Latvian journeyman Ca$hes in on McCrory protégé; McDonnell family success continues

This Friday night Doncaster bill included a light-heavyweight contest between Glen McCrory’s 19 year-old much hyped novice Akaash Hussain (13st3¾lbs) against Andrejs Tolstihs (13st2½lbs). The Latvian journeyman, who entered the contest with an undistinguished record 8(8)-23(7)-1, including a first round pasting by Tony Jeffries, started the fight slowly.

Hussain walked his opponent down landing combos and was clearly putting an awful lot into each shot, including a powerful looking right cross which glanced off his opponent. The first of the four, three-minute rounds came to a close with a right hook landing flush and buckling the legs of Tolstihs.

More power shots were thrown at the start of the second, a left jab, hook combination staggered Tolstihs backwards. In fact the only thing that stopped him touching down was his backside bouncing off the bottom rope. There was a count to follow after a further assault caused his glove to touch down, following another powerful right. The punishment for Tolstihs did not finish there, as he shipped an uppercut whilst on the ropes. This seemed to provide a response and he fired back in a good closing exchange.

Tolstihs continued his fight back in a quieter third session but Akaash’s work was still the cleaner, with his jab stinging his advancing opponent.

I expected Hussain, who Glen McCrory has admitted is raw, and goes for the knockout to often, to really go for it in the final session. This onslaught failed to materialise and it was Tolstihs who was the aggressor. Then it happened - Hussain suddenly seemed drained of energy. Tolstihs landed a short right that sent him down. He was back up quickly but this was short lived. Tolstihs knew the upset was on and went swinging, landing another right that sent Hussain backwards, his head resting on the lower rope. He bravely got up again but his legs had gone and Mike Alexander correctly called a halt at 2:53 of the final round.

As I mentioned, Hussain is widely hyped having a good amateur record as well as a few brushes with the law. He’s also well supported (very loudly until the final round), and will continue to sell tickets due to his go for a KO style, but he never looked really focused on the fight ahead. Possibly a touch of over confidence, he entered the ring to his fans throwing cards of $1000 dollar bills with his face printed on. When you do this in your second outing, you really need to deliver. He also looked a bit out of shape for a teenage pro athlete. Hussain will be written off by a lot now but it’s too early for that. His defence is poor, really poor, and he ran out of stamina against a boxer whose wins are all KO’s. This however may be a good early warning, he has undoubted power but needs to improve his stamina and technique. He’s lost his 0 but that can be a curse anyway. For Tolstihs he took the deserved applause like he had just won a world title.

The headline fight of the night was a six two minute featherweight contest between Jamie McDonnell’s twin brother Gavin (9st 1 ¾lbs) v another Latvian Pavels Senkovs (9st 1½lbs). Gavin started the brighter but was caught a few times on the counter. These where generally hopeful jabs, with little sting. The second saw McDonnell start working better from distance, working his jab well. Jamie was the most animated man ringside all night throwing each punch with his twin and plenty of encouragement as well. Senkovs however did seem to grow in confidence this round as despite his greater work rate McDonnell was not landing much.

The third saw Senkovs throw a bit more leather and landed a few sweeping hooks that continued to lack any bite. By the fourth however McDonnell was stated to relax a bit more, started putting together a few combinations, and buried a few hooks into Senkovs ribs. Inexplicably the Mansfield based Latvian came out in the fifth without his gum shield, possibly to buy a bit of time before being taken to the ropes. McDonnell was still the aggressor but shipped a left hook to remind him he was in a fight. The final round saw the Doncastrian looking considerably less stiff than the start of the contest, as he coasted to 60-54 decision to take him to 2-0-0 in the pros.

The evening of boxing on this Carl Greaves promotion got underway with a heavyweight contest of eight, three-minute rounds featuring Cork based, Cuban born undefeated Mike Perez (17st 4lbs) taking on blown up Belgian cruiser Ismal Abdoul (15st 5½lbs). The former Cuban amateur star landed all the shots in the opener, although must of these were limited to a pawing jab. Abdoul was content to circle the ring in the second probably realising he was in with a potentially big hitter after Perez landed a left hook and straight right firmly through his guard. There was literally nothing coming back from Abdoul as Perez picked his shots all be it at a languid pace.

The fourth round saw southpaw Perez unloading some power shots, and Abdoul having to cover up, but the smaller man did have some limited success albeit from a short right whilst on the ropes. Perez started some head movement in the fifth, and throwing a few more shots including a good left hook, but with so little coming back it was like a low intensity sparring session at times.

By the seventh Ismail, who has some losses on his record at lower weight including Haye, Maccarinelli, Norton, Huck and Adamek, was never going to alter his survival instinct and tucked up as Perez buried shots into his ribs. He threw enough counters back to keep the contest from being stopped, as Perez relentlessly jabbed out with his left.

Abdoul was looking a bit more concerned in the final session as Perez unloaded with rights upstairs and then down, and later landed a right cross straight down the pipe. He saw it through however in an 80-72 shut out, as Perez moves comfortably but sluggishly to 12(10)-0-0.

Next up was originally announced as a cruiserweight later corrected to welter contest between Bheki Moyo and home fighter Charlie Thompson, both fighters weighing in at 10st10½lbs. Thompson worked much of the opening sessions behind a right jab. Moyo was the aggressor however and seemed much more adventurous with this level of opposition than he was last week against Nicki Smedley. Moyo pressure in the second round pushed Thomson back a bit, but he was not too fazed by this and scored some good counter punches.

The third was much the same with Thompson giving cleaner work and Moyo the aggressor. Moyo is awkward at times and his crouching stance can cause problems on where his opponent puts his feet. Thomson shots in the fourth did have a bit more venom, and a good right rocked back the head of Moyo. Thomson defence was suspect though and a he was caught with a lazy right on the counter at the end of the session.

By the final round the fight pattern was simple, all the endeavour and aggression was from Moyo, and Thompson although occasionally doing the cleaner work was hit far too easily. His probing jabs often lacking any follow up. The 60 -55 to Thompson given by Mike Alexander was a bit unfair on the have gloves will fight South African who lacks in technique but makes up for it in heart. Thompson got his first win and goes to 1-0-1, whilst Moyo dreadful paper record goes to 0-22(4)-1.

Doncaster Ex European MMA (whatever that maybe) champion Jason Ball (11st 6lbs) was in his third real professional fight against Nottingham’s Simone Lucas (11st 9¼lbs). Ball cuts a very bouncy stance, possibly a leftover habit from his involvement in professional barbarism, but was caught by a few hopeful throws in the first. The fight was fairly high tempo throughout, with an incredible amount of moving around the ring from first to last bell but very few scoring punches actually landed.

Ball seemed to take more control in the third of the four round contest, landing two painful looking right hooks to the kidneys of Lucas. Lucas was pinned on the ropes later in the round but caught Ball with a right hook and ducked and weaved his way out of trouble. Lucas threw loads more flurries in the final session but little landed, and when they did Ball was able to take fairly easy. Ball went on to win the energetic contest 39-38 without having to kick, gouge, bite, slap or wrestle his opponent to the floor. Now doesn’t that feel better?

Next up was Conisborough's Steven Hale (9st 11¼lbs) who took on Bulgarian Valentin Stoychov (10st1¼lbs), in the visitor’s first UK fight, and on the evidence of this the 27 year-old may get a few more. Hale landed an early right cross, but the Stoychov was clearly up for this from the start. As Hale landed a stiff right jab straight through the middle the Bulgarian landed a right over the top. This he proceeded to do with frightening ease at every opportunity. One of these unbalanced Hale in the second, and he got an eight count, this encouraged the Bulgarian and he landed the right over the top with ease again. Hale did fight back and got a sweet uppercut through his opponent’s guard, before shipping another overhand right.

Stoychov stuck with the overhand right in the third, and why not Hales peripheral vision seemed to fail to see them, but Hale landed a good left counter that pushed him back and followed up with left hook, in some lively exchanges. The fourth saw Hale stand off a bit and have better success by picking his shots, but still shipped the overhand right again and again. Howard Foster scored the contest 39-38 in favour of Hale, which was a bit of a surprise to some.

Hartlepool debutant Peter Cope (8st 12½lbs), took on Glaswegian Ryan McNicol (9st2lbs) in a four-threes featherweight contest. Cope who had a decent amateur pedigree went into the first with good support and confidence, flicking his jab into his opponents face. McNicol seemed content to sit the round out and look for weakness in the youngsters defence. He picked the body and targeted this in the second, but this was limited as Cope sat comfortably behind his jab.

Cope seemed to lose concentration in the next round a bit, and did not use his superior reach to his advantage. That said although McNicol upped his work rate there was not much power to worry the novice to much. McNicol probably took the last round as he tried to get close to Cope, who tired and missed a lot of his shots in a scrappy final session, but did mange to wobble the Glaswegian towards the final bell. Cope got the result 40-37, in an accomplished debut.

Swinton’s Tommy “Machine Gun” Coward (11st¾lbs) faced Wales' Gary Cooper (11st¼lbs), in a light middle contest. The first of six two minute sessions was dominated by Coward’s jab; the second was easy for him too, as he doubled up the right jab with a left hook. It was into the third before Cooper really started to throw anything back, following a crisp right hook by Coward. A later right hook by Coward knocked Cooper back a bit, and Coward would follow up with his jab.

The second half of the fight was considerably different, with a short left from nowhere putting Coward down. He took the eight count. Fired up as is usually the case by a fighter behind who scores a surprise knock down Cooper went for it. As the next round started Cooper seemed inspired whilst Coward was suffering a bit of a confidence crises. This started to come back in the later stages of the fifth and he unloaded with some right jabs straight through Cooper's guard.

The final round was toe to toe as Coward banished the knock down and it was Cooper who looked the most tired, as Coward landed some good combinations. It was scored 58-55 in Coward's favour, but it was a tough contest for him, and some good lessons learned as he goes to 4(1)-0-0.

Southpaw light welter Maxi Hughes (9st 11¾lbs) faced Syrian gate keeper Youssef Al Hamidi (9st12lbs). Hughes was the aggressor in the first, controlling the fight and staggering Youssef with a left. The second was much the same, Hughes controlling a scrappy affair. When looking at the company Hamidi has kept, you may recall he was a nightmare for John Murray. He has also faced, Burns, Crolla, George Watson, Gomez, Cook, Simpson, Walsh, Lawton, Gomez, Johanson, Foster, and even wins against credible opponents like Steve Saville. I was expecting a bit more coming back from him, and for him to really test Hughes.

The third however saw him being elusive as Hughes could not nail him down. The last round was more frantic but few shots landed. Al Hamidi did land a left hook towards the end but it was too little to late as Hughes celebrated his 21st birthday with a 40-36 win against a good name.