While I don’t think this week of fight camp was as good as last week it was still a solid card though as I predicted a few of the matches weren’t very competitive even though on paper perhaps they should have been. The main event really delivered beyond expectations but the rest of the card was very average as it was really just good fighters in tune up fights before they go into bigger fights later in the year.
The first fight Chris Billiam-Smith versus Nathan Thorley was fun while it lasted but it was clear that Billiam-Smith was the superior fighter who had the experience and confidence advantage. He was very aggressive from the outset and the first knockdown he scored came off of work in the clinch which I highlighted in my preview. He was relentless in the second round and while he got tagged a few times this led to him being able to land a counter right hand which put Thorley down for the third time and finished the fight. A fight with Tommy McCarthy has been proposed for the European title and I think that would be a great fight for him. If Smith can’t get that fight then fighting for the vacant British title would also be good as I have heard that Riakporhe the current champion is looking to fight for the European title himself. Nathan Thorley showed he lacks the experience on the big shows and also showed a somewhat questionable chin. I think he should get a comeback fight and then slowly work his way back into the domestic scene while hitting the weights a bit more as he looked considerably weaker than Smith.
Hopey Price boxed very well and dealt with a rough Jonny Phillips with a maturity beyond his age and number of fights. I thought he’d have more problems seeing as Phillips was the bigger more experienced fighter but Hopey schooled him for 6 rounds and Phillips only real success was when he was slamming Hopey into the ropes. I think Hopey should fight a few more experienced journeymen and then go into a English title fight as I think he has the talent to be moved quickly. Jonny Phillips while being a game opponent is a journeyman and should continue taking fights versus good prospects as if he beats a few he may get a shot at an area title.
Anthony Fowler showed off an impressive jab versus Adam Harper and you can already see the improvements since he’s starting training with Shane Mcguigan. He showed he does possess decent power as he dropped Harper and eventually stopped him. He did get caught more than he needed too but acknowledged post fight that he got a bit eager and should have stayed calm and used his reach advantage. I’d like too see him in with either Ted Cheeseman or JJ Metcalf next as those are great fights and the winners can move on to European level. I think Harper should move back down to area level and if he’s being very serious about boxing should try and find a new trainer as his team should have pulled him out earlier and didn’t give him any good advice between rounds.
The main event saved the card as it was an all out war for 10 rounds. It had good swings in momentum and both fighters were hurt at different parts of the fight. I said in my preview I thought Jonas would perform better than she has before and she certainly did that. I didn’t score the fight but felt that either Jonas winning 6-4 or a draw was fair and I was happy with the result. I thought both showed great heart and can certainly be in very fun fights in the division. I think they should rematch each other next as this fight was a draw and it was such a great fight everyone would love too see it again. I’m very confident that this is what will happen though it does scupper the plans Hearn had to match the winner of this fight with Ewa Brodnicka the WBO champion.
Overall I enjoyed the card though felt a few of the fighters could have been in more competitive fights especially Fowler who looked a few levels and weight classes above his opponent. I think we’ll see all the fighters on this card move on to bigger and better things though so I’ll take that as a positive.
Boxing Fulcrum 