Speight and Blackwell remain unbeaten in Chippenham

Boxing arrived back in Chippenham after more than twenty years when a packed house at the Olympiad Leisure Centre on Saturday night saw Kingsteignton’s Jamie Speight score a seventh straight victory as he outpointed Reading’s Ibrar Riyaz of four threes at super-feather.

 

Speight wanted to fight the more-experienced Riyaz rather than box him at the first bell. His game plan made for an exciting opener as he connected with hard hooks to the head and body but had to pay for his approach in taking a couple of solid right hands in return.

 

Riyaz, who takes fights from super-feather up to light welter, had previously extended Tyrone Nurse for the British Masters strap a week ago. And despite getting clipped with a number of solid uppercuts he managed to make Speight’s night very uncomfortable by mixing in several low blows in the second and third sessions.

 

The affair was a cracking “give-and-take” battle that had the crowd roaring in delight in the last. Riyaz was on the front foot and letting his hands go but Speight’s work with those hooks and uppercuts really had the mark of quality. At the close, Swindon Referee Grant Wallis scored the fight 39-38 in Speight’s favour.

 

Melksham super-feather Liam Richards outpointed 37-year-old journeyman Sid Razak over six two-minute sessions.

 

After clearly taking the first session, Richard’s wide punches continued to make their mark on the score card but his technical deficiencies were providing his more experienced opponent with countering opportunities.

 

Over the middle part of the fight, the more assertive boxing came from the man from the West Country. However, Liam really needs to focus on breaking through opponents’ defences systematically if he is to progress to anything like championship level.

 

After a final round in which the house fighter generally connected with the cleaner leather, referee Jeff Hinds scored the bout 59-56 in Richards’ favour. Razak drops to 4-53 (1) and Richard’s moves to 7-1 (0).

 

Swindon’s Kelvin Young won his second straight contest after being starched by Paul Brown in April as he struggled to shine against Plymouth’s 33-year-old Jon Harrison over six-twos at middleweight.

 

The affair was a messy and mauling affair which really was a stinker. The pair constantly strayed to close to land meaningful blows and the hardest working man in the ring by a country mile was referee Grant Wallis.

 

Young was getting the better of the brief moments of any controlled boxing that percolated through the dross, but the stoppage loss he suffered earlier in the year still looked to be on his mind.

 

Kelvin, a former amateur star from Penhill's Royal British Legion ABC, managed to bloody the 14-year veteran’s nose towards the end of the contest and took a 59-57 point decision win.

 

A 19-year-old middleweight from Trowbridge by the name of Nick Blackwell may be one to watch for the future as he earned a 59-55 point win of Treharris’ Luke Osman over six-threes.

 

Blackwell fought on the back foot in the first but showed a calm manner and lots of skills to repeatedly crack the crowding Osman with hurtful straight right hands. Then about halfway through the session, Luke was doubled over by a body shot and then blitzed to the floor. He rose and bravely saw out the remainder of the round.

 

The affair was spirited and hard fought in the second. Osman was still trying and had responded well from the knockdown, but Nick’s shots were that degree more spiteful. By the third, Luke was coming forward again andNick was looking to set traps for him on the back foot.

 

Blackwell hit his tough opponent with bundles of clean leather over the second half of the fight but couldn’t move Osman. Luke even took the last on my card as he effectively countered Blackwell’s punches. Nick moves to 6-0 (0) and Osman is far better than his 1-8 (1) tally suggests.

 

Finally, Swindon ticket-seller and former kick-boxer Andrew “Macca” McCaffrey got his first win as he outpointed Retford’s Lee Nicholson over six-twos at super-middle.

 

Nicholson, stopped 15 times in 26 starts, was far better in offensive mode rather than on the defensive. McCaffrey was a little over eagar to get his first win as he failed to give himself room to work over the first two sessions, but in the third he appeared to have Lee hurt.

 

Andrew was looking for the finisher in the third and fourth sessions, but was slightly lacking in the refinement needed to delight his legion of supporters with an inside the distance finish. At the close, Grant Wallis scored the affair 59-56.