Pickering get his revenge over brave Hughes by Tom Podmore Jan 19th 2008

After suffering a shock eight-round defeat to the same man in November, Newark's Esham Pickering got his revenge over Sean ‘Short Fuse' Hughes and put himself back on the top of the domestic super-bantamweight tree with a nine-round stoppage at Burton's atmospheric Meadowside Leisure Centre last night (January 18). Hughes, who was thumped to the canvas twice during a wild fourth, did well to last as long as he did and fight back as well and as bravely as he did. He showed the heart of lion to take his blows and come storming back with shots of his own, especially in the fifth. But the fact remains he was a beaten and exhausted man at the end. Despite him closing the show in impressive fashion, Pickering doesn't look the same force he once was. Punches he shipped during the contest, Esham surely would have slipped in his hey-day. He is definitely slowing down, not gliding around the ring in the manner he used to, and his reflexes aren't what they were. But there were mental barriers for the former triple champion to get over, and he overcame these to win. This was a man who had walked through him last year, bloodied him, outboxed him, outfought and outpointed him in Nottingham. He wasn't just beaten by the Pontefract southpaw he was battered. Pickering simply 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 swollen and crimson-tinted mess. Referee Shaun Messer scored the one-sided beat-down 77-75. The taller portsider jubilantly jumped in to the arms of Mick Marsden, his career-long trainer/manager, after the Dudley official raised his hand in victory. The Nottingham Arena was plunged into an almost shocked silence. And Hughes was confident that same scenario would play out again, but this time over 12 instead of eight. If getting another win over Pickering wasn't enough, he also had the added incentive that a win would see him return to Yorkshire with the British title strapped around his tiny waist. For the second time in his six-year professional career he came up short in a crack for the Lonsdale belt at 122lbs. Hartlepool dervish Michael Hunter, who'd also beaten Pickering, had stopped Hughes in six one-sided rounds back in 2005. He can, providing he rebounds with two or three wins, make another charge towards this belt when the Newark fighter looks to move towards bigger titles, be it the European or a version of a world crown, in the coming 12-24 months. The revenge victory over the former Central Area champion was imperative for the Carl Greaves-managed former World Boxing Organisation title challenger. He knew that a second successive defeat would spell the end of his big-time aspirations, maybe even his career. Now he says he has four or five years left in the game and the aim of winning one of the recognised world belts (WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO) is still on track. Esham is intelligent enough to know that he will probably have to scalp the European champion or a top-rated contender if that is to happen, however. But this victory has got his foot back on the ladder, got his career pointing in the right direction once more. He plans to sit down with promoter Mick Hennessy and draw-up a battle plan for the next couple of years. However, it looked like the above would be rendered irrelevant after the opening three minutes, a 180 seconds that saw southpaw Hughes (8st 10lbs) clatter his polished opponent with counter straight lefts and follow-up rights as he marched forward. As with the first fight, the champion had his nose bloodied. As with the first fight, the champion was being caught with straight punches. As with the first fight, Pickering was rattled by Sean's punches. As with the first fight, Pickering ended the round with his left eye swollen. As with the first fight, Hughes couldn't miss – probably even if he wanted to. Things were already looking ominous for the former Continental champion, whose lack of head and foot movement saw him tagged with almost every punch. These indiscretions, things that cost him the first fight, were supposedly ironed out in training, but they were still in evidence in the early sessions. Pickering was then badly stung in the early stages of the second, taking a flush southpaw right and a hail of left-rights that saw him forced to concede ground and cover. Hughes was the picture of concentration – timing his counter-punches beautifully – whist Esham lunged in desperately, missed and then got clattered. Pontefract's Peter Dunn, who recently reached the milestone of 100 paid outings, enthusiastically cheered his training partner on at ringside. He, along with many at the Staffordshire venue, could sense that a repeat performance was in order. But things started to get brighter for the 31-year-old Nottinghamshire-based boxer in round three, a session that saw the old swagger and precision return to the champion's work. Now it was Sean that had to eat some leather, being drilled with a swinging right hook and left-rights, and cover under fire. Esham's Former Wincobank stablemates, WBC light-welterweight champ Junior Witter, Midland Area welterweight champ Adnan Amar and Central Area light-welterweight boss Nadeem Siddique, shouted for the Carl Greaves-trained stylist to continue with the same work in the following three minutes. He didn't let them down. After a good start to the round – Hughes shipping several short right uppercuts in close – Pickering got the breakthrough he wanted when a sweeping overhand right cracked his southpaw opponent flush and sent him down to the canvas with a thud. The 25-year-old West Yorkshire fighter looked in desperate trouble, his vociferous supporters stunned into a shocked silence. All of his good work undone by a thumping right. He bravely got up at eight, but was felled by a similar punch moments later and this time didn't look like he'd make it to his feet; he was flat on his back near the neutral corner. But showing trademark grit and determination, Hughes made it to a standing position and was allowed to go back to his stool, albeit on wobbly pins. The punches delivered were almost Heaven sent and turned the fight in the Hennessy Sports-promoted fighter's favour. Had the second knockdown happened earlier on – the bell rang halfway through the count – then Pickering would have probably closed the show there and then. And, trying to pick up where he left off in the previous round, Pickering went on an all-out assault in a terrific give-and-take, nose-to-nose round five. I'm not sure I could do justice to this back-and-forth three minutes if I tried. Both men looked as if they could fold at any second. After being thumped with a succession of punishing blows, Sean looked as if he was a punch away from being stopped – referee Howard Foster loomed large – though, from somewhere only he knows, managed to suck-it-up and charge back with two-fisted attacks of his own. The pro-Hughes crowd, surprising when you consider Burton is closer to Newark (Nottinghamshire) than it is Pontefract (Yorkshire), on this Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.net-promoted card lapped up the close-quarter action that saw both absorb solid-looking blows. The following two rounds were close, with many in the Leisure Centre split on who they gave the rounds to. I gave the seventh to Hughes and the eighth to Pickering though there was little between them; Esham punched the harder but Sean had the higher workrate. Sean's noisy supporters lifted him with chants of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” and “Hughsey, Hughsey” in the seventh, inspiring the 5ft 9ins former English title challenger to grit his teeth and rock Pickering (8st 9lbs 12oz) with a steady flow of straight lefts and rights. However, Pickering took control in a toe-to-toe eighth – banging in hooks to both head and body despite bleeding from the nose and mouth – and then the 5ft 5in pick-pocket found the shots to bring the curtain down on the cracking contest in the following round. He stormed forward and drilled the stubborn challenger, now 14-7-1 (1), with a three-punch combination (right-left-right) that made his legs do a little dance and prompted Mr Foster to call a well-timed halt to proceedings with 40 seconds gone of the ninth. There were no complaints from Hughes or his corner. The three judges had the champion in a commanding lead at the time of the stoppage, incidentally. Preston's Phil Edwards had it 78-72, Paisley's Victor Loughlin had it 78-73, which tallied with my card, and Birmingham's Terry O'Connor even wider at 78-71. "I was a lot better than last time," said the British champion, now 33-6 (13), after making the first successful defence of his title in his second reign as the holder. “He took some good shots, but I always thought it was only a matter of time before I got to him. "There is still a little bit to work on. I was little bit lacklustre at times, but I'm happy because I won the fight, gained revenge for a defeat that caused me a lot of emotional pain and retained my Lonsdale belt. "I got to him in the end and I'm happy with the victory,” continued the former Ingle-trained stylist. “Now I am looking at regaining all of the belts I have lost in recent times. I would fancy a crack at either the Commonwealth champ (Anyetei Laryea) or the European champion (Spaniard Kiko Martinez) during the next 12 months. “I know that no-one can touch me when I'm at my 110 per cent best. I'm a man on a mission. No one will stop me achieving what I know I could and should have achieved a few years ago [winning a world title]. “I have a lot of respect for Rendall Munroe – he is a good fighter – but I know that I would beat him, and I hope that could happen if he manages to beat Martinez in March. “But I'm back and ready to finish the job.”

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