Liverpool’s Anthony Fowler shines on undercard, as he defeats Harry Scarff by unanimous decison.
Other action includes Liverpool’s Thomas Whittaker-Hart, Tom Aitchson and Craig Glover, with an all Merseyside clash between Sean Dodd and Tom Farrell.
A lively undercard at the M&S Bank Arena tonight in Liverpool, with plenty of brilliant performances.
Undercard breakdown:
Marcus Molloy vs Jamie Quinn
In the opening bout of the evening, Merseyside’s Marcus Molloy won convincingly as he defeated Jamie Quinn. Molloy won 40-37 on the referee’s scorecard, and progresses to 2-0 in his professional career with minimal fuss.
Stephen Smith vs Jonny Phillips
Six rounds in the bag for Stephen Smith, as he put on a near punch perfect performance in defeating Jonny Philips 60-54 on the scorecards. A great start to the evening for the Smith family.
Smith will be looking to get back to world level as soon as possible in his bid to win a world title.
James Tennyson vs Craig Evans
No Merseyside connections in this fight, but potential fight of the night. Northern Ireland’s James Tennyson and Welshman Craig Evans put on a spectacular display for the fans. It was Tennyson who got the late stoppage, as a barrage of big punches landed on the chin of Craig Evans. The Belfast man is now mandatory challenger for the British Lightweight title, held by Joe Cordina.
Tom Aitchison vs Matija Petrinic
Local hero Tom Aitchison was next up. His ring walk got a rapturous reception, as choruses of “There’s only one Tommy Aitch” echoed around the arena. An easy victory for the Merseyside boxer, as he won a comprehensive 40-36 on referee’s scorecard.
Tom Farrell vs Sean Dodd
An all Merseyside clash. Liverpool vs Birkenhead. Southpaw vs Orthodox. It didn’t disappoint. After a fairly even few rounds, Farrell suffered a nasty cut above his right eye. A wound which forced the ringside doctor to stop the fight.
As there had only been 4 rounds passed, it went to the judge’s scorecards for a technical decision. Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd got the nod on the scorecards, as he won by majority technical decision. The judge’s scorecards read 38-38, 39-37 and 39-37 in favour of the Birkenhead man.
Dodd took the bragging rights in this all Merseyside clash, but both fighters were keen on the possibility of a rematch.
Thomas Whittaker-Hart vs Josip Perkovic
A tick over for Liverpool’s Whittaker-Hart, as he stopped Croatian number 5, Josip Perkovic. The rangy light-heavyweight barely got out of first gear, on his way to a stoppage victory in the fifth round.
The 24-year-old will be looking for more competitive fights in the not so distant future, as he moved to 4-0 with the second knockout of his career. His manager, Liverpool legend Tony Bellew, will feel that there is no rush with this skilful boxer.
Anthony Fowler vs Harry Scarff
Anthony ‘The Machine’ Fowler moved to 11-1 with a dominant display over ‘Horrible’ Harry Scarff. The Liverpool man scored a knockdown in the ninth round, on his way to a comprehensive points victory.
A cagey start to the fight, as both Fowler and Scarff were missing with a lot of shots. Of the two fighters, Fowler was the busier, forcing the pace and looking the higher calibre fighter.
Scarff, however, was far from out of it, as he was continually moving and making the scouser do all the work.
As the rounds progressed, it was clear to see Fowler looked to be bossing the fight. The Derby man didn’t look to be phased by any of Fowler’s onslaughts, but simply was not doing enough to win rounds.
That was until the ninth round, when Fowler landed a clean left hook, which shook Scarff to his boots and dropped him for the first time in his career. The knockdown came at the perfect time for Fowler, as he began to assert his dominance on the fight.
Not the most fan friendly fight ever seen, but an effective and efficient performance from ‘The Machine’ who won via unanimous decision. The judge’s scorecards all read 98-91 in favour of the Liverpool man.
Fowler will be looking forward to the possibility of facing bitter rival Scott Fitzgerald in a rematch next year and will be hoping to avenge his only loss on his professional record.
Craig Glover v Chris Billam-Smith
Chris Billam-Smith stopped Liverpool’s Craig Glover in the fifth round, to become the Commonwealth Cruiserweight Champion.
A lively opening round as both Billam-Smith and Glover trade blows, landing some eye-catching shots. Glover sustained a small cut above his left eye which was not the start he was hoping for.
Glover, however, was not phased by this, as he came out in the second round looking calm and composed. As the fight progressed, it was clear to see it was going to be an old fashioned dust up.
The Bournemouth man looked to have a home for every jab he threw, jolting Glover’s head back on nearly every occasion. However, Glover was landing some handy shots of his own.
The first real telling moment of the fight came right at the end of the fourth round, as Chris Billam-Smith landed a barrage of power punches, which forced the Liverpool man to wilt to the canvas. Big moment in the fight.
Not long into the fifth round, Billam-Smith had his man. After another barrage of consecutive punches, Glover was floored for the second time in the fight. Shortly after this, the 29-year-old smelt victory and landed another huge right hand to floor his opponent and consequently end the fight.
An impressive display from Chris Billam-Smith. The new Commonwealth Cruiserweight Champion.
