Ringside Report: Harlem Eubank Makes a Winning Return in Newcastle

Ringside Report: Harlem Eubank Makes a Winning Return in Newcastle

By Matt Elliott

Harlem Eubank made a winning return to action after almost twelve months outside of the ring last night as he took a unanimous decision in an eight-round contest against Nurali Erdogan, a fight which won’t live long in the memory. It’s been a frustrating year for the British fighter, who had hoped to meet Adam Azim in a domestic clash at super lightweight in July, before an injury to Azim derailed the fight and to ensure some in-ring action he stepped up to welterweight for the first time to take on Erdogan.

Unfortunately, victory aside, the only thing he gained from this contest was a cut over his right eye, as both men engaged in a physical encounter, with referee Ron Kearney far busier than he would have hoped. The official had to dish out several warnings throughout the fight, with both men spending more time grappling than punching, and they crashed to the canvas on three separate occasions as the aggression boiled over. In the end, Kearney deducted two points from the Frenchman and one from Eubank as his patience ran out. When it was finally over, the judges scored it 77-73, 79-70, and 77-72, and Eubank can now hopefully look forward to a more active 2025.

Another fighter returning after a period of absence was Cyrus Pattinson, who suffered an eye injury in training last December, which at times made him doubt whether he would ever be able to box again. Thankfully, he made a full recovery, and despite making his ring walk at almost 11:30 p.m., the venue remained busy as his strong army of support eagerly awaited his return. It would have been understandable had Pattinson been matched easily, for him to gain confidence and ease his way back in slowly, but that wasn’t the case. In Andrei Antonov, he faced an opponent who came to win and who at times gave him plenty to think about. At the end of the second round, Antonov pinned him against the ropes and unleashed a barrage of shots, some hit the guard but others got through and for a moment you questioned whether the former WBA international champion might wilt under the pressure. From round three onwards, those fears were allayed as the Alnwick man gained the upper hand, maintaining a tighter defence and picking his moments to open up on Antonov as his experience shone through. The fight went the distance, referee Neil Close scoring it 60-55, and Pattinson will have been happy to get the rounds under his belt.

Dan Toward put on another impressive performance to move to 5-0 with a TKO victory against Johan Nova who he floored three times before referee Neil Close decided he had seen enough and waved the contest off in round six. Toward came into this one with three stoppages to his name, and he set about adding another, as he was cheered on by a strong band of support who sang his name throughout. On paper, Nova was a good step up, with nine victories and seven stoppages on his record against just one defeat, but Toward was not about to be denied in front of a home crowd. He dropped Nova with a short-left uppercut in round two, before another left put him down again in the fifth. The Colombian showed toughness to recover, but when a body shot sent him to the canvas in the sixth, you sensed the end was near. Toward continued to stalk him around the ring, landing shots at will, and with nothing coming back the other way, the referee made the right decision to call it off.

Lee Rogers and Yin Caicedo were involved in an entertaining clash as they appeared to enjoy every second of their four-round contest. Rogers, who made his debut back in July, was a decorated amateur and turned over with a lot of promise. His speed and footwork were the difference in this one, allowing him to find the angles to get his shots off and then pivot away from danger as Caicedo looked to respond. There was a vocal crowd throughout, and they rose to show their appreciation as the final bell rang. Scoring referee Ron Kearney judged it 40-37 to Rogers, who moved to 2-0.

Darlington’s Ben Marksby said at Thursday’s weigh-in that victory over Levi Kinsiona should put him firmly in the picture for a British title shot, and he rubber-stamped that claim with the first stoppage of his professional career to move to 11-0. After a cagey first round, the fight sprung to life in the second when Marksby moved off the ropes to land a right hand, which floored Kinsiona. He beat the count, but Marksby smelt blood and immediately jumped back on the offensive, causing referee Danny McFarlane to jump in and stop the action after two minutes and thirty-nine seconds of round two.

There was an emotional victory for the ‘Benwell Bomber’ Joe Laws who took the ring just a few weeks after the tragic loss of his brother Jay. By his admission, the training camp for his showdown with Adam Cieslak had been largely non-existent, but that did not prevent him putting in a spirited performance against the tough Polish fighter, taking a 60-55 decision. Both men stood toe-to-toe in a back-and-forth fight, with Laws doing enough to edge the rounds. It is still widely expected that Laws will transition to Misfits, and with the money to be made, who can blame him, but his personality would be a big loss to the conventional boxing world.

Adam Smith was in the corner of Sophie Alisch as she moved to 10-0 with victory over Marina Sakharov. Alisch, who penned a multi-fight promotional deal with Wasserman and who is managed by Smith under the Summit Sports banner, was impressive as she took the fight to Sakharov, who dealt well with the German’s attacks. Alisch maintained the pressure throughout the six rounds and deservedly took a 60-54 decision.

Elsewhere, J’Hon Ingram maintained his unbeaten record with a 60-54 victory over Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira, and Codie Smith also took every round as he defeated Engel Gomez 40-36. There was victory for Niall Brown who beat Pablo Sosa 60-54 in points to move to 12-0, while Robert Lloyd-Taylor Jr appeared fortunate to get a 39-37 decision against Robin Zamora in a fight the underdog seemed to have the better off. In the opening fight of the night, Sunderland-based Eduard Georgiev made quick work of Jack England as he got a first-round knockout, landing a crunching right hand that floored his opponent, with referee Dean Wilson immediately waving it off.

Full Results:

Harlem Eubank def. Nurali Erdogan pts. UD, 77-73, 79-70, 77-72

Cyrus Pattinson def. Andrei Antono pts. 60-55

Dan Toward def. Johan Nova TKO RD6

Niall Brown def. Pablo Sosa pts. 60-54

Lee Rogers def. Yin Caicedo pts. 40-37

Ben Marksby def. Levi Kinsiona TKO RD2

J’Hon Ingram def. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira pts. 60-54

Joe Laws def. Adam Cieslak pts. 60-55

Codie Smith def. Engel Gomez pts. 40-36

Robert Lloyd-Taylor Jnr def. Robin Zamora pts. 39-37

Sophie Alisch def. Marina Sakharov pts. 60-54

Eduard Georgiev def. Jack England KO RD1