Pryce beaten / Maxwell left furious by controversial Doran stoppage

It was a night of mixed fortunes for the Welsh fighters headlining the bill at Queensferry on Friday night. Whilst one of the principalities heroes failed in his bid to claim the scalp of young prospect Sergey Rabchenko,the nations supposed next star, Tom Doran overcame a torrid first round to stop Birmingham hard man Max Maxwell, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Bradley Pryce faced off against Rabchenko for the vacant WBA intercontinental Light Middleweight strap over 12 x 3’s. The fight started pretty well for Pryce. He got behind the jab and prevented Rabchenko from working. Pryce, though getting on in years, still had the speed that made him a champion over the last decade.

The second round was better for Rabchenko. He came inside and started to work Bradley over. Pryce would have success, the flash combos were there for all to see, but Rabchenko looked relentless, moving into range and unleashing clubbing shots. The third round followed much the same path, constant pressure from Rabchenko, flashy work for Pryce. As the round wore on Rabchenko began to land with more lefts and rights, a bad sign for Pryce.

Rabchenko began the fourth round with even more intensity. As he bulled Pryce into the corner he landed with some clean, hurtful looking shots. At this point you wondered how long Pryce would be able to cope. Bradley though, as has been custom throughout his career, showed the desire that has made him a national treasure, firing back in the last minute of the round. Not enough to win the session, but enough to show that Rabchenko didn’t look as good on the back foot as he does the front.

This was taken into the fifth, as Pryce attempted to take the centre of the ring. Rabchenko however, fired back and as the round continued, he landed the cleaner work. On my card he took the round but looked far less dominant.

The sixth became Pryce’s best round to date. He dominated the centre of the ring, and landed with a lovely right hand. The quality was there, just more sporadic than in previous years. Once again Rabchenko was on the back foot, not a place he wished to be. He strikes me as a man who is used to attacking and doesn’t like it as much when it is coming back. His chin looked excellent, but the defence loose.

The seventh proved exactly what the problem was for Pryce, or any other prospective opponent of Sergey for that matter. Rabchenko regained the centre of the ring and once again started to work Pryce over. An uppercut form Sergey rocked the head of Bradley back. Certainly a Rabchenko round, and this was followed by another in the eighth. Dominance had been restored.

The ninth saw Pryce’s workrate drop lower. Rabchenko seemed to be tiring a bit himself, and was throwing more in spurts than before. By the end of the round Pryce was getting bullied in the corner, but never stopped showing heart and tenacity.

Pryce tried to up the tempo in the tenth and had a measure of success. Rabchenko wasn’t doing as much but you got the impression he was hitting with the more hurtful shots, whilst Pryce couldn’t make a dent in the Russian.

The eleventh saw a last hurrah from Pryce. His flash shots forced Rabchenko onto the back foot once again. The quality we have known for years was there, and he swept the round. Still, it wasn’t enough; he needed the KO and wasn’t looking likely to get it.

Rabchenko regained the initiative in the final stanza. He went back to pressuring and dominated the exchanges. Pryce never stopped trying but it was too little, too late. As the bell sounded there was only one winner. This was confirmed with the scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 116-113. My score of 117-111 wasn’t too far away.

Rabchenko moves to 17-0 (12KO). He looks beatable if you get him on the back foot, but it will take a quality operator to get him there, and keep him there. Pryce falls to 31-10 (18KO) and seems to have plenty left, at a certain level at least.

Controversy of the night came when Welsh sensation Tom Doran laced up the gloves against Max Maxwell in a light-middleweight encounter which doubled as a British title eliminator. The fight would end up being more about referee Howard Foster than the two protagonists.

Things started badly for Doran. A high octane exchange in the centre of the ring saw Doran leave himself open and get caught with a right hand to the head. As Doran lurched towards the ropes Howard Foster stepped in and pushed Maxwell back. At no point had Doran hit the canvas and only then, after the break, did he fall against the ropes. Foster proceeded to administer an eight count. Not good for Doran’s scorecard but certainly not good for Maxwell who seemed robbed of an opportunity to nail his prostate opponent. Last I checked the BBBofC didn’t do standing eight counts so this was a bad call from arguably the country’s top referee.

Doran got on his bike for the next minute and showed some of the class that has made him one to watch. As Maxwell moved in he would get countered. Still, as the round drew to a close, Maxwell forced the Welshman into a trade off. Once again Doran was open and he was smashed with a big right hook. Doran moved back, but he was followed by Maxwell who proceeded to land with three more right hooks. Doran took them but the lack of head movement was alarming, he looked in trouble.

Then the moment the fight will be remembered for. Doran landed with a peach of a right hand that rocked Maxwell’s head back and made him move towards the ropes. Doran sensed his moment and moved in on Max. As soon as he got there Foster jumped in and stopped the fight, much to the confusion of those at ringside. Maxwell seemed stung but not hurt enough for the fight to be stopped. Obviously we never got to look in Maxwell’s eyes, but as he complained bitterly and left the ring, his legs seemed strong. Time was called at 2-42 of the first round. The match was scheduled for 10 x3’s.

Obviously the cries of robbery where loud on the night and have lasted into Saturday morning. The more cynical will say Doran was saved from a tough night by a dodgy ref who knew who was paying him for his night's work. I will not say that. Maxwell’s head was rocked back and I believe Foster thought he was more hurt than he actually was and prevented him from fighting back or holding. Howard Foster is an honest man and a good referee who does not want to see fighters hurt. He made a bad call that prevented Maxwell continuing his good work or at least getting to the end of the round.

I also don’t think Maxwell was the only victim. I imagine that Doran and his camp will say Maxwell was in serious trouble. Doran however was prevented from finishing the fight there and then, or even turning the fight around later on. I don’t want to see people hurt, but as Doran’s promoter Ricky Hatton once said, ‘it isn’t a tickling contest’. Doran is now being cast as a very lucky man, a tag he may well not deserve. Sadly neither fighter was given an opportunity to do what they needed to do, and I feel a rematch is in order.

Doran moves to 10-0 (3KO) but certainly has things to work on, especially moving his head instead of having a war. Maxwell falls to 14-10-3 (3KO) and is now considering his future.

Shock of the night came when Rhyl super-middleweight Justin Jones came off second best to Elvis Dube of Derby over 4 x3’s. It was a match the Prizefighter semi finalist had been expected to win and will be a seen as a great setback in his career.

The first round began with Jones trying to use his greater reach and employing the jab. The work however was only landing on Jube’s gloves. Elvis was getting inside and throwing hooks. Nothing too clever but he was finding it hard to miss. It was certainly the Derby man's round.

The second was a better round for Jones, if not spectacular. He may not have been landing much but he was doing more. Still, at the end of the round a combination from Elvis stung Jones, this was the first time he had been hurt.

The third was the most effective round for Dube. A big right hand to the head of Jones at the start set the pattern. A big right and left hand followed, and throughout the round the right hands couldn’t miss. These weren’t clever shots; they were thrown from the back of the hall. Jones was just too upright and unable to get out of the way.

The fourth improved things for Jones. Less work was coming from Elvis and the right hand of Jones was landing with much more frequency. The bell sounded and Dube’s arm was raised by a score of 39-38. I had it a draw but I suspect the second round was shared on the ref’s card. If anyone had to win it should have been Elvis, I couldn’t argue with the decision.

Jones falls to 4-2-2 (2KO) and must now rebuild. Dube rises to 3-8 (2KO) and will be delighted with his night's work.

Hattersley welterweight Kieran Maher had an easy workout against Billy Smith over 4 x 3’s. Maher punished Smith throughout with a mixture of body and head work. Smith never looked in danger of being stopped whilst Maher looked a cut above. The score of 40-36 was no surprise.

Maher rises to 8-0 (2KO) and is ready for a step up, this was far too easy. Smith falls to 12-93-2 and gets another pay day.

James ‘Jazza’ Dickens put in another quality performance in his super-bantamweight clash against Bulgarian Stoyan Sebezov over 4 x3 minute rounds. Dickens’ variety was far better than any normal fighter having only his third fight.

From the first round onwards it looked a painful night for the Eastern European. Dickens increased the ferocity of his attack in the second round and you wondered whether he was going to record his second stoppage. This wasn’t to be however as, despite the quality operator in front of him Serbezov made it to the final bell, if only to lose by the inevitable score of 40-36.

Dickens moves to 3-0 (1KO) and looks one to watch. Serbezov falls to 4-17 (3KO) and will have easier nights than this.

Scrappiest fight of the night came when Stafford’s Rob Hunt fought his light-welterweight contest with tough Matt Seawright over 4 x3’s. Hunt was returning from his crushing defeat at the hands of Ben Lawler for the British Masters crown.

The first round turned into a horrible affair, where both fighters were warned for their ‘work’. The second was almost as poor, with Hunt doing almost nothing, and Seawright bulling forward in his traditional manner.

The third was a Hunt round. Not because he did anything spectacular, but his work was a bit sharper to be fair, and Seawright did very little.

The fourth turned out to be Hunt’s best round of the fight. He was finally able to employ his jab and dominate from the centre of the ring. As the bell sounded the referee raised the arm and of Hunt and brought the fight to a close. He was awarded the fight by a score of 40-37.

Hunt rises to 15-1-1 (1KO) but one wonders how far he will actually go. Seawright falls to 3-47-2 and is never going to give anyone an easy night.

Andy Keates of Leek continued his venture into the paid ranks with a victory over Walsall’s Steve Gethin in a super-featherweight clash over 4 x3’s. Keates began well enough behind his southpaw jab and occasional attacks. After that it turned into a messy affair. Keates didn’t look explosive and didn’t seem to like it when Gethin made his attacks. Although he took the third and fourth rounds he wasn’t really impressing.

The fourth tuned into a really tough stanza for the Staffordshire man. After a low blow by Gethin and then a clash of heads, Keates seemed to be finding it more and more uncomfortable. Gethin charged forward and was able to land some decent shots to body and head, and on my card he took the round. The bell rang to finish the fight and Keates took the decision by a score of 40-36. Obviously the referee didn’t like Gethin’s fourth round work as much as I did. Keates moves to 2-0 but has lot of work to do in the gym (he is only 20, he has time). Gethin drops to 11-60-3 (6KO’s) and is a credit to the sport.

The show opener saw Tom Shaw take on Kristain Laight over 4 x3’s in a lightweight contest. The victory was a routine one for Shaw who moves to 2-0. Laight drops to 6-94-6 and is a good test for the youngsters coming through.

So that was the night in Queensferry. In the end it was an evening that gave us more questions than answers. How far can Sergey Rabchenko go? What has Bradley Pryce got left? Will Tom Doran and Max Maxwell settle the score once and for all? These are questions that really need answers. Still, it will be exciting finding them out.