Ringside Report: Bellotti Outpoints Dillon in British Title in London Classic

Ringside Report: Bellotti Outpoints Dillon in British Title in London Classic

By Dan D’Alessio

A war is what was predicted by Eddie Hearn, and a war is what was delivered when Reece Bellotti defeated Liam Dillon last night at The Indigo at the O2 to capture the British super-featherweight title.

Before the fighters even entered the ring, the tension was palpable. It was like the whole arena could sense they were about to be treated to an all-action spectacle. And it was clear that Bellotti, the man from Watford, was the crowd favourite as chants of ‘Oh Bomber Bellotti’ echoed from every corner of the room.

Following two lively entrances and pre-fight formalities, the first bell rang, and each boxer came out swinging. Dillon came forward and started to let his hands go but was caught with two flush left hooks on the inside by Bellotti, and this ended up being the pattern for the rest of the fight.

Even though Dillon was aggressive and showed a phenomenal work rate throughout, it was Bellotti who landed the more clean, effective, and eye-catching punches.

Still, there were a couple of rounds that were harder to score, like round three and round six when both men traded punches in the centre of the ring, and the sweet science went out the window.

Although a punch that proved to be crucial for Bellotti was the right uppercut and Dillon showed a granite chin to take so many flush shots while continuing to march forward. And there were moments during the contest where you thought Dillon’s relentlessness may pay off because nothing seemed to wobble the boxer from Chingford, who was also having some success with the right hand.

But like a true champion, Bellotti displayed resilience of his own to stay in the pocket and land an impressive variety of punches such as the left hook to the body and head which did enough to get Dillon’s respect. The twelfth and final round was like a Rocky movie with Dillon pressing forward, seemingly knowing that he needed a knockout to emerge victorious.

In the last ten seconds, both boxers let their hands go in what was a thrilling end to a superb contest and a fitting main event for a NXTGEN show by Matchroom.

All three judges scored the bout in favour of Bellotti with scores of 117-112, 116-112, and 117-111 – the right man won, yet it was probably a slightly closer fight than a couple of the scorecards suggested. Now, the British and Commonwealth champion, Bellotti, produced a career-best performance to get the victory.

However, every boxer needs a good dance partner to push them to that next level, and Dillon deserves credit for proving to be a warrior in the presence of a pro-Bellotti crowd.

Earlier in the night, Cameron Vuong made his ring entrance to Michael Jackson and was a ‘smooth criminal’ by completely outclassing Ishmael Ellis over six rounds. Vuong is set to face Jordan Flynn next on April 13th, and the pair shared a heated confrontation in the ring.

Craig Richards returned after 21 months out of the ring and scored an impressive stoppage win against Boris Crighton, who was a tricky opponent.

The only female fight on the undercard featuring Shannon Ryan and Jasmina Zapotoczna was another cracker. Both had unbeaten 6-0 records, and it proved to be a highly competitive contest as Ryan battled through a nasty cut on her forehead to win a close points decision.

John ‘The Gentleman’ Hedges made light work of Erdogan Kadrija by landing a lovely left hand in the second round to claim the third knockout of his pro career.

Jack Oliphant had a successful debut by beating Jensen Irving on points in a lively contest. Oliphant had plenty of home support and took a couple of firm punches on the chin before boxing his way to a decision.

Ibraheem Sulaimaan landed a sublime right-hand counter before stopping the formerly undefeated Jordan Patrick Tomasoni.

And of course, the big night began with a heavyweight contest that saw Emanuel Odiase capture the second victory of his pro career by winning every round against Amine Boucetta.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing