Punching back the years - The featherweight division (Part One) by David Statham Jul 11th 2008

In the second part of his series, David Statham looks at the past attempts of British fighters who beat the obstacles, defied the odds and challenged for world glory. ITV pundit Barry McGuigan labelled Oldham-based Mongolian, Choi Tsveenpurev as the ‘President of the Who-needs-‘em-club' before the 36-year-old's contest with Derry Mathews on the 5th April. And McGuigan was proved right when the awkward and dangerous puncher floored and knocked-out the previously unbeaten champion. Mathews, the 2007 British Boxing Writers' Young Boxer of the Year, was floored four times and finished off in the fifth by the tough challenger on the undercard of Amir Khan's bout against Martin Kristjansen. Mathews makes his return to the ring in front of his home fans in just over a weeks time (July 19th). And the flashing lights and dance music that normally accompany the 24-year-old's ring entrance will be pumping louder than ever as he bids to put the loss aside and put his world title ambitions back on track. If the Liverpudlian can lift one of the four major belts in the future he'll be the latest in along line of British fighters who have done so in the 126lbs division. WBO The Italian team had fallen short in their bid to become the football world champions in their home country a year previously, but in 1991 they did have a world champion in the boxing ring. Maurizio Stecca had won the vacant WBO title against Armando Reyes on January 26th. And it was Stecca who defended his title against England's Tim Driscoll in his second defence. Italy's football team had defeated England in the third and fourth place play-off final in Italia '90. And after twenty-seven minutes of the contest in the boxing ring, the Italians were again victorious. Driscoll was stopped in the ninth round. Six months after his fellow countryman's disappointment, British and Commonwealth champion Colin McMillan opened the Alexandra Pavilion Arena doors and welcomed the champion back to London. I'm not sure if Stecca was superstitious at all but after the fight he must hold some dislike for the number two. Stecca had been to the capital only two months earlier, beating America's Roy Muniz in the sixth round. His second fight, with McMillan, went the distance and at the end of the bout his loss column jumped up from one to two. The celebrations were short lived however, because four months after the Italian job, McMillan lost his title to Colombia's Ruben Palacio. In April 1993, Palacio was scheduled to defend his new strap against British champion, John Davison. But due to medical reasons had to pull out. With only 48 hours to go, they were still a man short at the Northumbria Centre, Washington. Luckily, Cardiff's unheralded journeyman fighter, Steve Robinson agreed to step in. Robinson had won 13 out of 23 contests and was entering the ring on the back of a defeat to Algeria's Mehdi Labdouni. It was the Welshman's own ‘Rocky' moment. And like the protagonist from the movie, Robinson stepped between the ropes as an underdog. When he left, he was the ‘top dog'- champion of the boxing world. He beat former WBC international champion, Davison on a close, but unanimous, points decision over twelve rounds. The ‘Cinderella Man' as he was aptly named, would beat four Englishman in his twenty-eight month reign as champion. Sean Murphy, Colin McMillan and Paul Hodkinson all returned from their trips to Cardiff empty handed. Croydon's Duke McKenzie crossed the Welsh border in October 1994. McKenzie was attempting to add a fourth world title, from a different weight division, to his trophy cabinet. But the 31-year-old, who had held the IBF flyweight, WBO bantamweight and WBO super-bantamweight titles had his dream ended in the ninth round. Robinson made two more defences of the belt, before a fifth Englishman followed the signs to Cardiff City centre. But this opponent, as Robinson was about to find out, was simply too hot to handle. Naseem Hamed was another lightning-fast, funny-angled puncher, typical of the style at Brendan Ingle's gym in Sheffield. His predictions for his future on the boxing scene came as fast as his left-hook. The 21-year-old's self-belief in his own invincibility transcended around the boxing world. Anyone who dared enter the ring with the self-styled ‘Prince' was going to be beaten, because Naseem Hamed was ready for boxing super-stardom. The contest with Robinson was ‘drummed up' as loudly as possible by the super-confident Hamed. And in Cardiff he backed up all the noise in emphatic fashion, dominating proceedings from the first bell. He outworked and overwhelmed the champion, knocking him down in the fifth and eighth round. The referee had no choice but to jump in and save the Welsh warrior from further punishment. Robinson had been a fantastic champion, but there was a new ‘kid' on the block. And he was to be the focal point of the featherweight division for the next five years. Hamed knocked out fellow southpaw Said Lawal in Glasgow in his first defence and then three months later, showed his ability to recover from a knockdown, to beat Puerto Rica's Daniel Alicia. After two more defences, Hamed went to Millwall for, what many regarded, as his biggest test of his career. He was up against America's IBF king, Tom Johnson, who was unbeaten in nineteen contests. ‘Boom Boom' had been to the UK before (he beat Ever Beleno in Newcastle). But his trip to Millwall on the 8th February 1997, was his last as IBF champion. Hamed stopped the taller champion in the eighth round. After two more defences, the ‘Prince' travelled to New York and entertained in an enthralling encounter against ‘Flushing Flash' Kevin Kelley. Both fighters touched the canvas three times. But it was Hamed who landed the telling punch in the fourth round. In October 1998, Northern Ireland's Wayne McCullough unsuccessfully attempted to end the champion's reign. Six months later at the MEN Arena, in Manchester, Scarborough's Paul Ingle pushed ‘Naz' all the way to the eleventh round. Ingle was down three times in the fight but he looked in control as he cut Hamed in the ninth round. Despite applying the pressure, Ingle couldn't get the Prince out of the ring and in the eleventh, Hamed ended the contest with a trademark left-hand. But concerns about Hamed's ability to be hit, (which were high anyway after the encounter with Kelley) were growing. In October 1999, Hamed won a WBC and WBO unification against Mexico's new champion, Cesar Soto. He later relinquished his new belt for ‘business' reasons. Hamed made two defences, finishing the attempts of both Vuyani Bungu and Augie Sanchez in the fourth round. Hard-hitting Sanchez dropped the champion in the second round (even though it wasn't ruled as a knockdown) but Hamed got up to finish the contest. Sanchez left the ring on a stretcher. Fortunately he was ok and had three more fights after. In October 2000, the indisputable king of the 126lb division relinquished his WBO belt, preferring to meet Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera for the vacant IBO title instead. Two years later, Argentine world champion, Julio Pablo Chacon travelled towards the Braehead Arena in Glasgow to make his third defence of the title he won from Istvan Kovacs. Scotland's Scott Harrison was busy justifying his nickname of ‘The Real McCoy'. In the same ring, four months previous, he'd won the interim WBO featherweight title. And he followed that success up on 19th October 2002, by making sure Pablo Chacon's WBO belt was missing from his hand luggage as he boarded the plane home from Scotland. Harrison unanimously outpointed the champion, handing the Argentine his third defeat in 47 contests. Scott Harrison was the new British world champion, who had the enviable task of taking over the belt the ‘Prince' had made his own. On March 22nd 2003, five months after winning the title, Harrison beat Ireland's former WBC bantamweight king, Wayne McCullough. The Scotsman then faced his toughest test; at least where experience was concerned. Standing opposite him for his second defence was seventy-five fight veteran, Manuel Medina. The Mexican, who had lost to Hamed for the same title seven years ago, had more luck against Harrison, and won a split points decision to take the title back to South America. Four months passed and Medina returned to Scotland. But this time he would leave without the belt. Harrison knocked down the thirty-two year-old twice on the way to an eleventh round stoppage victory. Over the next seven months, Harrison made three successful defences of his title, knocking out Walter Estrada, William Abelyan and previously unbeaten Ethiopian, Samuel Kebede. On January 28th 2005, Columbia's Victor Polo made another journey to the UK. Polo had lost in his attempt for the WBO title against the aforementioned Julio Pablo Chacon three years before. And after twelve rounds in Glasgow, the challenger again went away without the belt, drawing with the champion over twelve close rounds. On June 3rd 2005, Harrison travelled to the MEN Arena in Manchester, to defend against England's Michael Brodie. Brodie had been unsuccessful in his attempt for the vacant WBC super-bantamweight and ‘Mikie' suffered the same result in his challenge at a higher weight division. The 31year-old was counted out in the fourth round of the fight and he announced his retirement from boxing immediately after the contest. A return to the familiar Scottish surroundings saw Harrison box one more time as world champion, beating Nedal Hussein on points over twelve rounds. And unfortunately the journey stopped there. The Orthodox stylist hasn't boxed since the night on November 5th 2005 due to extensive legal problems and health concerns. There has been talk of a comeback to the boxing ring, but so far nothing has materialised. Harrison's career record stands at 25-2-2. The last British fighter to challenge for the WBO belt was Dagenham's Nicky Cook. He contested for the title on July 14th last year against America's Steven Luevano at the O2 Arena, London. But the former British, Commonwealth and European title-holder was put on the canvas five times before being stopped in the eleventh round. The defeat was the 28-year-old's first in twenty-nine contests. Cook, having now moved up a division, challenges Alex Arthur for the WBO super featherweight belt on September 6th at the MEN Arena in Manchester. How successful have the Brits been with the WBC, WBA, and IBF? Keep reading BBN for Part two of ‘Punching back the Years- The featherweight division'.

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Derry - the Great Scouse Hope! Jul 12th 2008, 14:30:53 by tommy gunn Derry is a great fighter technically and has amazing strength for a featherweight! Choi was a terrible result for him but he can come back stronger then ever but with a young and strong british featherweight division now in place in Britain with champions such as Appleby and Truscott that is easier said than done! Ill be in the crowd for Derrys fight with the kenyan so come on Derry son prove me right!