Barrett bashed up by an ageing Tiger; York Hall Undercard

Ryan Barrett’s recent run of good form came to a dramatic end last night at the York Hall as Kenyan Geoffrey Munika overcame a heavy second round knockdown to convincingly halt the Thamesmead man at 2:53 of the sixth round to claim the International Masters strap.

How misleading first impressions can be. In the opener, despite being massively shorter than his chrome-domed opponent, Munika looked 36 going on 56. The African dubbed “The Tiger” really showed zero imagination and appeared about as dangerous as a sleepy tabby on a summer's day. When a crisp arching right hand floored Munika in the second, it looked for all the gaudy alphabet belts in world boxing that Ryan would be able to force a stoppage.

But after winning the third, the tide of the fight began to change permanently. Barrett was doing far less in the fourth and throwing out distress signals noticeably as the action started to take place more on the inside. Munika, now 21-15-2 (11), took the fifth on my card by scoring with powerful left right combinations in close.

By the sixth, Barrett was totally drawn into a close quarters trade off affair which suited the little pocket battleship completely. Ryan was getting clubbed and pounded in what was becoming a very uncomfortable affair indeed. The end came suddenly, Geoffrey caught Ryan with a compact left right in close and he collapsed onto all fours where he was counted out.

Mark “Pee Wee” Adams made his debut as a BBBofC licence holder as he edged past oft-beaten Louis Byrne in a middleweight four-threes. Adams brought massive support from the unlicensed game but will need to improve significantly if he is going to have any future.

Let’s be clear about this. Louis Byrne has only two wins on his slate in 20 prior starts, but last night he could have easily earned a draw. Eagar and fired up, Adams’ all action style was ineffective in the opener as Louis used his experience to take the session on my card. In the middle of the fight, you could argue that he outworked the 26-year-old Guildford trailhorse. In the last, Mark looked gassed and uncomfortable. Byrne dips to 2-19 (1). It was scored 39-38 in Adams’ favour.

Nathan Weise returned from a shoulder injury and 18 months on the sidelines to convincingly outpoint Westbury’s Aaron Fox over four threes at welter. With Jimmy Tibbs in his corner, the Thamesmead man used his height and reach advantages to club the winless Wiltshire trier as he attempted to come in close. Once Nathan started putting his shots together, Fox realised he was going to be on the receiving end and failed to let his hands go. To his credit, Aaron was game and kept coming forward. But referee Ken Curtis failed to give him a session when the 40-36 verdict was announced.

Luton’s 22-year-old Michael “Chunky” Devine improved to 5-1 (2) as he scored a 40-37 point verdict over Trowbridge’s “Dirty” Dan Carr at lightweight. The affair failed to come to life in the first, but Carr did manage to tag Devine with a big left hand in the second that brought gasps from the crowd. In general though, Michael showed good work rate and decent selection of punches to earn the nod from referee Ken Curtis.

Sam Standing scored his second win in as many starts as he impressed in overcoming East Ham journeyman Johnny Greaves in a light-welter four twos.

Greaves obviously planned to do the full clowning routine on the 26-year-old from Plumstead. In he first, the crowd were treated to an Ali shuffle and a lot of mugging and chat from Johnny. When Greaves tried the fake bolo punch on Standing he got cracked in the mouth for his trouble and by the end of the session was spitting blood regularly. Standing took every session on my card and earned a 40-37 decision at the bell.

Ali Adams from Iraq via Chelsea scored his second win after losing to Matt Skelton in the Prizefighter as he shut out Igoris Boruzha over fourth three minute sessions.

The Lithuanian, who at 14st 6lbs is really a blown up cruiserweight, was stopped on his only other prior visit to the York Hall in June last year ( L KO by 1 Ian Lewison). Adams took centre ring and pumped straight punches out at the visitor. Frustratingly, he never seems to really go all out to try and gain an impressive stoppage. He wins more often than not, and is simply more than happy if he can cruise his way through.

Ali does have patience and good technique on his side and he easily out foxed and out boxed Boruzha last night.

Mickey Helliet-managed Dan “Woody” Woodgate from Kent moved to 4-1 (0) as he cut up and outpunched Woodford Green’s winless Sabie Montieth over four threes at light heavy. From the second round onwards, Sabie battled bravely under fire with a bad cut over the right eye as Woodgate used his controlled boxing and worked him over throughout the contest.

At several points, one could have argued that Sabie needed pulling out, but he soldiered through the sessions to a shut out loss.

Tooting-based Bulgarian Danny Dontchev pushed Danny “Cassius” Connor close but ultimately dropped a 38-40 point decision to claim his second straight victory.

Connor and Dontchev both missed prolifically in the first session, but the man from Mitcham in Surrey started to find a home for some solid right hands. Dontchev, nine years the senior at thirty five, had to cope with a multitude of difficult angles in the second and appeared to be losing his composure.

The Tooting fighter took the third on my card with some big left hands and the last was marred by the pair taking turns shoving each other to canvas.

Kris Agyei-Dua moved his tally to three unbeaten as he pipped spirited Luke Osman by a point over four three minute sessions at middleweight. The third man scored the contest a razor-thin 39-38.

Agyei-Dua, from Brentwood, boxed with virtually no defence in the first but scored with hard punches nonetheless. Osman trooped ahead in the second, but his work was largely ineffective. By the end of the session the pair where trading shots freely.

Luke was guilty of ducking below the waistline in the third but he nearly turned the contest around in the last as Kris’ legs deserted him after a left right. Somehow Agyei-Dua made it to the finish line. Osman slips to 2-9-1 (1).

William Cayzer scored the evening's only inside the distance win as he viciously dispatched Tamworth’s Matt Seawright with a hook to the body after 2:59 of the opening round.

Seawright, having his 53rd fight, came close to being tagged with several hard hooks upstairs earlier in the round, but this one to the midriff was a real sickner. The time was 2:59.

Promoter, manager, fighter and former serviceman Matt Scriven was shut out 40-36 by Holloway’s 19-year-old Brett O’Callaghan.

Brett, who won his debut at the York Hall in December last year, threw clusters of shots in a rather low key opening session. O’Callaghan scored well and strung his work together with a lovely rhythm in the second and then in the third sent Matt Scriven’s braided hair flying with a left-right-left. Matt had to take several hard looking body shots in the last and was fighting open mouthed at the close.

Woolwich-based Albanian Eder Kurti scored a 39-37 verdict over Scunthorpe’s tough Jody Meikle.

Kurti made his man miss regularly in the first and by the second Jody was sending out loads of distress signals. A right hand had the Northerner reeling in the third, but Eder was trying too hard in the last to get an inside the distance win in the last and was far less effective.

Finally, James Cook’s Diego Burton and Brighton’s Iain Jackson fought to a four round draw in a super-middleweight affair. Burton was hurt several times, but each time came roaring back. Jackson had success with the right hand in both the first and the third sessions and a draw was a fair result.

Images by Bernard Miller