleet footed Lee McAllister started his British title challenge against John Murray (pictured) impressively, out-boxing the unbeaten pressure fighter from the outside and using his sharper reflexes to stay out of trouble. However against the advice of his corner, McAllister dispensed with his thus far successful game plan and decided to stand and trade with Murray in the 5th round. It proved a costly mistake, as Murray unloaded heavy shots to the body as well as bloodying McAllister’s nose. With the damage impairing McAllister’s mobility, he was no longer able to pick and choose the exchanges and became an increasingly easier target for the Manchester fighter’s sustained pressure. In the 8th, Murray ended the spirited contest by dropping the plucky Scotsman with a ripping left hook to the body. - Matt Chudley 5. Rob Norton vs David Dolan This was a fight that surprised a lot of people. It was viewed as being a potentially cagey fight with the skilful Dolan expected to outbox the champion. Things don’t always go as planned though, especially in boxing. Dolan scored three knockdowns, the second of which looked like a finisher, but still lost the fight as both fighters forgot about tactics and just went looking for the knockout. Dolan was dropped twice as well, both of which were very debatable having looked like a slip and a push, it didn’t make a huge difference on the scorecards though, as the judges scored the fight in favour of Norton by surprisingly wide margins. This is another fight where a rematch is being discussed and one which all British fans are eagerly anticipating. - Dave Oakes Honourable mentions Martin Lindsay’s demolishing of the undefeated Paul Appleby in an unforgettably loud Ulster Hall, Gary Sykes beating Anthony Crolla in an undercard classic, Sam Sexton defeating the always entertaining Martin Rogan in another heavyweight war and Jamie Moore, who hasn’t been in any thrillers so far this year but no top fight list is complete without his name being mentioned somewhere.

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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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