Sheeraz SHINES In Torres Step Up
The Copperbox hosted Saturday night's fix of British boxing, as Frank Warren gave us what on paper looked to be one of the strongest domestic cards this summer... and it didn't disappoint.
Let's start with Nick Ball. Nick gave us one of the performances of the year at Wembley in April, when he put Isaac Lowe to the sword to stamp his mark on an already bubbling Featherweight scene. Defence number one of his WBC Silver title brought a very different proposition for Nick, as he gave away height & reach in abundance to Namibian challenger Nathaneal Kakalolo.
Nick's ability to judge distance was always going to be crucial and it was clear to see from round one that he wasn't going to be drawn into chasing Kakalolo around the ring. This stumped the challenger who struggled to navigate his way through Nick's tight shell.
Nick unloaded in the middle rounds and a resolute Kakalolo, despite being wobbled in the sixth, still came forward but again with limited success. Barring a complete disaster the fight was all but wrapped up as we moved into the tenth. Yet, not happy with conceivably hearing the final bell, Nick proved that he carries power throughout and after a flurry of short hooks left Kakalolo cowering in the neutral corner. Fight over.
That's three stoppages in ten months for Nick, who has elevated his stock in such an impressive manner that the current crop of world champions are now firmly, and perhaps justifiably in his sights.
Dennis McCann has long been one of this country's most exciting prospects, and in his most high profile fight to date, showed why at 21 years old the excitement is justified.
James Beech Jr was yet to be stopped in his two professional defeats, which had come at the hands of Brad Foster and Chris Bourke, so no slouches. Dennis knew Saturday was statement time and he acted as such by darting out of the starting blocks like a 100m sprinter.
Dennis' lightning start caught James off guard, and a spate of attacks to the body & head sent him to the canvas. What looked like a formality however quickly became somewhat messy, as Dennis rushed his work seeking the early finish. He relaxed in the second and third but James settled his feet and grew into the fight.
The fifth and sixth was where James' only real success came, as he landed a number of straight shots which did result in a cut next to the right eye of Dennis. That didn't set him back however, as he upped the tempo through the seventh and eighth and dropped a now defeated looking Beech Jr. He did rise from the canvas, although this bought nothing but extra punishment, and the towel was quickly thrown in to end proceedings.
Dennis had made the statement he was after.
A quick footnote to say how after a tense week between the two, it was nice to see them show the respect post-fight. Two top blokes and two warriors.
A British & Commonwealth corker was our chief support as Lennox Clarke and Mark Heffron both brought the heat in a frantic 5 rounds. Lennox was making only the first defence of the titles he won 16 months ago at the same venue, whereas Mark was going into British title attempt number three.
... and it looked as if it would be third time lucky for Mark in just a matter of minutes, as a barrage of hard shots rocked Lennox. It seemed an absolute miracle that he was still standing as the round came to a close. What seemed even more miraculous however, was the intent Lennox came with as we moved into round two.
Walking Mark down, he began to land shots of his own whilst still taking his fair share of blows. Mark was on top as we rolled into the third, and once again he rocked Lennox with a right uppercut. Mark worked the body in the fourth, but keeping in terms with the swinging momentum throughout, Lennox landed some big hooks of his own.
Round five saw the chaos conclude as Mark piled on the pressure. Lennox was unsteady after a monster left hook from the challenger, and when he had no answer to a flurry of shots upstairs, referee Bob Williams jumped in. Lennox was incensed, and things nearly spilt over in the ring as Mark celebrated in the face of his rival.
The stoppage divided opinion, with some saying that unanswered shots only ever lead to one outcome, whereas others offering the 'give the champion every chance' narrative. Either way, Britain has a new domestic king at 168lbs.
So to the main event, as Hamzah Sheeraz continued his journey up at middleweight. The fight week build-up was largely centered around the possibilities beyond Francisco Torres - but the Argentine was coming off the back of a draw with Jose Benavidez, in which many saw him as hard done by on the cards. This was no walkover.
Round one passed by with little action as the rangier Sheeraz prodded out the jab, and was out of reach for Torres to attempt anything of note. The second saw the counter-punch in action, as Torres was sucked in and clipped after over-balancing into a straight shot.
The third round was where the fun began, and it looked originally as if an easy night at the office was in place for Sheeraz. A left hand had Torres on the floor, but an exhilarated Sheeraz failed to capitilise in a controlled manor and whilst going for the finish, got caught himself and hit the deck. A flash knockdown if anything, but still frustrating for Sheeraz. Round three wasn't over just there, as there was still time for Sheeraz to pick himself up and send Torres over once more with a powerful right hook.
If the third was exciting then the fourth couldn't have been more contrasting. The fifth round bought the Copperbox to life again as Sheeraz continued to weaken the Torres defence. The end came soon after as Torres ate some big right hands, eventually finding himself on his backside for the third time in the fight. Despite Torres' efforts to carry on, the fight was stopped bringing a tenth consecutive stoppage for the 23 year-old.
Only Fabio Wardley now stands with a longer streak in Britain.
A lot of talk from here on in will likely centre around an in-house firecracker with British champion Denzel Bentley. Whilst Frank Warren and Queensberry will no doubt see this as a fight to be nurtured, it is one that could well be demanded by fans as both men have grown their status with the boxing public largely over the past 18 months.