Elcock v McDermott countdown: Darren's five best wins by Tom Podmore Jun 19th 2008

In the build-up and excitement to the biggest all-Midlands clash in recent memory (maybe all-time), the British middleweight title fight between Wayne Elcock (champion) and Darren McDermott on Friday night, BBN's Midlands correspondent, Tom Podmore, looks at the two middleweights five stand-out wins of their professional careers. Part two: Darren McDermott. Hometown: Woodsetton, Dudley. Age: 29. Record: 14-0-1 (9). Advisor: Ronnie Brown. Manager: Dean Powell. Height: 6ft 1in. Style: Orthodox. Former titles: Midland Area and British Masters (both at middleweight). 1.Opponent: Andy Halder, 13-3 (2) entering, Coventry, England. Result: WRTD5. Score: N/A. Title: Midland Area middleweight (Halder's second defence). Date: 6 October, 2005. Venue: Town Hall, Dudley. Promoter: EJKO Promotions (Errol Johnson). This was the victory that introduced McDermott, only 7-0-1 (3) coming in, as a fighter to be taken seriously in domestic 11st 6lbs circles. Halder, then 32, had challenged for the British middleweight title, held the Midland Area belt (successfully defending it once) and had also worn a minor (very minor) international strap (WBF). He was more experienced, had fought at a better level, beaten better men and was expected to retain against the inexperienced local and then press for claims at a second British title shot. Although he'd been taken out twice in the opening round – Patrick Maxwell (13 seconds) and Scott Dann (British title challenge) – slow-starting Halder was known as a tough, knowing southpaw who gave Dann, another portsider, trouble in the early stages and grew in stature after the first session had passed by. He was also riding high after a career-best seven-round retirement win over Shrewsbury's English title challenger Roddy Doran, the former Midland Area and British Masters boss, in Coventry four months earlier. As said, if he could get out of the opening round then he could be a real handful, especially at this level. And he was a sharper puncher than his two stoppages in 16 (13 wins) suggested, even if he was never the type to take men out with a single blow. He'd managed to stun Plymouth banger Dann with a well-timed southpaw left early on in their scrap – over-confidence costing Andy dearly. And that recent stoppage over Doran, an Irish-rooted boxer he'd previously outscored (96-95 – though it looked wider to me), suggested that Halder had learnt from the mistakes of the Dann fight and was getting better. His fight-winning unorthodox jab had seen him tame Doran, fellow-southpaw Rob Burton and mallet-fisted Conroy McIntosh (three times). But Halder was never in the fight with McDermott. Starting quickly, taller, longer-armed McDermott forced the champion to the ropes – pushing forward and stinging the confident Coventry stylist with punches from both hands. Halder, always brave and willing, tried to march his way into contention in the second, but was shaken with long rights as he tried desperately to get his jab into play. He looked shell-shocked between rounds. Darren's accurate and effective lead clearly worried the former kickboxer, who as a clever southpaw was used to dictating with the lead hand. He had never faced an opponent with the accuracy, workrate and two-fisted, hands-pumping style of the unbeaten but untested Black Country ticket-seller, revelling in the chance of putting on a show in his hometown. Combine this with a solid right cross from the ever-advancing Dean Powell-advised middleweight, and Halder had serious problems. The local man's strength became more and more evident during the third, pushing the soon-to-be ex-champion to the ropes and volleying punches in four and fives at Andy's dazed and pummelled dome. Halder was rocked by a big right and his legs almost betrayed him during the fifth. Only guts kept him up as he defended desperately in the corner. For the remainder of the round he was subjected to a systematic beating that would have finished a much lesser man – experienced referee Terry O'Connor stalking and watching throughout the three minutes, ready to step in. He managed to survive the wave of punches, saw it out to the bell but was retired by his experienced corner, led by career-long trainer Jack Weaver. Far from going overboard with claims he was ready to take on the world there and then, Darren was refreshingly realistic and honest with the win: “I'm still learning, but I beat a good fighter tonight,” he said. “With more experience, I'm sure that I can challenge the best in the country after a few more fights.” McDermott hadn't conceded a round at the time of the ending. 2. Opponent: Darren Rhodes, 20-10-3 (7) entering, Leeds, England. Result: WRSF5. Score: N/A. Title: British middleweight title eliminator. Date: 15 February, 2007. Venue: Town Hall, Dudley. Promoter: PJ Promotions (Paul Rowson and Errol Johnson). I was sorely tempted to put this at number one, but chose the breakout Halder victory instead. Whatever, this was an ultra-impressive beating from McDermott, who broke the worldly-wise Leeds fighter down bit by bit, dropped him and then forced the referee to jump in and save a broken and beaten man moments later. Yes, Rhodes had been defeated on ten occasions, but only the top-tier men got the better of him. He was seldom halted inside the distance, pushing Thomas McDonagh to the wire in another British title eliminator. Only Wayne Elcock had really done a job on him: taking him apart in 105 seconds at nearby Aston Villa Events Centre two years previously. And after a bumpy spell in the middle part of his pro career, Rhodes, who had also outpointed octopus-like Andrew Facey – the current English light-middleweight champion who holds wins over the likes of Matthew Macklin and Gary Woolcombe – transformed himself into a genuine contender with four quality performances in as many bouts in late 2003. First up was the dangerous if light-hitting Lee Murtagh, the Yorkshire-based Irishman being beaten on points over six. Then came flashy and popular Darren Bruce, Rhodes seeing off the once-touted former IBO intercontinental champion in three. Hard-hitting Bruce never strapped on the gloves again after the emphatic nature of the beating, incidentally. Then came former Commonwealth welterweight champion Scott Dixon, who had just beaten iron-fisted Jamie Moore and was itching for a money-spinning rematch with a man who'd just won British and Commonwealth titles. Darren had to settle for a draw in this fight, but it wrecked Scott's proposed rematch with the crowdpleasing Salford banger. And best of all, in Huddersfield in December 2003, came the knockout of the previously indestructible Steve Roberts, never before stopped in a career that included a lengthy reign as WBF monarch. A chastened Roberts abandoned his comeback and stepped back into retirement. However, Dudley Darren battered Leeds Darren for the duration of the contest, another step on the road to a British title shot. Rhodes' body was thumped in the first round, outjabbed in the second, third and fourth rounds, and then a right hand to the ribs decked him in the fifth. Although the 31-year-old managed to clamber off the deck and allowed to continue, it was now only a matter of time before the contest would conclude. And so it proved when, immediately after the resumption, McDermott drove the Yorkshireman to the ropes with rights and forced Terry O'Connor to dive in. Again, Darren hadn't conceded a round at the end. 3. Opponent: Michael Monaghan, 16-15 (2) entering, Lincoln, England. Result: WRTD9. Score: N/A. Title: Midland Area middleweight (McDermott's first defence). Date: 16 February, 2006. Venue: Town Hall, Dudley. Promoter: EJKO Promotions (Errol Johnson). This win seems all the more impressive when you consider that Nottingham-born, Lincoln-based Monaghan, who frequently cries robbery after going down on points, admits this was one of the few legitimate defeats he has suffered. He considers this one of the only three – the others being against Matthew Macklin and Carl Froch – that are fair in an up-and-down paid career. The 29-year-old Irish-rooted boxer had been boxing at a decent level for almost 12 years, challenged for a national title (Irish), had managed to get a win on foreign soil (Czech Republic) and had swapped leather with the likes of Carl Froch, Wayne Elcock, Matthew Macklin, Jim Rock, Gary Lockett, Darren Sweeney, Lawrence Murphy, John Humphrey A fighter to be respected. But McDermott set the pattern for the ten-rounder in the first three minutes of the bout. Using every inch of his reach advantage, Darren peppered his skilful, silky opponent with long, solid and hurtful leads, often followed by rights to the body and then lefts brought back up to the head. Monaghan, using upper body movement to try and slip the jabs, tried to find a foothold, but couldn't find away – no matter how hard he tried (and he tried to muster all he had to do so) – past a tormenting and sharp jab that stabbed relentlessly into his face from the opening moments of the fight. He was being outmuscled by the taller man, roared on by his hometown fans. Rounds six, seven, eight and nine were all McDermott, Mr Messer looming large throughout the three-minute stanza and waiting for the local to pile in significantly enough for him to halt it. Although that never arrived, the East Midlander's corner team wisely pulled him out between the ninth and tenth. Monaghan had only shared one session (the sixth) at the time of the ending. 4.Opponent: Hussain Osman, 14-13 (6) entering, Paddington, England. Result: WPTS10. Score: 100-92 (John Keane). Title: Vacant British Masters middleweight. Date: 26 October, 2006. Venue: Town Hall, Dudley. Promoter: PJ Promotions (Paul Rowson and Errol Johnson). Osman was a dangerous man. Although he'd seen better days, the durable London-based Syrian had still had enough in the reserves to shockingly flatten hard-hitting Ryan Walls in the contest before. He had also beaten former British champion Matthew Barney, Gary Logan, Darren Rhodes and Neil Linford during and up-and-down paid journey. McDermott, despite having beaten top ten-rated Andy Halder two fights earlier, was expecting a tougher assignment against the durable former Southern Area champion. And although he couldn't, save for a brief period during the final round with a thumping right, significantly hurt Osman – stopped only five times – it was an impressive performance nevertheless. And the highlight of an action-packed, hard-fought bout that was fought at a furious pace was a toe-to-toe punch-up in Osman's corner during the third that saw both show their chins were up to absorbing heavy shots. Darren got the better of that exchange and then resumed dominating behind the jab for the rest of the contest. Thirty-three-year-old Osman, like he had been in his previous 27 outings, was dangerous to the bitter end but a beaten and tamed man. The local's better work saw him deservedly pick up his second belt, the vacant British Masters, and tame another recognised opponent at his atmospheric and intimidating Dudley fortress. My score matched that of referee John Keane, 100-92. 5. Opponent: Conroy McIntosh, 6-20-3 (5) entering, Wolverhampton, England. Result: WRSF2. Score: N/A. Title: Midland Area middleweight (McDermott's second defence). Date: 28 June, 2007. Venue: Town Hall, Dudley. Promoter: PJ Promotions (Paul Rowson and Errol Johnson). McDermott's comfortable dismissal of shaven-headed but pony-tailed McIntosh, a known one-punch knockout artist in his third crack at a Midland Area title (all losses on points), was all the more impressive when you consider that the Wolverhampton fighter was renowned for his durability, toughness and ability to give prospects a seriously hard night. Conroy, then 33, had boxed with credit against the likes of Andy Halder (three times), Patrick Maxwell (twice), Geard Ajetovic (twice), Steve Bendall, Joey Vegas, Cello Renda, Lee Blundell, Paul Smith, Darren Barker, Steve Ede, Jason McKay, Lee Hodgson, Roddy Doan and Lukasz Wawrzyczek. In fact, the mallet-fisted middleweight had taken on prospects with a combined record of 195-20-6. No easy nights for this iron-fisted puncher, then. And he'd broke Lee Hodgson's jaw on the way to an early KO win, dropped Paul Smith – the current English middleweight champion who defends his belt against Steve Bendall on Saturday – losing by a point, 77-76, and twice put reigning Commonwealth middleweight boss, Barnet's undefeated Darren Barker, on the deck in an eight-rounder in 2006. There was reason to believe he would give McDermott a decent test in the all-Black Country Area title scrap, probably taking him the full distance and testing his chin along the way. But McIntosh didn't have the height, seven inches shorter, to trouble the tall, lean box-fighter from Dudley. He was rattled with long punches in the opening round and then driven to the ropes and pummelled early in the second before the referee, Birmingham's Terry O'Connor, made a well-timed intervention with two seconds left of the second stanza. McDermott had done what touted men like Paul Smith and Geard Ajetovic failed to do: stop the aggressive Black Country banger.

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