Quick Quigg hits big

British boxing returned to Bury with a bang on Saturday night, as the crowds flocked to see their new hero, super-bantamweight Scott Quigg. The home town boy faced off with teak tough Russian Andrei Kostin. The 34-fight veteran had only ever been stopped once (Damaen Kelly blitzing him in one round in 2004) and was brought in to, if not beat Quigg, give him some valuable rounds. The contest was set for eight-threes and most in the arena expected to see every minute of that schedule.

Scott Quigg however had different ideas. Entering to rapturous applause from the home fans, he looked confident and ready for business. As the first bell sounded he got down to his usual work, great jab, movement, use of angles and a great defence. These are the attributes that have made Ricky Hatton laud him as 'British boxing's greatest prospect.' Then BANG, add power to that list. A left followed by a right uppercut dropped Kostin to the canvas.

Andrei got to his feet but looked a little shaky. Quigg continued his assault with a composure and ring awareness that proves him ready for title shots in the not too distant future. As Kostin fell in to Quigg after another attack, Scott unleashed an uppercut that sank Kostin to the canvas and that was that. After two minutes of the first round Quigg had demolished his opponent and sent the Bury crowd home very happy.

One wonders if they realised just how good the performance was. Maybe many thought Scott Quigg had just demolished a knock over job from the east? Most average fight fans haven't got an intricate knowledge of Russian journeyman's records, that is left to the anoraks. Scott Quigg did something very special on Saturday, we could have witnessed a legend in the making. Quigg's record rises to 18-0 (12) whilst Kostin's record falls to 20-16 (6KOs).

On the undercard, Tom Doran continued his inexorable rise to the top of the domestic light-middleweight scene (and maybe beyond) in what can only be described as another brilliant performance. Ex-area title challenger Jonny Musgrave had been brought in to test the youngster over six-two minute rounds. Musgrave in his time had beaten some good names, but this night he came up against something very special. If Doran was Superman, Musgrave certainly didn't have the kryptonite.

Doran began the fight with the look of a pugilist with at least ten more fights than the mere five he had on his ledger going in. He used the jab well and showed a lovely variety of punches. Though Musgrave tried to land with his right, Doran was always able to bob out of the way, usually staying in the pocket and countering when necessary. As the round drew to a close Tom landed a quick combination that finished with a left hook that dropped Musgrave to the canvas. Jonny looked visibly hurt as he stayed on his knee until the count of nine. As he rose up one wondered whether he would be stopped for the first time in his career. Quite rightly though, the referee let him carry on and the bell sounded to save him from the next onslaught.

This is where Doran really impressed ringside observers. Instead of getting giddy and going all out for the stoppage, which you might expect from a five-fight novice, he proceeded to treat us all to a master-class that belied his years. Realising that Musgrave may have been hurt, but certainly wasn't there for the taking, he spent the next few rounds teeing off on his opponent, the jab especially snapping Musgrave's head back. Musgrave never stopped trying, showing a heart and determination that few can match. As the rounds wore on, the lefts and rights came more into prominence and it was obvious Musgrave was having a tough night. Still, he kept plugging on, which in turn kept Doran on his game. The fifth round saw Doran keep up his movement and use of angles, never letting his opponent set himself, he was always three steps ahead. The final round saw more of the same and it was no surprise when the referee declared Doran a winner by a score of 60-53.

I do feel however, that Doran could have given his handlers a problem. Such was the quality of performance, who do you get in next for youngster? He has just made an area title level fighter look like a novice, what is the next step for him? You aren't going to throw him in with someone like Martin Concepion just yet, but you will want someone who can really test him out. Under the guidance of Shane Thomas and the promotion of Ricky Hatton however, you know the right thing will be done for the fighter.

Also a big thumbs up for Jonny Musgrave who could so easily have gone down permanently and save himself a tough night's work. His heart and desire will see him bloodying a few prospects noses before his time is up. He is still a quality test, just this particular night, he met someone of real quality. Doran's record rises to 6-0 (0) whilst Musgrave's drops to 7-9(0).

The other star of the night was Hattersley welterweight Kieran Maher. He faced off against Wiltshire's youngster Aaron Fox. In his last outing, Maher appeared to add some power to his natural boxing skill, when he stopped the usually durable Matt Seawright in one round. He continued with this attacking mentality on Saturday in this battle over six-twos.

As soon as the first bell sounded Maher was looking to hurt Fox with some stinging shots. Maher was always on the front foot whilst Fox was always in reverse. Keiran was showing real quality. and by the second round Maher was backing his foe against the ropes and was giving him a bit of a torrid time. Still Fox showed great heart and was always having a go back. The third saw it become more one way traffic, with a big left hand visibly hurting Aaron and you were beginning to wonder how long this would last. Just to make matters worse for Fox, Maher was now targeting the body in an attempt to break his opponent down.

The fourth saw the beating thankfully come to an end. Aaron was once againt pushed to the ropes, and as a huge left hand rocked him to his heels, referee John Latham stopped the fight after 26 seconds of the round. Maybe Fox could have gone on for a bit longer but this was the kind of fight that could have turned nasty. Maher moves on and looks better all the time, Fox is rescued in time for there to be no real miles put on the clock. Maher's record improves to 6-0(2) whilst Fox's drops to 0-3. Kieran Maher is certainly one to watch.

Graeme 'Dezzie' Higginson returned after losing out to Martin Gethin in January, with a points win over Wolverhampton journeyman Carl Allen. It was a patchy display from the light-welter however, with Allen applying good pressure throughout. All rounds followed the same pattern, Higginson usually doing more work but Allen landing decent right hands through a slightly porous defence. Referee Steve Gray declared Higginson the winner by a score of 40-37 which it could be argued was slightly harsh on Allen. One thing is for certain, if Higginson is looking to mix regularly in championship class he will need to improve. Higginson boosts his record to 11- 8-1(3). Allen's record drops to 18-90(5).

The show opener saw unbeaten Derby light-welter Jack Perry extend his winning record to twelve fights. The 22-year-old took on Tooting-based Bulgarian Donny Dontchev in a battle over six-two minute rounds.

Perry started well enough, working off his jab and throwing the occasional right hand. Perry looked in control most of the time but Dontchev, despite his record, is a tough customer and always came forward, applying pressure and making sure Perry didn't have it all his own way. Dontchev actually landed quite well in the middle rounds, winning the third and gaining a share of the fourth on my scorecard.

Still as the fight went on, Perry continued to use the jab and the occasional straight punch. Sadly when he tried to open up, his work looked a little forced and usually ended up missing, though this didn't stop him looking on top in the fifth round.

The sixth stanza saw Dontchev start well, pressuring Perry, who seemed to be lacking a bit of physical strength. It was only in the final 30 seconds where we saw a good shot by Jack, nearly flooring his opponent with a good right hand. Still, Dontchev stayed on his feet and the final bell sounded. Steve Gray scored the fight 59-56 in favour of Perry. The victor will certainly need to improve if he is going to make a real impact on the division as it all seems a bit 'boxing by numbers.' However, he remains unbeaten and at the age of 22 he has many years to improve. Perry's record goes to 12-0(2) whilst Dontchev's record falls to 2-20(1).

So all in all a great night's boxing brought to us once again by Hatton Promotions. One thing is for certain, after thirteen years of waiting for boxing to return to the city, the people of Bury, with their new talisman Scott Quigg are in for one hell of a ride.