Will the Mutt Bite back in Walsall? by Tom Podmore Nov 28th 2007

Black Country puncher Young Mutley returns to the ring for the first time since his crushing stoppage defeat to Colin Lynes in July and steps up welterweight to take on Ukrainian Vladimir Borovski in the six-threes main event at Walsall's Banks' Stadium. First Team (Paul Rowson and Errol Johnson) have titled their well-matched five-fight card ‘Mutt Bites Back'. But will the former English light-welterweight and British welterweight champion bite back? Its conceivable that Mutley could be given serious nightmares by seasoned Borovski – a natural light-middleweight who decked unbeaten Telford stylist Mark Lloyd in a vacant International Masters middleweight title fight at the Birmingham ICC in September. So we know the experienced Eastern European (19 wins (nine quickly), one draw) is strong, a decent puncher, naturally bigger and can soak up an excellent shot. But the West Bromwich banger, battered to a one-sided eight-round defeat by London-based Lynes for the British and European ten-stone titles at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall in the summer, is eager to show he still has something left. He also plans to put his opponent's anvil-like chin to the test on Wednesday night (November 28): “I know he's got a good pedigree, can hit and has got a good chin – which I'll definitely be putting to the test.” However, Vladimir is a know quantity on these shores, having boxed here on eight occasions. Stiff-hitting British light-middleweight champion Jamie Moore is the only man to have halted him quickly on those visits to the UK. Hammer-fisted Mutley, 22-3 (12), will strive to be the second. Thick-necked, solid and very strong, Mutley is a formidable opponent who's hungry to regain his Lonsdale belt. His concussion-inducing left, in the form of a hook or uppercut, has been proven to be deadly weapon at a higher weight. He does have a tendency to load up with punches, however. His fitness wasn't great against Anderson or Lynes, but on the whole it usually is. He kept up a frenetic pace with super-fit Michael Jennings in early 2006 and throws quick, powerful, spiteful combinations. Born Lee Woodley, the Errol Johnson-trained mauler floored Commonwealth title challenger Gary ‘The Bodysnatcher' Reid three times on the way to a seven-round stoppage for the vacant Midland Area title at West Brom's Gala Baths in 2003. Mutley was the last man to halt Wolverhampton-born Reid with punches, interestingly. Hard-hitting Ajose Olusegun – a top-class prospect who stopped current Commonwealth eleven-stone champ Bradley Pryce – couldn't even drop Stoke-based Gary. His most famous victory was the split decision over undefeated British champion Michael Jennings at the Nottingham Arena in early 2006. Mutley fought on even terms on the outside but was the boss in the trenches and took the British welterweight title in his first fight at the weight. That's some achievement. His most recognised win before that was the 110-second massacre of sturdy Sammy Smith for the English light-welterweight title in May 2004. Smith wasn't allowed to get going and decked four times by vicious assaults from the Wednesbury Boxing Academy-based banger. However, he blew a big lead to be taken out in ten by Kevin Anderson, losing his British title, and was never at the races against skilful Colin Lynes in Wolverhampton. His famed strength wasn't with him and crumbled in eight rounds. He blamed the defeat on a titanic struggle to make the ten-stone light-welterweight limit: “I really think my poor performance was due to the hardness of losing the last bit of weight and over-training. “My strength, speed and power had totally deserted me.” Is Mutley as strong as they say he is? Ask Jon Honney. The sturdy Southern Area light-welterweight champion was blitzed in just 60 seconds in West Bromwich six years ago. Southpaw Honney later admitted he was the strongest and best fighter he'd ever faced. But Vladimir has mixed at a higher weight, at a higher level. Championship-level operators like Ali Nuumbembe, Kevin Anderson, Thomas McDonagh and Anthony Small have all been given something to think about by the 48-bout fighter, who boxed an eight-rounder in Kiev only eleven days ago. He is certainly as strong at the local ticket-seller. The 31-year-old West Bromwich Albion supporter will be taken the distance and maybe even asked some questions by the plodding European before having his glove raised. Popular Walsall super-middleweight Matty Hough boxes in his first six-threes against Aberystwyth's Jamie Ambler, who was due to fight for the British Masters light-heavyweight title on Thursday until Jonjo Finnegan was forced to withdraw due to a serious car crash. So Ambler will be in good nick to take on ambitious Hough, 7-2 (1), who has scored back-to-back wins in the last two months – one over British Masters boss Mark Phillips – after suffering back-to-back defeats in late 2006 and early 2007. The Black Country crowdpleaser works well behind the jab but has a tendency to get involved in unnecessary punch-ups (great for the crowd, not for him) and this cost him against naturally bigger Danny McIntosh and Nicky Taylor, both of whom knocked him out. Ambler is better than his 3-11 (2) statistics suggest, but is a bit of a slow starter. The Welsh banger has twice been halted in the opening session, one of which I witnessed first-hand (Jason Welborn, 2005). So he looks susceptible to a solid shot early on. With ambitions of a Midland Area title shot at twelve-stone in 2008, Errol Johnson-trained Hough should come through, though I feel there will only be a point or two in it. Coventry's Steve Bendall, 27-3 (14), takes on durable fellow-southpaw Alexander Matviechuk, Ukraine, in a six-threes he should clearly win. Bendall fights for the vacant English title, a strap he held between 2005-2006, early next year. Wayne Downing, 3-5 (0), takes on Brierley Hill's Martin Gordon, 0-3-1 in an interesting-looking six-round Black Country grudge match. West Brom southpaw Downing outpointed Gordon in a close six-rounder last December. Halesowen lightweight Scott Evans, 1-0 (0), will see action over four rounds against an opponent to be announced. Photos: Daniel Mole

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