Simpson beats Booth in bad-tempered brawl by Tom Podmore Mar 4th 2008

Joe McCluskey kept his projected May 12 Midland Area light-welterweight title shot on track – due to meet Worcester champion Billy Smith for the belt in Birmingham – but it looked touch-and-go for a while. The Coventry crowdpleaser, boxing for the first time since a scan irregularity that has seen him inactive for ten months, had to haul himself off the deck in the opening round before coming through with a three-round cut stoppage win over Mansfield veteran David Kirk at the Leofric Hotel on Saturday (March 1). It was an unsatisfactory ending to a six-threes that saw the heavier, crafty East Midlands southpaw in an unusually aggressive mood, as was demonstrated by putting the iron-chinned West Midlander on the floor during the opening three minutes. His early successes gave him hope that a twelfth win might be on the cards. McCluskey had been involved in back-to-back wars (understatement) with Torquay's Ali Wyatt at Birmingham's Burlington Hotel in his last two bouts (February and May 2007) and needed a confidence-boosting win after losing one (cuts) and drawing one of those aforementioned eight-round contests. But it would have come as a shock to him when he was bundled over early on. Joe had taken flush punches from brick-fisted Wyatt in those titanic battles and never left his feet, or even looked like he would for that matter. In fact, Kirk is the first man to have McCluskey on the floor. And far from the knockdown being against the run of play, Kirk (11st 4lbs) had the better of a scrappy first 180 seconds. Dave, after tagging his foe with solid shots from his southpaw stance, caught the local ticket-seller with a clubbing left to the temple – dropping him to his haunches. That was more than Wyatt could do. Although dazed, McCluskey, 29 and also bleeding from a wound on the scalp, beat the count without to much trouble, even finding the strength to fire back with two-handed onslaughts that saw the durable 33-year-old hard man being pushed back before the bell rang. Pat Cowdell-trained McCluskey, giving away more than five pounds at 10st 13lbs 12oz, had a better second. Finding the target with straight rights over the Jimmy Gill-managed boxer's portside lead, Joe backed up his Nottinghamshire rival throughout. Just before the bell, however, a clash of heads saw Kirk emerge with a cut under his left eye. It was an injury that would terminate the fight early (very early, in fact) into the next session. I didn't think, at the time at least, that is was a severe enough wound to bring an end to the scheduled 18-minute bout. The third was but a few seconds old when referee John Keane, officiating throughout and the third man for David Haye-Enzo Maccarinelli on Saturday (March 8), took ‘Kirky' over to the ringside doctor, Dr Choudrey, who deemed the cut too bad for him to continue. Time: 0-03. McCluskey gets his fifth win in 11 (three losses – two on cuts – three draws, three inside) and is pencilled in to meet improving Smith for the Midland strap on Pat Cowdell's show at the Burlington Hotel on May 12. Both love a nose-to-nose scrap and that could lead to some blistering exchanges and a compelling fight. The Coventry warmonger is never in a bad fight. This Coventry Sporting Club (Les Allen) dinner and open show kicked-off with two dangerous cruiserweight veterans, Coventry's former European title challenger Neil Simpson and Hull's crowdpleasing Tony Booth, meeting for the fifth and final (surely?) time. And it was former British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Simpson, 37, who had the final word in the five-fight series (four wins to Simpson, one to Booth) with a 40-36 decision from Mr Keane in a bad-tempered four-threes littered with infringements and rabbit punching. Booth, who plans to retire on June 14 in paid bout 165, still has the ability to delight and infuriate the crowd in equal measures. He delighted the crowd with Ali shuffles-cum-Irish jigs with his hands on his hips in the first. He infuriated them when pumping his fist skywards after nailing the local with a right in the third. Still, Simpson was unflustered and in control during a four-round sprint contest which was fought almost entirely in close. Neil used short double jabs and rights in the first, though was frustrated with Booth's dirty tactics. Several times Tony would get Neil in a headlock, forcing Mr Keane to talk to both after the round. During the second, however, Booth (15st 7lbs 4oz) hit back, making the current British Masters cruiserweight champion – who won the belt with a 97-93 ten-round decision over the same man at a partisan and highly-charged Hull City Hall last September – hold after shipping a right. Body shots caused the Hull veteran, 50-109-9 (11) and a former Central Area and British Masters boss, to grab during the third. Simpson, who lost the first in 1995 but has emerged with his hand raised in the last four meetings, including a British title eliminator in 1999, started to play the Yorkshireman at his own game with shuffles after attacks. Booth has always been sturdy and clever and, while his attacks come in bursts towards the end of the rounds nowadays, he is still dangerous – especially when wound up by local supporters taunting him with chants of “Who ate all the pies?” and “You've never seen a salad!” But Neil Tomlinson-trained Simpson pressed forward in the last three minutes and worked over the flabby 38-year-old former British and Commonwealth title challenger, with matchmaker Jimmy Gill in his corner, with the jab and left-rights to his ample mid-section. And while ‘Simmo', now 25-17 (10), was overweight at 15st 4lbs – looking fleshy – he is aiming for some big contests at cruiserweight. He would like an all-Midlands showdown with Rugby's Carl ‘The Hammer' Wright and is also targeting a British title eliminator with former champion John ‘Buster' Keeton. Debutant Danny Coyle (10st 8lbs 14oz) can certainly sell a ticket. The Len Woodhall-trained Atherstone welterweight made sure his pro bow was a successful one with a 58-56 six-twos decision from Mr Keane over durable Worcester puncher Steve Cooper (10st 10lbs 10oz). I had the fight level after six close rounds, but there were no complaints. A former Tamworth ABC unpaid performer, Coyle brings a vociferous following and excitement to proceedings. Cooper never found him hard to tag but Danny showed a good beard to absorb the iron-fisted blows and storm back with shots, albeit not as solid, of his own. After an even first two minutes, Errol Johnson-trained Copper had the upper hand in the next four minutes. Coyle, possibly playing to an expectant crowd in nearby Coventry, tried to meet the Worcestershire banger head-on, but was forced back and punished with hooks from a confident opponent. Coyle, an ABA Novice finalist, would have his turn in the next two rounds, however. Bloodying the nose of Steve in the fourth, the crowdpleasing Warwickshire 25-year-old continued to press on in the fifth – spewing some more plasma from Cooper's nostrils with a sharp straight right. It was all-square for me going into the last. Twenty-six-fight Cooper had the better of the first 60 seconds and Danny, sensing this could make-or-break the outcome, the last minute in a round that looked even. Coyle had his hand raised, however, and moves to 1-0 (0). The ticket-seller makes his second paid appearance in Birmingham on April 13.

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