A Cold night for a Well quiet promotion
A few hundred braved the freezing conditions to see this small hall, joint show from Dave Coldwell and Spencer Fearon’s Hard Knocks Promotions. This report looks at Fearon's visitors from the south; the other half of the card is reported elsewhere. First up was a four-threes welterweight contest between Bristolian Darren Hamilton (10st 6lb), and Sheffield’s pay day journeyman Daniel Thorpe (10st 7¼lb).
Thorpe was in his sixteenth fight of the year and having lost the lot the chances of an upset against Fearon’s prospect with a 6(1)-1(1)-0 record was unlikely. An early right jab rocked Thorpe and set the pattern for the fight, with Thorpe spending a lot of time on the back foot. Hamilton used an array of shots to try and unsettle the veteran survivor, including pounding rights to the body, but Thorpe has been here before many, many times.
This is what he does. He grins and says "I am not weak."
The second starts with an early right cross that that shakes Thorpe but only for a second. To his credit Thorpe throughout the fight continues to do enough and throw enough shots to keep it as a contest. His back pedalling means Hamilton barely lands more than three in a row, but the visitor finishes strongly with Thorpe on the ropes he lands some big body shots and a right straight down the pipe.
Thorpe started the third more positively and landed with a lunging right jab. Hamilton quickly regained control, staggering Thorpe with a left hook. He continues throughout the round picking his shots, showing restraint in not rushing into Thorpe who is always going to get work as a tricky stubborn opponent.
Thorpe charged out for the fourth and final round but Hamilton quickly seized control and landed a good armoury of shots on the break. The referee had a discreet word with Thorpe over an accumulation of indiscretions. The fight drew to a close with Hamilton landing big clean shots, with Thorpe firing back when possible. It is scored easily 40-36 in Hamilton favour, as Thorpe goes to 23-110-3. I can see that middle figure rising higher than the others throughout 2011. But the game needs characters and fighters like Thorpe to test prospects.
Next up was Dagenham’s Joe Catchpole (11st ½lbs) against Scunthorpe’s Steve Spence (11st 3lbs). 19-year-old southpaw Catchpole had the best of early exchanges landing good combos and covering up well on Spence's retaliation. His best work of the second round was two quick fire rights to the body. Spence did land good shots throughout the round including a left to the body that backed Catchpole up. Most of the crisper cleaner shots came from Catchpole despite been on the back foot.
Spence had an over enthusiastic start to the second and hooked Catchpole below the belt. Catchpole took time out to recover but seemed to need the remainder of the round to recover fully. Spence was showing better head movement this round but still shipped some jabs. Catchpole showed boxing skills in landing shots whilst leaning away from his opponent. Problem was that his back foot boxing this round meant the shots lacked any real snap.
Referee Howard Foster had a quiet work about tidying up the boxing on the break at the start of the third. This round continued with the better boxing coming from Catchpole all be it sporadically, but he finished the last thirty seconds with a good right, and shots to the body. The fourth saw Spence land a good left in a scrappy exchange. Each salvo by each fighter seemed to end in a hold, Catchpole seemed to land enough clean right hooks on the break to give him the round. Howard Foster scored the contest a draw, 38 apiece. For what its worth I think Catchpole did the greater cleaner work to deserve the decision.
Nathan ‘De Lick’ (Don’t know, not sure I want to) Graham (11st 1lb) took on Lincolnshire pugilist and all round hard nut Ryan ‘Fearless’ (Watch him and you’ll know why) Clark (11st 6lbs), in the fight of the night. Clark couldn’t wait to get started and waited for his opponent to enter the ring and a psyche out started as the two circled and tried staring each other down. Early exchange saw Clarke on the ropes, but he’s been here so many times he just sucked it up. A left hook by Graham appeared to stun Clark but again he just took it. The aggressor Graham went on to work Clark body and he lost his gum shield twice in the fight as a result of theses exchanges, buying himself breathing time. Graham landed two uppercuts through Clark's guard towards the end of the round and took the round comfortably.
Graham continued to be the aggressor in the second, but Clark went on to land some double right combos. Graham forced Clark to cover up with a big left hook but nothing seems to have him cover up for to long. There where good exchanges in the corner, and the round ended with Graham landing left right combos, but each one followed by a straight right from Clark. Clark was up early for the third Graham started by circling Clark trying to pick his shots. Clark was not phased by this approach, and tried walking his faster opponent down. Despite been cut Clark, appeared less phased by Graham's clean shots.
The final round saw Clark in the middle of the ring early, he appears to be a fighter who needs little instruction as he just wants a tear up, this fight, this round and every round. This was a slug fest with Clark now the aggressor. He landed good rights from the ropes, as Graham started to take control again, landing two and three shot combos. Despite this, Clark still fired back and lived up to his no fear moniker. Graham took the decision 39-38, and somehow had the energy to perform a dodgy, potentially ankle breaking somersault in celebration.
Clark goes to 1-23-2 but this in no way describes how tough he really is; he always comes to fight and will always put on a show. He could probably do with longer fights, as I am sure some of his 23 victors will have lost heart way before he does. Graham showed a lot of courage as he was dragged into this war and showed good skills as he goes to 11-1-0.
