Ringside Report: Daniel Dubois Cruises to Commonwealth Title

Ringside Report: Daniel Dubois Cruises to Commonwealth Title

By Will Lott

History was made last night on the undercard of Daniel Dubois vs Ebenezer Tetteh as Nicola Adams and Maria Salinas became the first female boxers to grace the Royal Albert Hall.

Eithan James vs Fonz Alexander

18 year old welterweight Eithan James made his debut last night with a one-sided, four round decision victory over journeyman Fonz Alexander. James held the centre of the ring well, remaining on the front foot and demonstrating his aggression throughout the fight as he looked for the stoppage that never came.

Alexander remained cautious in the first round before looking to engage more in the later rounds. However James did what was needed to get off to a good start in the professional rounds as the referee scored it 40-36 in James’ favour.

Willy Hutchinson vs Borislav Zankov

Willy Hutchinson improved his record to 10 – 0 with a destructive performance against Bulgarian Borislav Zankov. Hutchinson went on the front foot from the first bell with Zankov happy to sit on the ropes and rarely engage. When he did engage, he’d ‘eat’ six punches in order to throw one.

The first knockdown of the night came from a short left hand in the second round after a flurry of punches by Hutchinson for which Zankov beat the count. However, he did not last much longer. Zankov to his credit came back firing but after Hutchinson caught him with a hook to the top of the head, the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

Dennis McCann vs Georgi Georgiev

Bantamweight Dennis McCann made short work of Georgi Georgiev with four knockdowns in the first two rounds. McCann was looking to unleash left hooks early and dropped Georgiev in the first round after a flurry of punches.

Georgiev survived just to be put down again with a body shot before being saved by the bell. Georgiev would only last one more round as he was dropped twice more from further quick combinations before the referee was forced to wave the fight off in round two. McCann moves to 4-0 with three knockouts.

Denzel Bentley vs Kelcie Ball

Middleweight Denzel Bentley destroyed Kelcie Ball in just under two minutes with a frighteningly powerful performance. Ball looked vulnerable from the first seconds of the fight as Bentley overwhelmed him comfortably, landing big shots with ease up close and at distance.

The fight was finished when Bentley forced Ball into the ropes before unleashing a powerful combination in which he landed three big left hooks leaving Ball unable to return fire. It took just under two minutes to get the win and move to 11-0.

Sam Noakes vs Chris Adaway

Maidstone’s lightweight Sam Noakes had a comfortable night’s work against Chris Adaway, winning after Adaway’s team were forced to throw in the towel as a result of a cut. It was clear Noakes wanted to make a statement on his debut as he went on the front foot, looking for an early knockout.

Noakes cut off the ring well, throwing loose hooks which had some success and trapping Adaway on the ropes frequently. Adaway was still willing to engage when he could and at no point looked in danger of being stopped before the cut forced him to retire. An impressive but wild performance from Noakes which will give him confidence when he next returns to the ring.

Nicola Adams vs Maria Salinas

A chorus of boos rung out in the Royal Albert Hall as a split decision draw was announced for Nicola Adams defence of her WBO flyweight title against Maria Salinas.

The first three rounds suggested a routine victory for Adams as she danced around her aggressive, come forward but ultimately flat footed fighter. Adams utilised her jab early on, avoiding hooks launched from the Mexican Salinas and having success to the head of her opponent.

However, the fight changed towards the middle rounds, possibly through the lack of ring-time on Adams part. Salinas began to take control, having great success as she got up close to Adams, landing to the head and body for the next four or five rounds.

Adams must have realised she was in danger of losing the fight as she fought with more urgency in the last couple of rounds which is what likely secured her a draw. However, most in the crowd will feel Salinas was hard done by with the result and will be hoping for a rematch. Adams retained her title by the skin of her teeth.

Archie Sharp vs Declan Geraghty

‘Sharpshooter’ Archie Sharp managed to stop Declan Geraghty in the fourth round despite being out boxed for most of the fight. It was clear Sharp was the aggressor of the two as he aimed sharp right hooks at Geraghty’s head from the first bell, however without too much success.

Geraghty on the other hand remained patient, throwing his jab and moving comfortably around the ring, maintaining the distance between the two fighters.

Sharp did begin to have more success in the second and third round, landing a straight right to the head which Geraghty insisted didn’t bother him. However, in the fourth round Geraghty left himself open after trying to throw a right hook in close quarters and Sharp landed a short left hook which left the Irishman out cold with the ref immediately waving the fight off. Sharp moves to 17-0 and will be looking to push on for world honours in the next year or so.

Daniel Dubois vs Ebenezer Tetteh

It was a familiar story last night as Daniel Dubois dispatched Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh inside the first round with ease.

Tetteh entered the ring, a relatively unknown commodity with a 19-0 record but it was clear from the off he was overmatched by the more powerful and skilful Daniel Dubois.

Dubois went on the offensive from the start as Tetteh turned round in his corner after the first bell to find Dubois already in front of him throwing a stiff jab. It was clear for all to see how powerful Dubois was by how many times his jab alone knocked Tetteh off balance in the first round. This was a sign of things to come as in the second minute of the fight Tetteh looked to engage with Dubois at close range after coming under fire and was floored by a heavy combination finished off by a right hook.

As expected Tetteh found himself on the canvas again seconds later with a powerful left hand followed by a right hook to the head. The referee had seen enough and Dubois became the new Commonwealth heavyweight champion moving to 14-0. A fight with Joe Joyce looks inevitable for next year.