Ringside Report: Cyrus Pattinson Stops Chris Jenkins To Win WBA International Welterweight Title

Ringside Report: Cyrus Pattinson Stops Chris Jenkins To Win WBA International Welterweight Title

By Matt Elliott

Cyrus Pattinson won the vacant WBA International welterweight title last night, as he defeated Chris Jenkins in a potential fight-of-the-year contender in front of a home crowd at the Matchroom NXTGEN card in Newcastle. 

From the first bell, both fighters stood in front of each other and started trading punches in scenes that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Rocky movie. Pattinson, spurred on by vocal support, edged the first round but Jenkins took confidence and raced from his corner as the bell signalled the start of the second. Whilst Pattinson remained the aggressor, Jenkins found success with the right uppercut, a punch he must have landed successfully on five or more occasions as he edged the round.

Rounds three and four followed a similar pattern. Pattinson was the busier fighter, and his punch output was evidence of his tremendous conditioning as he maintained a fast pace. Jenkins though was arguably landing some of the cleaner shots and he was growing in confidence, as Pattinson must have wondered what it would take to stop the Welshman in his tracks.

It was not until round six that Jenkins showed signs of tiring, seemingly hurt at the beginning of the round and spending the remainder on the back foot. Both men had success in the seventh before round eight, which was the best of the fight and potentially of the year so far. Pattinson again started quickly but was always susceptible to a counter from Jenkins. It was a true back and forth but as the round wore on, the three and four-punch combinations from Pattinson, landing solidly to the head and body of Jenkins, were starting to take their toll. The arena rose as one as the bell rang, in appreciation of what they had just witnessed. 

As Jenkins walked back to his corner, you got the feeling that this might not go much longer and that proved to be the case. Pattinson was off his stool and straight back to the centre of the ring in the ninth. This time Jenkins had no response to the barrage of shots that were landing and with half of the round left, his coach Gary Lockett waved the towel to bring the contest to an end.

Jenkins can be proud of his performance, especially after so many had written him off. For Pattinson, it’s hard to think that was only his sixth professional fight. There are things to work on, but he showed a lot of heart to eventually break Jenkins down and take the title.

In the co-main event, Pat McCormack put in a fantastic display as he stopped Dario Socci in the final minutes of their eight-round clash. Socci came into the fight with seven defeats to his name but had only been stopped on one previous occasion, against another North East fighter Troy Williamson. McCormack was at it from the first bell, mixing great technique with good shot selection and seemingly landing with everything he threw. Socci was brave and took a lot of punishment but when McCormack put together a huge combination in round eight the referee jumped in to stop the fight. The man from Italy was inconsolable with the decision but ultimately it was the right one. McCormack you feel has everything needed to become a future world champion. 

In the only heavyweight fight on the card, Solomon Dacres beat Rob Ismay to win the English heavyweight title. Ismay started well and probably took the first round but Dacres hit back and towards the end of the second he unleashed a barrage of shots which seemed to hurt Ismay and the referee stepped in to halt the fight and hand Dacres his first professional title. 

Hopey Price picked up the vacant WBA Continental super-bantamweight title with a points victory over Thomas Masson, the judges scoring it 100-90, 99-91, 98-92. It wasn’t the most entertaining of spectacles but Price got behind his long rangy jab and used it well to set up his combinations. It was obvious he didn’t have the power to stop Masson, who risked getting countered every time he looked to attack, and in the end, it was a comfortable win for the man for Leeds. 

There was an all North East battle as Calum French took on Jordan Ellison. French, another of Graham Rutherfords Birtley boys, won the fight 80-73 on points. French set the pace from the start, backing Ellison up, but at times he was over-eager and that enabled Ellison to counterpunch, which he did to good effect, evidenced by the reddened eyes and bloodied nose of French. Ultimately, French took the decision, but he will have better performances ahead of him. 

Mark ‘Boo Boo’ Dickinson was the first of the Birtley boys to take to the ring as he moved to 5-0 with a one-sided victory over a resilient Ben Ridings. Dickinson was impressive, mixing shots to the head and body and limiting Ridings to the odd flurry of attacks. Dickinson set a fast pace but maintained it to the end, as he took an 80-73 points decision. 

Another local fighter, Sunderland’s Adam Reichard, followed up his debut victory in December with a solid performance against Jahfieus Faure. Reichard scored a knockdown in the final round on his way to a 39-36 points victory. 

Maisey Rose Courtney moved to 2-0 with a victory over Buchra El Quaissi. It was an explosive start by Courtney who put Quaissi down in round one but the Spaniard is a tough and durable opponent and she recovered to see the final bell. Matchroom appears to have another potential female star on their hands and from post-fight conversations, it’s possible her next outing will be on the undercard of the Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron fight in May. 

The opening fight of the night saw the professional debut of Muhammad Ali, who won all four rounds against Sean Jackson. Ali showed good speed and movement as he constantly backed Jackson up against the ropes, looking for the finishing shot. It didn’t come but Ali can be pleased to get that first win on his record. 

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing