Brook stops Jackiewicz in six

Kell Brook stopped Polish tough man Rafal Jackiewicz at 2:36 of the sixth round at Ponds Forge, Sheffield last night, in defence of his WBA Inter-Continental welterweight title.

The timing of the stoppage by Doncaster referee Howard Foster will be viewed as controversial by many and seeing as the visitor – who had never been halted in 48 previous contests – was not knocked over or on wobbly legs, the complainants have a case to make.

However, a diminishing amount of offense was coming from Jackiewicz (10st 6 ¾ lbs) whilst Brook’s (10st 6 ¼ lbs) work was going the other way; most people at ringside thought the referee had saved the former European champ from a worse shellacking.

Those who wanted to see the one-sided contest continue and the visitor take a more prolonged beating will be disappointed. There’s also the view that ‘this is boxing’ and that the challenger should be given a chance to turn things around. Again, it’s a view. It seemed Mr Foster weighed up the highly unlikely possibility of Jackiewicz landing a fight-changing blow against the overwhelming likelihood of a fighter taking a pasting and the referee’s duty to prevent that happening.

One hopes whichever interpretation one chooses, it’s acknowledged that there was only going to be one winner and that was Brook.

After a cagey opening round, won by Brook, the Sheffield man turned up the heat and regularly rattled home shots in combinations from a variety of angles, to both head and body. Jackiewicz boxed in short spurts but for almost all of every round, merely plodded forward offering very little. He was cut over the right eye in the third.

Brook dominated throughout, took every round completed and was comfortably winning the contest when it was stopped. In saying that, the only time Jackiewicz looked like moving was from a huge right hand in the fifth when his legs dipped a little. He complained at the stoppage and understandably so – there was plenty of plod left in him. For varying reasons, there are plenty of British fight fans unconvinced about Brook and the nature of the stoppage will add more grist to their mills.

The Sheffield 25 year-old, now 25-0, should just keep on doing what he’s doing. There will be plenty of opportunities too for Jackiewicz, now 38-10-1, as there always will be for tough fighters like him – incredibly durable but limited at world level.

Another chap who should keep doing what he’s doing is Brook’s stablemate, Kid Galahad. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a boxer hit another with more regularity than when he hit brave Aberdeen journeyman James Ancliff at the time of the stoppage, which thankfully came at 2:58 of the fourth round.

The difference in class between Galahad (9st 1lb 10oz) and Ancliff (9st 1 ¼ lb) was apparent from the off. The Ingle man was doing what he liked from the first bell, switching and landing from all angles. Ancliff was trying but looked wild and his footwork terrible. But when he wasn’t shifted, the Aberdonian warmed to his task and began to goad Galahad.

The local man picked up a cut on his right eye which seemed to provide him with a new resolve. Suddenly, he couldn’t miss Ancliff. The man from the aptly named Granite City gurned and waved Galahad in, but he was shipping not one or two but tens and twenties. After an umpteenth one-two rattled in, referee Mike Alexander rightly stepped in.

“He’s coming on a bomb,” observed Brendan Ingle from ringside. “Watch him go now.”

I was hoping that the Hungarian novice brought in to box Huddersfield’s Tyrone Nurse (10st 3lbs) would open the show so I could offer ‘It started with a Kiss’. Sadly, it was not to be. Istvan Kiss (9st 9 ¾ lbs) certainly earned his purse, lasting until 2:49 of the fifth. He was another boxer who lamented the stoppage by Howard Foster but it was bang on, as were an increasing amount of Nurse’s shots.

Kiss had already taken a knee in the third from what appeared to be a left to the body and no one would have been surprised had he bailed out then. He didn’t and toughed out another couple of rounds against an increasingly confident Nurse.

When the ending came, it was in strange circumstances. The West Yorkshireman had been hurling in plenty of body shots since Kiss took a knee and when one too many landed, Kiss leaned forward. He didn’t really go down and looked to be stretching. Regardless, he’d had enough even if he fancied a bit more.

I’ve seen Nurse several times and he’s never overly impressed me, though he is obviously a good technician. He was very good last night though and showed more spite, though the level of opposition (Kiss is now 5-2) needs to be taken into account. The wiry light-welter is now 19 unbeaten and getting close to the title mix.

No one seems to want to fight Nottingham’s Adnan Amar. He’s still the English welterweight champ, a title he won three and a half years ago. He’s only had two fights since with a variety of proposed fights not happening. He’s got plenty to offer the game and looked in very good nick scoring a shut out of worthy, tough journeyman Kevin McCauley.

At times the pair did more talking than punching and were warned for this by referee Foster. It was also scrappy at times as the Birmingham man (11st 4lbs) knows exactly how to fiddle his way through to the end of a six-rounder. Amar (11st 2 ¾ lbs) was enjoying himself and put some sparkling work together at times, running out a 60-54 winner. As usual, the insults, goading and mauling were forgotten on the final bell.

Three fights in three years is no good for anyone and although Amar, 28, still has time on his side, it won’t always be like that. The fella needs more fights; let’s hope he has them.