Below-par Olusegun still has the Wright stuff by Ian McNeilly Feb 12th 2008

A below-par Ajose Olusegun was still good enough to see off the rather uneven challenge of Spennymoor's Nigel Wright for the Nigerian's Commonwealth light-welterweight title on Friday night. Talented Wright (10st) boxed very nicely at times but couldn't sustain the effort levels needed to wrest a belt from a champion and the Kentish Town-based African (9st 13lbs 2oz) was a unanimous points victor, 116-113 on all judges' cards. Wright's case is a strange one. There was no question of him not being fit enough to maintain a decent pace. In fact, he appeared to be in the shape of his life. It seems to be something in his psychological make up which makes him switch off. What makes it worse is that he is conscious of doing so and admitted as much in his dressing room after a big opportunity had slipped away. His trainer, Peter Cope, said: “He boxes well for three or four rounds then goes to sleep for three or four rounds. But that's Nigel.” The Englishman was well-supported by fans from his hometown who had made the cross-County Durham journey to Peterlee Leisure Centre. Olusegun must have felt like a spot on a domino. I did not see one non-white face in attendance. This area is not famed for its multiculturalism. Mention Sharia Law up here and they are likely to think you are talking about a new TV detective series. Olusegun revelled in his automatic notoriety, blowing kisses to the vocal and bulging-eyed supporters. Wright started very well against his fellow southpaw, using his extra reach well to snap jabs in the advancing Olusegun's face. The champion looked to press but couldn't quite work the challenger out. The flashy African's showboating wasn't getting him anywhere. He started to warm up a bit in the third but Wright was focused and quite elusive, cracking home a decent right to the body. Olusegun was still chasing shadows at the start of the fourth and if he continued in this vein, he was going to be an ex-champion. He turned up the heat and it was from this point that the tide began to turn. Wright's jab, which had been excellent thus far, became less effective and although Olusegun was still far from being at his best, he began to do enough to nick rounds. Wright went into his shell for much of the rest of the bout and the champion scored to head and body. You couldn't argue that he was dominant and if Wright had just summoned up the spirit to offer more, he might have sent his fans home happy. For whatever reason, he couldn't, and the champion – other than a last-round rally from the challenger – pretty much swept the rest of the rounds. Olusegun moves to 22 unbeaten whilst Wright is now 18-3-1. It was a good, solid card for north-east fans with six out of eight undercard fights featuring local lads. Former European super-bantamweight champion Michael Hunter was well out of sorts in squeaking home 58-57 against Dewsbury-Syrian Youssef Al Hamidi. It was an awful, scrappy spectacle. Hartlepool's Hunter, despite the elevated level he reached, has never been the slickest of technicians and formerly relied on an incredible work rate. His timing was poor and Al Hamidi makes life awkward for his opponents at any rate. It was a maul-fest and one best forgotten. It was good to see Hunter back after suffering the loss of his mother and the break up of his relationship with his partner. He weighed 9st 5½ lbs which is a bit of a jump in the lighter divisions. Hunter is 28-1-1, Hamidi 3-7-1. Darlington heavyweight Chris Burton progressed to 10-0 against Mathew Ellis. ‘Hightower' (16st 13lbs) won pretty much as he liked against the comebacking Ellis (15st 3lbs), forcing him to retire on his stool after two rounds. Burton had particular success with some eye-watering hooks to the body, especially the left. The big man didn't have much to beat in a faded Ellis who hadn't fought in more than a year but he did it in style and is a genuine prospect domestically. Ellis drops to 19-5-1. It's nice to see a foreign undercard import come and try to win. Frenchman Samir Kasmi (9st 3lbs) certainly did that and it's safe to say that if Middlesbrough featherweight Paul Truscott (9st 0lbs 12oz) didn't have a very good chin, the house fighter would have been sparked. As it was, he won 79-75 which does no justice to Kasmi's efforts. A talented boxer, Truscott controlled the early portion of the fight with nice, orthodox skills. But Kasmi was fit and game and consistenly upped his work rate with each round. In the sixth and seventh rounds, Truscott was caught with huge, head-rocking uppercuts and slashing hooks flush to the jaw. His face an increasingly bloody mask, Truscott was in a bit of bother though considering what he shipped, it was incredible that he was never really on shaky legs. It was a tribute to the lad's intelligence and increasing maturity that he managed to revert to his boxing and win the final session though it did help that the Frenchman's incredible work rate eventually dropped. A great scrap which had Truscott's fans worried – and one their man should learn from. He moves to ten unbeaten whilst Kasmi is 7-7. I've commented in the past on how frustrating Liverpool middleweight Geard Ajetovic can be. I've even stuck my neck out and said he has the ability to be a world champion. He's certainly better than boxing in a show-closer at Peterlee just before midnight. In the past he's just operated at about 25% and still managed to win. Looking at the bare result - an 80-74 win against unspectacular Tanzanian import Francis Cheka – one might assume he was up to his old tricks of scoring a couple more jabs than his opponent and doing nothing but posing for two and a half minutes of every round. He did step back and admire his reflection at times but for quite prolonged spells he threw everything at Cheka and simply couldn't budge him. Classy middle Paul Smith had similar trouble with this man but Ajetovic hit him far more often. It made no difference. He was down a couple of times but they were ruled, fairly, as slips. Cheka looks quite slight but his appearance is deceptive. It's a long time since I've seen a fellow take such a shellacking and soak it up. He deserved to hear the final bell but goodness knows how he managed it. Ajetovic (11st 5 1/2lbs) is 16-1-1, Cheka (11st 2lbs 1oz) 13-5-1. Another who showed heart beyond the call of duty was Peterborough novice Tony McQuade (9st). Referee Andrew Wright scored Redcar's Gavin Reid (8st 13lbs) a 40-36 winner in this featherweight bout. I gave McQuade the first and the much taller Reid the other three. It was a cracking little scrap, twelve minutes of hearty action. Reid picked his punches well to both head and body but McQuade was not to be deterred and plugged away, his face becoming increasingly blood-smattered. McQuade is 2-3-2, Reid 4-1. I thought Sunderland's Martin Marshall (12st) was rather unlucky to be made a 40-38 loser to Leeds' journeyman Danny Thornton (11st 8lbs). I had it even. To be fair, Thornton won the rounds I gave him, the first and third, very clearly whereas Marshall nicked his. Thornton whacked in a left hook to the body in the third and Marshall appeared to take a knee but the contest was waved on by official Mark Curry. The Mackem was upset at the decision and perhaps had a case. He drops to 8-13-3 and has now lost his last four. Thornton, on a nice little run of four himself, is 25-12-3. Another Sunderland man, David Dolan, had a better night, beating one-time Enzo Maccarinelli conqueror Lee Swaby 60-55. In a quite competitive affair, Swaby was a threat behind his left cross but tired quite rapidly. Dolan – a far too heavy 15st 10lbs – had much faster hands but couldn't hurt his man. There was almost a very dramatic finish when Swaby (a whopping 16st 10lbs) wobbled Dolan in a neutral corner with only about ten seconds remaining. The winner was lucky there wasn't another minute to go or he might not have had the opportunity to walk back to his corner on stiffened legs. Dolan seems a bit small for a heavyweight and I've been of the opinion that if he does have a future in the pro game it is at cruiser. But 20lbs does seem a bit to shift. He improves to seven unbeaten; Swaby is now 22-19-2. Brian Magee (12st 3 ¾lbs) beat Mark Nielsen (12st 8lbs) 40-37 in a fight I missed due to traffic.

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