Millennium Stadium Marathon - Skelton wins rematch by Tom Walker Jul 10th 2006

Sports Network produced a veritable marathon of boxing for the fight fans of the principality on Saturday. Despite the loss of Joe Calzaghe from headlining the show, the fans were treated to a bill which had more than its fair share of excitement as well as quality and depth. One of the joys of this hobby is the travel to new venues and meeting old friends. Never having been in Cardiff previously, an early morning jaunt round the city centre was in order if only to assimilate my location to the stadium. Imagine my surprise when bumping into Rab Bannon of Coatbridge with his protégé Martin Watson in the city centre, especially since Rab is without his trademark “bunnet”. With sixteen bouts scheduled the business end of the show started at 3.15pm in the afternoon. With television driving the schedule this was always going to be a long day, nonetheless the card had a resonance of quality, and whilst my backside may be pained by the end of it, my head was looking forward to some quality bouts. Due to some logistical problems and not being on the accreditation list with even the newspaper journos, I end up having to leave the stadium and head back up to the city to get my ticket, the result of which is that I missed the first two bouts of this marathon and also found myself outwith the press area, in fact I was somewhere up in the balcony about 120+ yards from the ringside. On the plus side there was no-one blocking my view! Ross Minter vs Duncan Cottier 6 x 3min Cottier isn't overawed by his opponent, the English champion Minter (I suspect he would've been if it had been his father). Minter is holding early on, but his right hooking is effective by the second. Cottier is prone to leaving his head close into Minter's face in an attempt to mitigate Minter's shots, to no avail as Minter is forcing the pace from the centre of the ring. Cottier gets a very stern yet private warning from the referee about his use of the head in the fourth. In the end Minter's accuracy is so much more effective against the game but limited Cottier and he gets the nod on a 59 – 55 scorecard. Gavin Rees vs Martin Watson 6 x 3min Watson takes the centre of the ring from the outset and although Rees is the busier of the two, the quality shots to my mind are coming from the Coatbridge man. That said, there is a work rate from Rees that is much higher than the Scot's. Frankly it is untidy work from the Welshman, but there's plenty of it. Watson's defence is good but the referee may not be caring about that. Rees is using his head literally in the fourth, and if I can see it from this distance why can't the referee? He (Rees) is finally picked up for it in the fifth but it is another stern but private warning, so presumably no deduction. Rees does get the verdict in the final analysis, which I'm convinced is on work ethic as opposed to quality as he certainly out worked Watson but didn't outclass him with a slightly biased 59 – 55 margin. Tony Doherty vs Ihir Filoanu (Belarus) 8 x 3min Doherty's cute counterpunching has the man from Minsk in all sorts of problems from the outset, and when he takes the lead instead, he only adds to the problems mounting for the limited Filoanu. His body shot at the end of the round drops the man from Belarus like a stone and he doesn't recover to be counted out on the 2.59 mark of the 1st round. Easy work for Doherty, but he still looked good. Kevin Mitchell vs Imad Ben Khalifa (France) 8 x 3min Mitchell starts his usual war of attrition by being willing to take to give, and boy can he give. A powerful right at the end of the opener has the Frenchman sinking like the Titanic (slowly but inevitably) for an 8 count. Khalifa doesn't like what he's getting and another right has him on one knee almost immediately after the start of round two, this count is enough to make the referee call it off after only 34 seconds of this round. Mitchell marches on to 14 stoppages from 20 outings and no defeats/draws with a bout that hardly had him breaking sweat due to his dominance. Barrie Jones vs James Paisley 4 x 3min There's vocal support for the southpaw home boy, and he's bossing Paisley in no uncertain terms. The Ulsterman is holding Jones in a vain attempt to keep him at bay, but unlike King Canute he can't stem the tide, which sees the referee call it off after 59 seconds of the second round. Paisley had as much chance in this bout as his namesake in the province being elected to Sinn Fein. Gary Lockett v Ryan Rhodes 12 x 3min WBU Middleweight Championship There seems to be no love lost here between the two protagonists, with both of them on the canvas in the first round. Rhodes getting a count for his and Lockett not getting one for his as it is ruled a slip (a bit iffy for me), Lockett is over-reaching with fast hands to both head and body, and if Rhodes reactions were a bit quicker I think Lockett could be in trouble. Rhodes takes the bout to Lockett in the fifth cutting down the ring and is now beginning to look the part of the good boxer we know him to be. Rhodes is closing the gap which had opened up earlier in the fight as he relentlessly forces Lockett back. Lockett is slow off the stool by the 8th but picks up the pace to plug the leakage of points towards the Sheffield man. Rhodes definitely looks to be the heavier handed of the two, which comes as a wee shock to me as I'd anticipated Lockett to fulfil that role. Rhodes puts Lockett on the deck with a big shot in the tenth, but Lockett is game and despite taking some heavy shots, stays with Rhodes in the battle. By the penultimate round Lockett is definitely looking weary whereas, Rhodes looks almost nonchalant. Final round sees Lockett trying very hard but there doesn't seem to be any meat in his shots. The decision goes to the three judges who are unanimous in their decision, and I couldn't disagree from where I was sitting. I do have to say that the one who gave it by a margin of six rounds needs to visit Specsavers. Lockett may have won it, in a subjective sport I wouldn't argue, but it is a travesty to do so by a 6 point margin which is an insult to Rhodes. There was a bit of trouble in the far side of the arena when presumably, groups of different supporters from each camp decided to show their fistic ability towards each other. It seemed to go on for about a minute or so before security restored order. Enzo Maccarinelli vs Marcelo Dominguez 12 x 3min WBO interim Cruiserweight title Dominguez is rough and ready next to the cultivated Maccarrinelli, who also has height advantage over the Argentinean, his (Maccarrinelli) jab is accurate, fast and piercing which is just as well as Dominguez, who lacks subtlety is nonetheless dangerous with 20 stoppages on his slate. Even the seven foot tall Nikolai Valuev World Heavyweight Champion, couldn't put Dominguez away and had to settle for a points victory. Dominguez is heavy handed and at the end of the second he rattles Maccarrinelli with a big left. This is a classic matador and “Toro” confrontation with the Welshman in the role of the matador, you know he's going to win but there is always a sense of trepidation with the unpredictability of Dominguez. The Argentinean is showing some bravado in the 4th but it is facile as he is being tagged with regularity from Maccarinelli. Had this been an amateur bout the whistle or some other signal would have been given as he'd have been outscored with the 20 point rule with ease. However, it isn't and he's still a dangerous beast with unorthodox shots. Maccarrinelli is using his uppercuts with venom and sharpness, and it becomes a bit of a slugfest in the eighth as they both unload hooks aplenty. The ninth brings the bout to an early conclusion with Dominguez going down like a bull that has just been dealt the coup de grace, the barrage of shots from Maccarrinelli culminating in an uppercut putting paid to the valiant but ultimately futile attempt of the bull to win an unwinnable match. He did get to his feet but referee Paul Thomas was spot on with his call on the 58 second mark of the ninth. Enzo was looking remarkably clear eyed and bushy tailed whilst speaking to him in the hotel lobby at 7.45 this morning and it was clear that everything had gone according to plan in the bout, with his having stopped a man who'd never been taken out early in his 47 fights before last night. He'll be glad Italy did the business in the World Cup final. Souleymane M'Baye vs Laszlo Komjathi 8 x 3min There was a tentative opener by both men in what should have been a potential cracker of a bout. However, with the almost library atmosphere in such a large arena because there was no local interest, and with neither man having fans of his own, it meant that the only noise being heard was the myriad conversations going on throughout the venue. There were flashes of M'Baye's skill, but in truth there was nothing really to bring the attention of the fans to the ring as opposed to chatting to each other. Kamjathi was trying but in vain as M'Baye had too much skill to allow himself to be caught, and as a result they're losing the battle of the fans attention. The bout was ended early when the Hungarian who'd previously asked some questions of Amir Khan in Belfast, retired at the end of the fourth round with a cut over his left eye. Nathan Cleverley vs Mark Phillips 4 x 3min Cleverley dominated an untidy opener with Mark Phillips spoiling at every turn. Nathan Cleverley by name, and by all accounts in the grey matter department, did try to tidy the bout a bit, but in real terms this was dire. If Cleverley is to progress in the paid ranks though he will be expected to get rid of the calibre of opponent he has tonight. Having seen him as a good amateur, I'm sure he will in the long run, but this is one he'll want to forget. Still it is another one in the win column. Danny Williams vs Matt Skelton 12 x 3min Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship The venue has come alive in no uncertain terms with the arrival in the ring of the two big men of British boxing for the top of the bill. After all the usual ballyhoo they get to work and Skelton is the more accurate with his shots in the opener. The second is a fairly lacklustre affair which Williams probably picked up for me, but then I'm almost a length of a football pitch away from the ring. Skelton picks up the pace in the 3rd, relatively speaking at any rate, as these two Leviathans are hardly built for speed and Williams is carrying 20st plus. In the fifth a Williams' hook shakes Skelton but Williams can't capitalise, and indeed indulges in a bit of naughties which isn't really what you want. The referee Howard Foster calls a time out to ask both of them to do some tidying up in the eighth. This bout is hard to call as neither boxer is dominating the other and although Williams does show some heavy hands he can't seem to capitalise. Skelton on the other hand seems to be working faster but lighter in this area. Skelton does a bit of showing off in round nine, though for the life of me I can't see why as he's not exactly setting the heather alight. Neither is Williams though, so I suppose I'm just too picky, preferring as I do, to see the skill factor. The penultimate round has Danny Williams on the canvas, but it is only his momentum with a missed shot that has him there. In the last round Skelton seems to be auditioning for the all England back-pedalling team on the basis that he thinks he's done enough. He may well have done more than Williams, but I think Williams has thrown away a good opportunity to make a statement and perhaps get that title shot that seems to be the carrot for both of them. In any event the decision is unanimous so you can't argue with that. The judges are so much closer than I am so they'll be the accurate ones. The question is where does Danny Williams go from here? The short answer will be a third match with the Bedford man to settle the rubber between them, and thereafter, who knows! Amir Khan vs Colin Bain 6 x 3min The Khan train rolls into Cardiff for the second time on schedule and with his own version of the “Barmy Army”. To the sound of Carmina Burrana by Carl Orff he makes his entrance like the star he's rapidly becoming. Is this kid popular or what? You bet he is, and yet again the local Pakistani community are out in force to cheer on their hero. I'm willing to bet he's more popular than General Musharrif is as President in Pakistan. When the action finally gets under way the Scotsman tries vainly to unsettle or rough Khan up and put him off his stride. However, it is Bain who ends up taking a count in the first and it bodes ill for the man based in Hawick. The very next round and unfortunately for Bain he's very much out of his depth as he gets tagged with the blurring hand speed of Khan for another count, and would have had yet another if the referee hadn't reprieved him by calling this off at the 2.20 mark of the second round. Fortunately for Bain, his pay packet will compensate for his being in at the deep end with a special talent. This is the third time I've seen Khan fight, Glasgow, Belfast and now Cardiff. There is every sign that the Khan Clan train has picked up a head of steam, and, if not yet at full speed, it is rapidly approaching it. With his family around him though I'm sure it will stay on track in a sport which can have many side lines you wouldn't really want an express train hurtling up! Speaking to him in the hotel afterwards he comes across as a genuinely nice lad who will not let the trappings of success go to his head. He still had time to remember Sean Canavan, the Irish team manager in Athens and asked to be mentioned to Sean, who's a long time friend of mine. Paradoxically for a boxer, Amir Khan has both feet firmly planted on the ground all the time. Steve Foster jnr vs Frederic Bonifai 8 x 3min Bonifai is down on the deck within a minute of the start from a straight left from Foster. Bonifai has been round the block for over 10 years and although his record shows most of his wins were earlier in his career, he has been the distance with some reasonable guys from these shores. Foster though, is a bit better than 'reasonable' and it is showing, as he hounds Bonifai throughout, culminating in a big left which has the Frenchman spinning round behind it before hitting the deck. He did get up from it but the referee wisely decided that he had seen enough and stopped it after 1.56sec of the 2nd round despite protest from the Frenchman. Foster moving onto 21 wins (13 early) and a draw out of 22 bouts is going places. Bradley Pryce vs Hassan Matumla (Tanzania) 12 x 3min Commonwealth light-middleweight championship After the bill toppers had wrapped up and gone, it was a pity to see such a sparse attendance left for what could easily have been a show topper in itself, in another place at another time. After all Pryce is an exciting boxer who's had his ups and downs, probably failing to make the promise he showed earlier in his career. He's put that all behind him under the tutelage of Enzo Calzaghe with whom he'd been with previously. I sincerely hope he fulfils the earlier promise with a title now to show him what he is capable of. That aside he opens with crisp and eye-catching counter punches throughout the 1st, but by the 2nd he's not countering, he's leading and this isn't going to go the full distance as he dismantles the Tanzanian in an almost clinical fashion. Referee John Keane is watching Matumla closely for signs of distress and in the 4th he's seen enough to prevent the East African from unnecessary punishment and he calls it off at the 48 second mark of the fourth. My first visit to this magnificent arena and to Cardiff was really enjoyable, the city has much to offer the visitor (apart from the rain which was belting it down after the show and you couldn't get a taxi), still the centre of the city is such that it wasn't far to walk. The soaking I did get though obviously had me looking like an ASBO recipient as the security man on the door of the Hilton was just a touch over-zealous in his wish for identification. There was overall a “Creoso y Cymru” in the principality which would take me back. (Results of the bouts Tom missed: Matthew Hall KO1 Kevin Phelan and Kerry Hope WPTS4 Ryan Rowlinson)

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