Rees rallies to see off Watson
Gavin Rees had to dig deep to eventually stop John Watson in round 11 in a superb see-saw battle to capture the vacant British lightweight title at the Newport Centre in Wales last night.
It looked like being an easy night’s work for Rees as he repeatedly rocked the upright Watson in the first half of the fight but John weathered the onslaught and produced a determined comeback, notably hurting the Welshman to the body before Gavin dramatically turned the tables.
The gulf in class between former WBA light-welterweight champion and 34-fight veteran Rees and the inexperienced 13-fight Watson was evident from the opening bell. Despite giving away three inches in height and reach, Rees easily worked his way inside by evading Watson’s pawing jab and rattled John with some snappy rights to the head and hooks to the body as the Liverpool man endured a torrid first session.
Rees (9st 7lbs 7oz) continued to dictate in round two and stunned Watson (9st 8 15oz) with a left hook and a right hand in the third opened up a cut above Watson’s left eye as John continued to take a shellacking from the rampant Welshman. Gavin’s speed, aggression and upper-body movement was proving a real handful for the slow-starting Watson who looked on the verge of being overwhelmed when he was tagged and hurt again by a right hand which momentarily froze him in round four.
Watson’s anxious trainer, David Coldwell, required all of his motivational skills to keep John in the fight and the Liverpool man responded by displaying more ambition in the fifth as he made Rees wince with a left hook to the body. Gradually growing in confidence, Watson was now standing his ground and tellingly showed the greater willingness to work inside in the sixth as Rees was now being asked some questions.
After taking an age to get going, Watson’s transformation was startling as he seized the centre of the ring and unloaded on Rees in round seven as blood seeped from the Welshman’s nose. Gavin attempted to re-exert his earlier authority but Watson stood firm, smiled throw his gumshield and banged his gloves together as he beckoned Rees to bring it on. By the end of a fascinating three minutes it was Watson who was ascendency as he backed Rees up with body shots.
The fight was firmly in the balance as Watson, second best for so long, now looked the more likely winner as Rees appeared to be wilting. Both warriors targeted the body in the eighth but Watson’s punches had the greater effect and by the end of the round Rees looked on the verge of taking a knee only for the bell to come to his rescue. Round nine was quieter as Watson understandably appeared to be feeling the pace after working so hard to get back into the contest.
Rees’ tank looked empty but when it really mattered the Welshman rallied to produce some extra quality which ultimately decided the fight. Watson penetrated Rees’ guard with a right in round ten but Rees responded with a short right hand counter which dropped John to his knees. The Liverpool man rose on unsteady legs and had to cling on to the bell as Rees tore into him.
It proved to be a pivotal moment as Watson, having exerted so much energy, now had nothing left and Rees knew it. The Welshman now had his second wind and he repeatedly rocked Watson in the eleventh. One final surge, consisting of a huge left hook and right hand that snapped Watson’s head back, convinced referee Victor Loughlin to intervene with a minute remaining in the round to end a memorable encounter.
Rees, now 34-1 (16), and mandatory challenger to European champion John Murray who vacated the British title, will look to move onto better things but on this evidence the gallant Watson will not be far behind him.
In the chief support, veteran Jason Cook (9st 13lbs 13oz) stopped compatriot Barrie Jones (9st 13lbs 12oz) in the sixth round to claim the Welsh light-welterweight crown. Jones befuddled Cook with his southpaw jab to sweep the early rounds but his work often lacked variety. Former European lightweight champion Cook finally picked things up in the fifth and enjoyed success to the body towards the end of the round.
Having solved the puzzle, Cook homed in on Jones’ mid-section and a left hook, right hook combination to the body felled Jones with 20 seconds remaining in the sixth. Barrie rose but was immediately despatched to the canvas following another body shot. Although he beat referee Roddy Evans’ count, Jones was clearly gasping for breath and signalled to Evans that he could no longer continue.
