Bad Blood: Fitzgerald Edges Past Cheeseman

Bad Blood: Fitzgerald Edges Past Cheeseman

By Oliver McManus

Scott Fitzgerald ripped the British super welterweight title away from Ted Cheeseman in a domestic classic. Fitzgerald, fresh from upsetting Anthony Fowler, was eager to keep up the momentum and bounced into the contest from the off. Swaying from side to side and shaking his feet around, Fitzgerald had the champion on the backfoot almost immediately.

Cheeseman, to his credit, was in his third ‘tough’ fight in a row – a draw with Kieron Conway and a loss to Sergio Garcia preceding this bout. The popular Bermondsey fighter was equally lively on his feet but it was the challenger making greater gains. Fitzgerald flourishes at being a purported underdog – though he was an odds on favourite – and his reactions were tested in the second. Cheesmean landed a good right to disrupt his movement and so the intrigue began.

Big Cheese was enjoying life scampering around the ring ropes and dragging the fight across all areas of the canvas. This was always going to be a mobile contest and Cheeseman’s body of work was more economically effective to that of the more experimental aggression from Fitzgerald. Both men boxed with relaxed shoulders; not tightening up and willing to make opportunities of their own.

Round after round the bell would summon Fitzgerald to march forward with clear desire to wrong-foot his man. Those pockets of hostility would remain just that – bursts – with Cheeseman effective at slowing the pace down and forcing Fitzgerald to withhold fire. The more level-headed demeanour of Cheeseman was proving effective. Most impressive was his ability to cut off the ring in a heartbeat – galloping his way up close, landing a swivelling right hand and then jumping out of range.

Fitzgerald was going nowhere without a fuss and he was visibly adapting to the more mellowed pace. Sure he’d miss a punch here and there but so was Cheeseman and this was being fought at the champion’s pace. Fitzy wasn’t full fire fizzling nor was he whimpering. In the face of a completely different proposition to what was anticipated he was holding his own.

Indeed the 27 year old remained on the front-foot and the principal aggressor; Cheeseman classy on the counter. The change in style from the defending champion shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given his previous approach sold him short on two occasions.

Fitzgerald harangued and hurried Cheeseman in the ninth as he swung heavily with lurching, leaning hooks. He was focussed, obsessively so, as he stalked his many like Tony Pierce did Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard. The 10th round saw things go his way, too, venomous right hands driven through Cheeseman’s guard with minimal resistance. Suddenly the ring had shrunk with the pair fighting on a sixpence.

Championship rounds were proving to be just that. Scorecards arguably level after the 10th saw Fitzgerald continue his rampant campaign of aggression. Stinging away at the body of Cheeseman like a spiteful honeybee whose honey was crudely taken away. Simply sensational action to the death with Fitzgerald loading up with tunnel vision on the left rib of the champion.

A cracking fight with both men having a strong claim to winning one half of the fight each but Fitzgerald seemed to have done enough; despite the confidence of the Cheeseman corner. 116-113, 115-113, 116-113 for the NEW British champion Scott Fitzgerald.

Lawrence Osueke and Ricky Summers took part in a lukewarm British title eliminator that saw neither man emerge triumphant. With the national belt vacant, to be contested by Craig Richards and Shakan Pitters, and Kody Davies also having won an eliminator bout there are plenty of fights available for both men after an evenly matched contest.

The contest began in a courteously tit-for-tat style with each man taking ‘feelers’ and looking to establish an authoritative jab. Summers edged forward with his lead left foot but Osueke looked relaxed on the back foot; his long legs enabling him to stride out of harm. Wombourne’s Summers was the more ‘adventurous’ of the two over the opening stages as he landed the more frequent jab but it really was either / or for the most part.

Nik Gittus, Osueke’s trainer, was urging his charge to be more compact in his work and ‘stop giving (Summers) options’. The message was received but often materialised in clinches; Phil Edwards called to intervene on a number of occasions. It was a tepid, tentative bout with neither prepared to commit first – resulting in a somewhat cautious affair.

We saw glimpses from Osueke of his more technical style when Summers showed minor hesitations. Neither had opportunities to exploit any gaping weakness in the first half of the contest. As rounds progressed the pattern continued – a fight that clearly neither fighter wanted to lose, stating the obvious, and it was fought in that manner. Both men focussing on the jab and really remaining patient throughout the bout.

Having recently teamed up with Spencer McCracken there was a renewed relaxation to Ricky Summers’ preparation. Looking to make up for a disappointing loss to Andre Sterling it seemed as though there was some tension in the shoulders. He loosened into the second half, likewise for Osueke, with a little more buoyancy to the movement.

It was the home fighter, though, that blossomed into the contest and he began to let his hands go around the sixth round. Osueke now followed the jab with some hooks, thrown from waist height almost, towards the ribs of his counterpart. Those moments were good but countered in equal measure but a scrappy inside game that did neither man favours.

Closely fought, though without any particularly hellacious moments, the styles just didn’t click for an attractive contest. Neither man showed the full extent of their capabilities and there’ll be frustration in both corners. Scorecards representative of such an ambivalent contest; 100-92 Osueke, 96-95 Summers, 95-95 – a split draw.

Martin Bakole impressed against a, predictably, drab and dour Kevin Johnson – called in as a fight-week replacement. Bakole, born in D.R Congo and based in Scotland, became only the third man to stop the seasoned American with a high-volume, sustained onslaught in the fifth round.

Joe Laws swung wild and frequent to test the spirit of Justice Addy – the Benwell Bomber won 39-37.

Savannah Marshall demonstrated her pedigree in a shallow female super middleweight scene by stop Asheligh Curry in the third round; Thomas Whittaker Hart, April Hunter and Terry Wilkinson all recorded 40-36 victories; Kieron Conway dropped Konrad Stempkowski on the way to a routine 80-71 victory; John Docherty got the round in against Lewis van Poetsch to win 60-54 and; floater Darren Reay shared spoils with Eduardo Valverde in a 38-38 draw.