British Scene Weekend Recap

Matt Edmonds and Gary Davies contested the vacant British Bantamweight Title in the only major bout on British soil this weekend.

Matt Chudley recaps all the action from the Friday night encounter held at York Hall in Bethnal Green.

Friday April 3 Davies Too Strong for Edmonds By Matt Chudley In a contest of relatively inexperienced domestic title challengers at York Hall in Bethnal Green, the power of Gary Davies proved too much for Welshman Matthew Edmonds. Davies, the puncher and naturally bigger of the two bantams looked to set his feet and load-up from the get go, and from outset it was clear that not only did he possess the edge in power but also in timing and speed. Despite the obvious disadvantages, Edmonds managed to keep the fight competitive early by utilizing his boxing skills and ring smarts and managed to steal the 3rd round, when he found a rhythm and made Davies miss on several occasions. Undeterred, Davies continued to push the fight and hurt Edmonds in the 4th with a right hand that forced the Welshman to hold on. Davies had previously never been beyond six rounds in his career and Edmonds strategy clearly involved taking him deep into unfamiliar territory. Edmonds however lacked the athletic ability to keep himself out of the firing line, and once it became clear that Davies was not burning himself out, Edmonds admirably decided to go for broke in the 7th. Having stood toe to toe and brawled with his stronger opponent for much of the round, Edmonds charged forward only to march straight into a hefty right hand, that sent him tumbling face first into the ropes for a knockdown. Having made the count but not having found his equilibrium, Edmonds touched down again seconds later. Though it seemed to be a forearm push, Dave Paris administered another count. Edmonds rose once more, although still on unsteady legs and appeared to be pushed down again, this time by Davies' right arm, prompting the seemingly confused Paris to call off the fight. With the stoppage, only Davies' ninth career victory, the 26 year old St. Helens fighter claimed the prestigious Lonsdale Belt. On the undercard… Local favourite Michael Lomax used a sharp body attack to out work the 6'4 French welter Yoann Camonin over 8. Prospect Ricky Owen's showcase was marred by several southpaw/orthodox head clashes which cut both fighters but kept his unbeaten record safely intact with a 59-56 points win over James Ancliff. Seasoned campaigner Nigel Wright rebounded from his loss to Lomax last time out with a routine 6 round decision win over Arek Malek. e-mail Matt Chudley