Will Hughes do the double and win Esham's British title? by Tom Podmore Jan 17th 2008

Pontefract's Sean ‘Short Fuse' Hughes gets the chance to complete an unlikely double over Newark's Esham Pickering and win the British super-bantamweight title at Burton-on-Trent's atmospheric Meadowside Leisure Centre on Friday night (January 18). Sky Sports televise this solid-looking Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.net-promoted show on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. Incidentally, this will be Sky's first live professional boxing of 2008. This also has a bit of a home advantage feel for Esham, making the first defence of his belt in his second reign as champion, as the famous brewery and Marmite town of Burton is only 30-odd miles away from the Nottinghamshire fighter's hometown. But he'll need to put in a much better showing if he wants to retain his belt against a man who thumped him to an eight-round defeat in November. Pickering will also want to keep a projected date with local rival Rendall Munroe (pencilled in for March 22 at the Barnsley Metrodome) on course. Esham only knows too well the perils of looking ahead to his next fight, however. Prior to the contest with Hughes last year, Pickering was all set to fight for the European 122lb title against Spanish puncher Kiko Martinez, who had impressively ripped the belt from Irishman Bernard Dunne in the summer, in early 2008. The shock points deficit saw his mandatory position with the EBU (he's now dropped to number two) and a fight with the conqueror of his former conqueror go up in smoke. Can unheralded Hughes repeat the trick two months on? History shows plenty of fighters who have scalped champions in non-title fights, Tom Bethea stopping undisputed world middleweight boss Nino Benvenuti in 1970 being a prime example, but were unable to follow up the win when they met the same man with a belt on the line. But Hughes had shown previous indication that he was better than his modest 14-6-1 (1) paid ledger would suggest. Five of his losses had been against class acts – Bernard Dunne, Michael Hunter, Stephen Foster, Marc Callaghan and Billy Corcoran – and he improved steadily after each defeat, adding something new to his armoury. Corcoran, in fact, looked fortunate to come away from the Nottingham Arena, the scene of Sean's two best performances, with a final round stoppage in 2006. The Yorkshire southpaw had dropped the Wembley-based Irishman and looked to be in a commanding lead when referee Lee Cook, prematurely in my book, stepped in with a little over two minutes left of the eight. Hughes, 25, later admitted: “I didn't even realise the fight had been stopped at first. I thought he was just splitting us up. But then I saw Mick (Marsden, trainer/manager) in the ring and thought: ‘What's going on here?' I just couldn't believe it. “I know the referee had to look after our safety and I was caught with a cracking shot. But my case is why he didn't apply the same thing in the previous round and stop Corcoran?” The former Central Area eight-stone-ten champion had a strong case with that argument; pounding the former English super-featherweight champion and British title challenger with around 30 unanswered punches in the previous three minutes. Fast-forward 12 months and two points wins later, both over durable Sergey Rozhakmens, and Hughes gave Pickering a one-sided beating that left the Nottingham Arena in an almost stunned silence. From as early as the first 30 seconds you realised this wasn't going to be the Newark stylist's night. Pickering couldn't avoid the solid straight punches from an inspired and fired-up Hughes – fighting with a serious bit between his teeth – and finished a bloodied and battered mess. Referee Sean Messer scored 77-75. Leicester's confident and dangerous Rendall Munroe, the solid-punching English super-bantamweight champion who meets the winner, was ringside and looked on unimpressed, confidently boasting he would see either man off within five rounds. Can the former British title challenger really do the unthinkable again and secure himself a showdown with swashbuckling Munroe? If he fights with the same intensity and passion as he did two months ago, walking through anything thrown at him, then I wouldn't rule out Sean returning to the Castle town with the Lonsdale belt strapped round his waist. This is Hughes' third scheduled 12-rounder (completing none), by the way, whereas this will be Pickering's thirteenth (completing five). Experience counted for little when they met last time around. Even if the East Midlander is the harder hitting of the pair – 12 stoppages in 32 wins (six defeats) – he is more of a sharp than heavy puncher and tends to attack in spurts, something that will suit the high-volume but light-punching challenger. The 31-year-old is also a bit of a pickpocket, if a very good one, who is capable of beating the best on his day. “I have got faith in myself that I'm going to be a world champion one day and I think the setbacks will make me stronger,” said the former triple champion, once considered a non-puncher after only five stoppages in his first 24 outings. “A lot of people have written me off because I have been beaten, but it was a bad day at the office. “Mick Hennessy (promoter) has some great ideas for me if I win my next couple of fights. Mick has stuck by me and that gives me faith and assurance which makes me think the next four or five years are going to be the best of my career. “I know I've still got what it takes to win a genuine, recognised world title before I retire.” Former Commonwealth champ Esham, as illustrated before, can go to sleep in fights. He is a moody individual, as if his biggest fight is against himself. He was caught and hurt early against Hughes, felt sorry for himself and slumped to an unexpected defeat. Now trained and managed by Carl Greaves after spending the whole of his 12-year career with the Ingles, Pickering had looked dynamite when forcing durable Steve Gethin to retire after three in October. A month later he looked a sorry sight against a fighter who looked to have reached his plateau at fringe British title level. Pickering had won the European title and challenged for a world belt, remember. He also held wins over world title challenger Vincenzo Gigliotti, another Michael Marsden-managed lefty, former British, European and IBO boss Noel Wilders, and Marc Callaghan, a boxer Hughes lost narrowly to. That's why it was so shocking to see him beaten and outboxed so comprehensibly last time out. Bernard Dunne did something similar, however – blooding and bemusing Esham with movement, accuracy and straight punches in their European title fight in November 2006, a fight the Englishman lost clearly. So the Nottingham fighter is slowing down, not being able to cut off the ring as well as he did at his peak. But ‘Brown Sugar' looked a shade unlucky not to get at least a draw with Hartlepool dervish Michael Hunter in 2005, losing a majority over 12. He lost a close one to Jon Jo Irwin for the British featherweight belt, was robbed up at super-featherweight against protected Alejandro Monzon in 2002 and was weight-weakened and crushed in one by hard-hitting Mauricio Martinez for the WBO belt at bantam in 2000. He finally found his niche division at super-bantamweight. The quick Midlander, who likes to glide in and out of range, will need to try and use his excellent jab more in this 12-round rematch, to try and fend off the aggressive portsider. He was also static in the non-title fight, making him an easy target for the straight punchers thrown by the man from Pontefract. Lateral movement and full use of the ring are imperative for his success. Some have gone as far as to say Pickering is finished – a shot fighter with no fights left in him. But others, myself included, think he drastically underestimated the taller (5'9 to Esham's 5'5) Sheffield Wednesday supporter's talents on the Carl Froch-Robin Reid undercard. He probably thought he could beat him at 50 per cent. How wrong he was. Then again, maybe the Newark boxer can't cope with southpaws. He has, after all, suffered two of his five defeats against men who lead with the right (Martinez and Hughes), albeit in differing circumstances. Could the defeat have been down to trouble with making the weight? Or has Hughes simply got his number? We'll find out soon enough. Although I won't count the six-year pro out, it would be foolish to do so after his career-best performance last time out, I feel Pickering will set the record straight this time around with a reasonably close distance victory, probably by margins of two or three points. For the record, Pickering is the favourite with the bookies, being quoted as 1/2 with William Hill. Hughes is 6/4 to complete a famous double. Nottingham switcher Adnan Amar, 19-1 (4), boxes experienced Canadian light-middle Ian MacKillop, 25-9-3 (14), in the eight-round chief support. The Ingle-trained Midland Area welterweight champion is then expected to fight Matthew Hatton for the vacant English belt later in the year. Errol Johnson-trained pair Sam Horton, 6-0 (1), Stourbridge, and Duane Parker, 1-0 (0), Woodville, go in against Lee Noble, 9-6 (2), and Lance Verallo, winless in 20, respectively. Sheffield's Muhsen Nasser, 14-0-1 (2), takes on Dewsbury southpaw Tye Williams and Derby twosome Jack Perry, 5-0 (1), who boxes 50-fight Kristian Laight for the second time, and Matthew Hainy, debut, complete the bill.

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

Friend name: Friend email: Your name: Your email:   Privacy Statement

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