Glasgow undercard report by Tom Walker Jun 8th 2008

The show opened with Andrew Ferrans of New Cumnock weighing 11st 12ozs matched with Simon Fleck of Leicester at 11st 10ozs over 6 x 3mins scheduled with Kenny Pringle as the man in the middle. Ferrans looked a bit flabby from my last sighting of him in the ring, but this was deceptive as he stopped Fleck with a series of unanswered shots at the 1 min 31 sec mark of the second whereby referee Pringle had seen enough. This bout while it lasted was not silky, but it was aggressive and a good harbinger of the night ahead. Next up was Jamie Coyle of Bannockburn at 11st 2lb 8oz with Andy Butlin of Huddersfield weighing 11st 1lb 8oz, again over 6 x 3mins with Fauldhouse referee Paul Graham overseeing the action. The opening round was no “holiday camp” for Coyle as Butlin was quick off the mark forcing Coyle back in a fiery opener and the Yorkshireman was always first to the punch. Coyle seemed surprised at task he faced but soon came to terms with it in the second as a left hook undid Butlin's work and it was quickly followed by a right to the head which ended with a standing count. At this point Coyle obviously sensed he could hurt the Yorkshireman with his right hand and he used it with some gusto, Paul Graham was looking very closely at Butlin now as he (Butlin) had to hold onto Coyle at every opportunity. In the end though, Butlin's corner pulled their man out at the end of the third round in an act of compassion. Unbeaten Swansea boxer Ricky Owen 8st 13lb looked as though he was boxing someone twice his age when he met Sumaila Badu of Ghana 8st 10lb 11oz. Badu it is alleged is 31 years of age, but if that is the case then perhaps I should hand back my bus pass as I'm obviously not 60 plus in age. Owen will not want to meet this man too often, if ever again! The clash of styles meant it was hard work and not pretty to watch. The Ghanaian was roughing up the southpaw and using his head in more ways than one. Owen had a cut above his left eye which Badu targeted with his head rather than his fists. If proof were needed of this, he had a smear of Owen's blood down his left side of his own face where he'd been trying to rough up the youngster. In any event the Welshman got the points win which he deserved from Kenny Pringle 59 – 54. Glenrothes' boxer Steve McGuire jnr; came in at 12st 2lb 8oz to be matched with Anthony Young of Crawley at 12st 2lb 6oz in another 6 x 3mins bout with Kenny Pringle refereeing. McGuire opened up with neat and economical combinations, having good lateral movement and a variety of shots which were demonstrating his versatility. Young though, didn't cave under the pressure he was facing and can be commended for that. For McGuire, he was as always under the watchful eye of his father in the corner, and Stevie snr; can be very demanding of his son. I suspect he'd have been pleased as Stevie jnr; was boxing with some style, hardly wasting a shot. This performance will have the Glenrothes boxer on the cusp of a title shot especially if Froch relinquishes his crown. It was with some surprise then, that I found that McGuire had been boxing from the second round with either a dislocated index finger knuckle or a broken bone in his hand. This was there for all to see as I met him on the steps of the Kelvin Hall after the bout (a comfort break of a smoke prior to the main bout) and Stevie McGuire having visited the Western Infirmary across the road to try and get a quick x-ray of the hand. Of course Friday evening in Glasgow is the last place you'd want to try and get any attention in an Infirmary, as the usual suspects are thronging casualty. If Stevie McGuire can box like that with a palpably damaged hand then the quicker it is mended the better as this was an excellent showing from the Glenrothes boxer despite the obvious damage. Irvine's stylish southpaw Ryan Brawley 9st 9lb met Birkenhead's Jamie McKeever 9st 8lb 12oz in an 8 x 3min match prior to the headline bout, and cliché or not this was a classic Matador/Bull match up. Brawley in the role of the man with the cape, McKeever was determined to upset the Ayrshireman's rhythm by rushing in, but being picked off by the fluid style of Brawley. A stiff left from Brawley put McKeever on the seat of his pants in the second round with the resulting standing count, yet the game Birkenhead boxer still kept returning for more of the same like a human boomerang. Brawley was picking up scoring shots to face of McKeever in the manner of a picador sticking lances into the bull “en passant”. Paul Graham called a halt to it at 2min 28 secs in the 7th round much to the annoyance of McKeever's corner man, but in truth it was right to do so as he'd taken a lot of shots, none of which were heavy by any means, but his face after the bout spoke more eloquently about the punishment he'd taken during it and unless he'd another bout scheduled in the next 28 days then he'd benefit from the rest he'll get and give his face a chance to heal. The final bout was a match between David Savage jnr 8st 12lbs 8oz and Mike Holloway of Leeds at 8st 13lb 4oz over 4 x 3mins with Kenny Pringle as referee. Savage is boxing throughout this bout as the Leeds man is trying to rough him up in an agricultural style which isn't succeeding. Savage was always in control with the better skills and stopped Holloway in round four at the 1min 19secs with a badly cut eye. The end of the show had most punters gone and word came through that the BBBoC had stripped Kevin McIntyre of his title, I hope for the sake of boxing that the board are certain of their facts as McIntyre isn't the first boxer to have to pull out of a title defence for valid reason and I suspect that his manager and promoter will want answers if not action!

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

Please login before posting comments.

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.