British and British title match between undefeated super bantamweights Dennis McCann and blood strand It always looked like it could steal the show, but fans enjoyed McCann's dominant performance rather than the great fight.
After 12 one-sided rounds, McCann won a wide unanimous decision. The scores were 118-111, 116-111, 116-112.
This fight was always going to have a huge impact on the winner, but Liam Davies' decision to vacate the Lonsdale belt ahead of his fight with Eric Robles adds further intrigue to the highly anticipated fight. .
McCann left long-time trainer Al Smith after a bloody draw with Ionat Baluta last August and, after a brief spell in Los Angeles, settled in Liverpool with Joe McNally. The 23-year-old has a confident personality and didn't ask for gimme fights as he got used to hearing a different voice in his corner.
McCann may train with Liverpool, but Strand, 27, is a thorough scouter. He was an excellent amateur who had built an undefeated record for himself away from the spotlight, and his momentum began to build as the fight approached.
McCann took his usual wide stance and his southpaw jab was the key punch in the opening round. Mr. Strand, for his part, was content to sit back and watch.
McCann is a clever fighter and came out in the second round with a feinted jab. As Strand bit, McCann quickly threw him a left hand, followed by a nice right hook. Strand slumped heavily, his face already flushed. McCann's left hand suddenly couldn't miss, and it hurt Strand over and over again until Strand finally found his right hand as the round ended.
Strand began to regain his form in the third and fourth rounds. He seemed to start using McCann's habit of always being on the move and started spending more time in the center ring. Strand kept his punch output low, but McCann listened to his corner's advice and continued to be patient. He hurt Strand with a straight left hand at the end of the fourth, but he seemed very comfortable with the tempo of the match.
McCann began hitting straight lefts to the body in the fifth inning. Strand's face showed a look of concentration, but he was able to rack up continued success. He might find a jab or a straight right, but they were few and far between, and McCann's punches were faster and stronger.
Strand was injured in the sixth inning when he received a left hand to the body. McCann began to move and show angles, but Strand gave precious little in return, embarrassed by the variety McCann presented him with. What was supposed to be a pick-and-em fight suddenly turned into something of a showcase for this precocious talent.
Although plagued by body shots, Strand mounted a stand in the eighth inning. He tried to counter McCann with hard punches, but his shots had lost their sting, and a confident McCann was willing to stay in front of him, making him miss and giving him the extra extra strands gave him. I tried to take advantage of the gap.
McCann aimed for a top-10 finish. He landed a nice right hook and cornered Strand with his front foot, but instead of matching punches, he landed a single shot. Strand was unable to find the punch to take advantage of the lull in the match.
Strand did it in the 11th inning and had his best round of the match. He bravely dug in and outlanded McCann, occasionally forcing McCann onto his back foot with a right hand. Fully aware that he was on his way to victory, McCann took his foot off the pedal and almost coasted across the finish line.
McCann had the best performance of his career with a record of 15-0-1 (8 KOs) and is currently the Commonwealth Super Bantamweight Champion.
ethan james and owen cooper They shared the same room during their amateur days, but tonight the two undefeated welterweights shared a ring with the vacant British welterweight title on the line.
Switch attacking James quickly fell into his usual rhythm, moving with jabs. Cooper bobbed and weaved and took a moment to look at the challenge in front of him before detonating and flattening the 23-year-old from Northampton with a picture-perfect leaping left hook.
James climbed up, but Cooper let go of his hands and jumped at him. James' mouthpiece came off during the attack and he was allowed a significant long break before his mouthpiece was retrieved and replaced.
James was wounded by each bullet fired by Cooper. His leg was stiff with his right hand and Copper seemed to have no respect for the shots coming back to him.
James made it back to the corner, but had a mountain to climb. The next few rounds were purely a survival mission. James spent the second round boxing as a southpaw, but the rampaging Cooper quickly found a home in his right hand. He tried to go back to orthodox midway through the third, but he circled to his right and hit Cooper's left hook directly.
James may not have won the fourth game, but at least he managed to gain some foothold in the fight. Cooper's output decreased slightly, but James moved constantly, attacking with jabs and staying out of trouble. Cooper had no respect for James' power, but seemed to conserve his energy.
Cooper appeared to allow the fifth goal, but the sixth bounced and hurt James with a right hand. No doubt aware that the fight was already out of reach, James tried something completely different. He avoided the jab and drove Cooper into the ropes, where they began a long exchange. Cooper was happy to oblige and took a cleaner, more difficult shot as the taller player left too much of a gap.
Normal operations resumed on the 7th. Cooper moved forward, the fire fading slightly but still landing a powerful punch. James picked and prodded and moved, but he stood too erect and Cooper's hard punch threw his head back. Midway through the eighth, James connected with his right hand for a nice double jab, and Cooper began to spend more time on the heel, clearly starting to find his pace. But just as James felt the tide was starting to turn, Cooper ended the round with another nasty left hook.
The ninth round was a similar story, with Cooper again hurting James with a left hook and right hand.
It was during this final scene that James's trainer, James Conway, was persuaded to call referee Michael Alexander and stop the fight. James, 12-1, wasn't satisfied, but he couldn't think of a way to win the fight and Cooper had plenty left in the tank.
Cooper, 10-0 (4 KOs), was on the back foot before the fight, but is a former Midlands area welterweight champion and currently holds the English title.
Harry Scarfe is the current British champion, but he is waiting to face Karen Chookajian in the IBF final eliminator. Last week, the British Boxing Board of Control ordered a bid for a bout between Scarf and his mandatory challenger Liam Taylor.
Cooper will have to wait for his shot, but the 23-year-old from Worcester proved tonight that he is a legitimate domestic operator.
