Elcock v McDermott Countdown: Big Fight Preview by Tom Podmore Jun 20th 2008

Finally, almost two months after it was first due to take place and four years after it was first talked about, Birmingham's Wayne ‘Mad Dog' Elcock defends his British middleweight title (first defence) against Dudley's tall, unbeaten and ultra-confident Darren ‘The Black Country Body Snatcher' McDermott tonight (Friday 20th June). The popular Midlands pair, originally set to duel for this coveted belt in Birmingham on April 25 (Elcock was forced to pull out because of a chest infection that left him incapable of training) and then Coventry (moved earlier this week because of lack of ticket sales), cross swords at the atmospheric settings of the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. It kicks off what is set to be a massive few days for this part of the country. Undefeated Commonwealth lightweight boss Amir Khan rolls into Birmingham a night later (Sat June 21), defending his belt for the fourth time against shopworn but always-dangerous banger Michael Gomez, with two Midland-based men challenging for respected belts (Commonwealth and English) at light-middleweight and middleweight on the same evening. Tall, capable West Bromwich southpaw Marcus Portman, a recent British light-middleweight title challenger and WBF champ, looks to cause a major surprise when he meets top-rated Bradley Pryce, Newbridge, for the Commonwealth 11st belt. Also on the Khan undercard at the National Indoor Arena, a 10-000 sell-out, southpaw Steve Bendall challenges big-hitting Paul Smith for the Liverpudlian's English 11st 6lbs title, a belt the Coventry stylist once wore. Undefeated Birmingham pair Don Broadhurst and Thomas Costello also box on the show at the NIA, televised by ITV1, as do two other Midland men, Brierley Hill light-heavyweight Richie Collins and Leicester light-middleweight banger Martin Concepcion. West Brom portsider Wayne Downing will look to end the six-fight unbeaten run of former Birmingham City footballer Curtis Woodhouse on that bill. But the big weekend of fighting couldn't possibly start on a higher note than the Sky-televised Birmingham versus Black Country British 11st 6lbs title clash in Wolverhampton – a fight that has the area split on who will emerge from the rubble with the treasured Lonsdale Belt strapped around their waist. Birmingham vs The Black Country; Brummies vs Yam Yams; Bullring vs Merry Hill; Aston Villa vs West Bromwich Albion; Birmingham City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers; Jasper Carrot vs Lenny Henry; Forge Mill vs the Black Country Museum; Sealife Centre vs Dudley Zoo. OK, so I'm starting to struggle quite a bit now. I think you get the rivalry angle. This is certainly the biggest all-Midlands fight since Birmingham's Pat Cowdell met Nottingham's Dave Needham for the British featherweight title at Wolverhampton Civic Hall in 1979. Although East Midlander Needham emerged victorious that night by a solitary point, judged 147-146, many say the future British, Commonwealth and European boss was robbed blind. Pat cleared matters up by winning the return. And this scrap was originally pencilled in to take place at the 3,500-seater Coventry SkyDome, home to Coventry Blaze, but was changed to Wolverhampton on Tuesday evening. Paul Rowson and Errol Johnson should be congratulated for helping Hennessy Sports out, especially as the pair (First Team) already had an eight-fight card at the Civic on the same night. Will the move to the Black Country, a venue that is only five miles away from Dudley, favour the fresher challenger? For those who haven't seen much or anything of McDermott, a Dean Powell-managed stylist who has boxed mainly on PJ Rowson and Errol Johnson's shows in Dudley and Wolverhampton, Elcock starts as a big favourite. For those who have seen McDermott, however, Elcock is expected to be given an almighty and torrid tussle for the belt he won against Howard Eastman in September. A lot is known of Elcock – he has boxed on television (Sky Sports, ITV) on several occasions and has had much more exposure in the press. Let me fill you in on the undefeated gas fitter from the Black Country, a pro since 2003, competing in his first scheduled 36-minute bout and who has stopped seven of his last eight opponents. Significantly taller (6'1 to 5ft 9 1/2) than the defending champion, the former Midland Area middleweight monarch (a belt he relinquished after making two successful defences, earning the belt to keep) had his first few outings on Frank Warren's bills, hidden away on massive undercards in Wales and London. But he really started to impress when he was allowed to box in his hometown. McDermott gave Welshman Mark Phillips, later to win the British Masters belt at light-heavyweight, a rare beating that has seldom been delved out before or since and also forced durable former world title challenger Howard Clarke to retire after one. Although that ending arrived due to shoulder injury to veteran Howard, Darren had been forcing him back anyway. He had a controversial draw with then-unbeaten Turk Gokhan Kazaz – many thinking the Walthomstow-based middleweight was fortunate to get a share after a four-rounder that saw McDermott boss rounds two, three and four. He was then let off the leash to face former British title challenger Andy Halder for the Coventry southpaw's Midland Area middleweight strap. Halder was coming off a career-best win over dangerous Roddy Doran, the Shrewsbury stylist who challenged for the English belt and held a win over Damon Hague, and was expected to retain and then look at a second crack at the coveted Lonsdale Belt. Andy was never in it, however, and McDermott forced the champion to surrender his belt on his stool after five rounds of torture. Wily Nottingham switcher Michael Monaghan was also convinced to retire on his stool after a sustained nine-round beating, with Polish portsider Andrejz Butowicz, who'd been in with the likes of Jerry Elliot and Jamie Moore, then being brushed aside in three one-sided rounds. Experienced Hussain Osman, the capital-based Syrian who once beat avoided future British 12st champion Matthew Barney, was outboxed, outjabbed, outfought and outscored for the vacant British Masters title, 100-92 for Mr Keane. Osman showed heart to the last the course but couldn't match the lean box-fighter in any department and looked lucky to share a couple of rounds. That resounding win lead McDermott to a British title eliminator at his personal fortress, the atmospheric Dudley Town Hall (his sixth consecutive fight the venue), in February 2007. Leeds' Darren Rhodes arrived with a reputation for durability, but was put to the sword with a ferocious body attack, downed by a right hand to the ribs and rescued with less than 90 seconds on the clock in the fifth. Wolverhampton dangerman Conroy McIntosh, a brick-fisted middleweight who'd decked both Darren Barker and Paul Smith, was then easily dismissed in two in defence of the Dudley man's Midland Area belt. Darren's most recent outing, a scheduled ten-rounder at a packed Wolverhampton Civic Hall in October, saw Finn Kai Kauramaki cut up and stopped in four. Now the level of opposition gets stepped up significantly, taking on a man who was good enough to give IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham a decent test in December. This is also the same man who became the first British fighter to get the better of the long-time British, Commonwealth and European middleweight champion, two-time world title challenger Howard Eastman. McDermott feels it's a step up he can handle. He's been having useful sparring with the fighter who inherited the Midland Area title from him, long-armed banger Max Maxwell, as well as switch-hitting ‘Sweet' D Mitchell, who boxes Martin Concepcion on Saturday, and bigger, stronger Hamed Jamali (all from Birmingham). All three men have nothing but praise for the undefeated Priory ticket-seller. Stablemate Richie Collins has also been helping out. But what can those who have never seen the five-year pro expect? Well, the Ronnie Brown-advised stylist is long-armed, fights tall (getting plenty of leverage into his shots), has hands that don't stop pumping, puts combinations together well, has a high workrate and incredible levels of stamina (seemingly never tiring over any distance). In fact, he is probably the fittest and most relentless fighter I've had the pleasure of seeing at ringside. Educated and measured in his approach, Darren works behind a long lead – opening gaps to follow with rights – and digs, as you would expect from his ‘Black Country Body Snatcher' ring moniker, the body particularly well. He may not be a one-punch knockout artist, although nine early wins would suggest otherwise, but the sheer volume of punches have seen sturdy men return home with stoppage losses on their ledgers. The 29-year-old's chin has also held up to some lusty punishment, though did have a nasty scare last time out. Tall Finn Kauramaki, one of the few men who could match McDermott in terms of stature, had him on rubbery legs with a solid right hand in the early stages of their ten-contest, forcing the proud former Area champ to tie the Scandinavian up. To Elcock, and the champion has been quoted as a hefty favourite in several Birmingham bookmakers (7/1 at a city centre establishment). Although that may seem a tad wide, it's not a surprise when you consider that the last five men he has boxed have a combined record tally of 135-11-3. As has been proven many times over the years, statistics mean very little. A statistic that is relevant is the fact the older man (four years McDermott's senior at 34) is a former English middleweight champion who has scalped the likes of Anthony Farnell, Steve Bendall, Yuri Tsarenko, Lawrence Murphy (rematch) and the aforementioned Eastman. Quick on his feet and an excellent counter-puncher, Elcock won't be at all perturbed by the prospect of battling with a talented, unbeaten but relatively untested local rival. “Who's he beaten?” asked the easy-to-talk-to Birmingham City supporter, 18-3 (8), who won the World Boxing Union title three weeks before McDermott, 14-0-1 (9), made his paid bow. But how will the Second City ticket-seller react to that five-round defeat to German banger Abraham? This is his first contest back and Elcock, who can be hurt early on, has always been someone who thrives on confidence and previous showings. The last time he was halted, a one-round defeat at the fists of Scotland's Lawrence Murphy in late 2003, it took him two or three confidence-boosting fights to get the old form back. There are no four-round or six-round steps back for Elcock, however, who jumps straight back in with a defence of his Lonsdale Belt – doing so against a relentless pressure fighter who doesn't know how to lose. The last thing you want when you're coming off a nasty knockout loss is for someone to keep banging his fists in your face. Sound familiar to anyone? Still, Darren is no Abraham, not as strong or as powerful, and Elcock was living with the Berlin-based Armenian until the sudden and brutal ending. That September 2007 unanimous decision over Eastman will also be fresh in his memory, especially as he beat the self-styled ‘Battersea Bomber' in a more conclusive manner than touted John Duddy would do three months later (same night as his world title chance, December 8). But it must be said that of all the men smooth-boxing Elcock has faced – Scott Dann (unanimous loss in a first crack at the British belt), Eastman, Farnell, etc – he has never met anyone with the physical attributes as the fighter who comes from the same Black Country town as Manchester United legend Duncan Edwards. A win over his Brummie rival could make popular ‘Macca' more famous than Edwards, comedian Lenny Henry, the Zoo, the Black Country Museum and the town's historic castle. And the pair have three common denominators: Warley's IBF world title challenger Howard ‘Clakka' Clarke (outpointed over four by Elcock, 2002), Leeds' Darren Rhodes (outpointed over four, 2001, and stopped in one by Elcock, 2005) and Nottingham-born, Lincoln-based Mick Monaghan (outpointed over four by Elcock, 2004). Interestingly, both Rhodes and Monaghan think the challenger can win. With all that said, it's still hard to pick a winner. Elcock is probably the stronger, the harder one-punch banger and is the champion who has boxed at a higher level; McDermott is taller, has less miles on the clock, has the longer tools and has stepped up to the plate whenever its been asked of him. But logic would dictate that the man who has boxed at a more esteemed level will be the one who wins – and that might turn out to be the case. However, I have championed the undefeated challenger for a long while and think this is his time. He has always given off the air of someone who knows he's going to the top, and I believe that will be proven right on the night. His confidence, high workrate, will-to-win and non-stop punching will wear down the brave champion and bring an end to his reign at the top of the domestic tree in the final two rounds. Hennessy Sports, GoldenPalace.net and First Team promote the bill in the West Midlands, an 11-fight card that sees undefeated Telford welterweight Mark Lloyd, 10-1 (2), provide the chief support to the British middleweight title scrap. Lloyd, returning to action for the first time since a close decision loss to Adnan Amar for the vacant English title in May, meets Newark's AA Lowe, 7-1 (1), for the vacant Midland Area welterweight strap. Northern Ireland welterweight Stephen Haughian boxes over six and so does Stafford light-welterweight Rob Hunt, 9-0 (1). The bill also includes Wolverhampton foursome Rob Kenney, 6-0-1, Lyndsey Scragg, 5-0 (3), southpaw Russell Colley, 1-0, and returning light-welterweight Steve Saville, 15-4 (6). Coventry light-welter James Flinn, 1-0 (1), and Telford middleweight banger Keiron ‘Slammer' Gray, 1-0 (1), also see action.

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