Tyler Denney retained his European middleweight title on Saturday, defeating Felix Cash by technical decision at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
Cash suffered a cut above his right eye early in the bout and the injury was deemed severe enough to stop the fight in the fifth round, but Denny dominated the first four rounds and there was no doubt he deserved the unanimous decision he was awarded.
31-year-old former British champion Cash has been away from the ring for 18 months and no one, perhaps not even himself, could have known what to expect. Will we see the return of the powerful, ruthless fighter who defeated Denzel Bentley three years ago, or the lethargic, flat fighter who was knocked down twice by Mogomed Maiden the following year? Will his 18 months away from the ring have a detrimental effect on him, or will his time away and his new partnership with Adam Booth reignite his passion and serve as the catalyst for a new and improved Cash?
While Cash (16-1, 10 KOs) has been inactive, Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO) has been in great form. Unbeaten until Saturday for nearly five years, Denny has had a string of impressive wins under his belt. A career that once seemed on the decline took Denny to a new level when he defeated Italy's Matteo Signani to win the prestigious European title last November. Still, Denny has always been an underdog and was once again written off by many ahead of his first title defense.
Cash quickly began to find his rhythm, moving around Denny and trying to catch the champion with short shots, while a composed Denny landed a few southpaw right hooks and appeared to be getting into the fight well.
As expected, Denny closed the gap in the second round, successfully instituting his usual fast-paced, high-contact style fight. Denny landed some impressive left hooks, which caused Cash to lose his form. Denny began to land punches on the inside, and Cash emerged from the clinch with a cut above his right eye. Although it appeared that a short left hook from Denny had caused the injury, referee Mark Ryson ruled it to be from an accidental clash of heads.
Cash was suddenly fighting for the first time in years, while Denny was regaining the style and rhythm that had brought him recent success, landing some impressive left punches that made Cash's head sweat and landing hits to the body with relative ease.
Cash appeared to have found his timing in the fourth round, but was hurt by a hard left hook at the end of the round and was soon back to square one.
Midway through the fifth round, Rison stopped the fight and took Cash to a ringside doctor. The doctor examined Cash's cuts and advised Rison to stop the fight. After four rounds, the bout went to the scorecards. Kevin Parker had Denny leading 49-46, while Victor Loughlin and Lee Every both had the champion ahead 49-47.
Denny's dream run continues, but Cash is forced to make a difficult decision.
