Turley is the new Welsh champion
On Saturday night, Newport Leisure Centre was witness to the age old battle between boxer and fighter, as Cefn Fforest stylist Robbie Turley (8st 9 1/2lbs) faced off against all action Paul Economides (8st.9 1/4lbs) from Connahs Quay in a battle for the vacant Welsh super-bantamweight title over ten rounds. After a competitive if not thrilling tussle, Turley was crowned champion of his nation in a result that pleased the partisan crowd in attendance, winning on points 99-92.
The fight started as it would continue. Turley employed mobile tactics whilst Economides came in, trying to make the speedster stand and trade. For the most part, Turley controlled the round using the jab and the occasional long, whipping right hand. Still, a right hand down the centre from Economides at the end boosted the youngster’s confidence as he was at least able to get to his opponent. Turley continued to dance round the ring in the second, not waiting around to get caught. He began to throw shots to the body as Economides advanced. Economides was missing with his hooks as he came in. Turley’s work once again would win him the round, even if the quality was not spectacular.
The third round would turn out to be the best stanza for Economides. Turley continued to move away whilst landing to the body, but Economides was able to cut the ring off and force a tear up. This is where Economides wanted, and needed to be. Paul ,unsurprisingly, won the battle when it was on the inside, Turley’s head being rocked back from quality right hands. It seemed at this point that Economides would take over, like he would begin to empty his opponent’s tank and force the fight he would most likely win. It was at this point that Turley began to dominate the encounter, most rounds beginning to look like mirror images of each other. Economides would struggle to get close, and when he did, the work would become messy. Turley, on the break, would proceed to move away and begin to land the straight shots and hooks that would eventually win him the fight.
Let’s get this straight, Turley isn’t a Pernell Whittaker clone, but he is fast and slick. At this level, if you follow him in straight lines he will make you look silly, and this is what was happening here.
The seventh round was Turley’s best so far. His workrate increased and he was out boxing his opponent with ease. As an increasingly frustrated Economides advanced, he would get tagged and there seemed a predictable path to the way the fight was heading. The eighth and ninth rounds were better for Economides, though they were probably not good enough to earn him the sessions. Paul began to get closer, though when he got there he wasn’t able to inflict much damage. Turley still moved, and he was able to land single shots, though he did look like, after all the exertion, he was beginning to tire.
The tenth round saw more of the same. Turley lost his gum shield twice during the session and it was apparent that his work-rate was dropping. Still, his single shots where the ones that caught the eye. Economides began to land more right hands but it was too little, too late. It was no surprise when the referee raised the arm of Turley and named him the new champion by a score of 99-92.
For Turley it is onwards and upwards. Now a champion, he can expect the bigger fights as he heads towards his dream of a major title. There is no doubting that his mixture of speed and awkwardness will make him a handful for most fighters on the domestic scene. For Economides it is back to the drawing board. There was no evidence of the recent improvements he has shown but that is most likely down to the style of his opponent. Those who have seen him in action know they are there, he just came up against a man who, on this night did not let him use his game plan. But at a weight where opportunities come faster than you would suspect, coupled with the fact he has just stepped up to ten rounds and shown no ill effects (he looked as strong at the end as at the start) a chance to redeem himself may just be around the corner. Turley moves to 9-3 (1 KO). Economides falls to 9-2.
Fight of the night saw Shaun Doherty (8st 9 1/4lbs) knock out popular Welshman Matthew Edmonds (8st 9 1/4lbs) in final session to claim the British Masters super-bantamweight title over ten rounds. After his last fight (a points defeat to the aforementioned Paul Economides) I described Doherty as being ‘far better than his record suggests’. These words have proven to be correct quicker than I ever envisaged.
The rangier Doherty began the fight on the move, with Edmonds advancing. Suddenly a big right hand rocked Edmonds to his heels. Doherty continued with the quality work and seemed quicker to the punch than his more experienced opponent. The second was a far better round for Edmonds. Good quality lefts and rights started to connect with Doherty, and he also started on the body work, in an attempt to slow Doherty down. A right hand down the middle bloodied the nose of Doherty as it seemed like Edmonds would begin to show his class.
The third round was another good one for Edmonds, a big left hand sent blood spraying over my new white top and my mobile phone (I will be sending Shaun the cleaning bill right after I have written this). All joking aside Doherty did look like he was beginning to tire, but he never stopped trying, forcing Edmonds to work all the time, a tactic which would bear fruit later on.
The fourth stanza was close. Doherty made a concerted effort to force the pace, whilst Edmonds fought fire with fire. Edmonds was able to dominate the last minute of the fight, his slick shots finding a home on Doherty’s features and giving him the round. Doherty began the fifth round well also. A right hand knocked Edmonds to the canvas but the knockdown was not called. Only seeing it once I wouldn’t like to venture a guess as to whether this was the correct call. The Doherty camp however, was livid at the decision. Edmonds came back well from this ‘setback’, and dominated with his skills to, in my opinion, nick the round. This was the extra experience coming in, knowing when to up the rate to steal the judge’s eye.
Doherty, as was becoming the predictable pattern, began the sixth well. But this time Edmonds was able to turn it around quicker and proceeded to have his best round of the fight so far. Right hands were coming into play as Edmonds gave a boxing clinic. He was beginning to use Doherty as target practice. The seventh saw more of the same. Edmonds was producing all the good work, lefts, rights, all landing on Doherty. This was real, quality boxing. Doherty never stopped trying but he was losing the battle. Or was he? At this point, I will admit, I was starting to look ahead to the Turley-Economides fight. I was pretty comfortable in the knowledge that Edmonds would claim the title, but Doherty would gain immeasurably in defeat. How wrong I was.
The eighth round began and suddenly a right to the head dropped Edmonds to his knees. He looked more stunned than hurt, but business as they say, ‘was picking up’. Edmonds proceeded to have his moments in the round, and to be fair, the knockdown began to look like a setback, not a disaster. Still, this was a 10-8 round for Doherty. But he would need the last two rounds to be big in his favour if he wanted to get the result. He would get them as well.
The ninth saw Doherty sink the knees of Edmonds with another big right hand. He continued to boss the round, landing big shots on a visibly tiring opponent. He had drained the tank of Edmonds, but now he needed to finish him off. Going into the last round, I had Edmonds two rounds up. There was only one man in the ascendancy, but the question was, did Doherty have enough time to complete the job? The answer came quickly. A big right hand once again dropped Edmonds to the canvas. He rose, but looked on shaky legs. A further barrage of punches dropped him to his knees. Once again he rose to his feet, but once again he looked unsteady. As Doherty advanced, Edmonds got on his bike, trying to get to the final bell. There would be no stopping the Bradford man however, and a big right hand knocked Edmonds to the canvas and stopped the fight immediately.
The referee called time at 1-53 of the tenth and final round and crowned Doherty the new champion. For Doherty it is now life as a belt holder. There will be plenty of good fights out there for him, most notably against Paul Economides, who bested him twice in close decisions. One wonders whether the chance for revenge will prove far too tempting for Doherty. We wait with anticipation. For Edmonds, this defeat will be heartbreaking. He proved himself still able to mix in championship class, but one wonders what affect this will have on his mental set up? Still, it is obvious he still has much more to offer. Doherty rises to 3-4-3 (1 KO). Edmonds falls to 11-5 (2 KOs) .
We also got to see the debut of a man who many believe could turn out to be a real star of the future. Francis Luke Robinson (10st 1/4lb) produced a performance against Craig Dyer (10st 1/4lb) over four-threes that left the scribes ringside wondering if they had seen the beginning of something really special. Luke (son of former Welsh world champion Steve Robinson) began his pro career in scintillating fashion; a big left to the head in the first few seconds gave a signal of intent. He proceeded to land with shots to the body, and combinations to the head. A left hand to the body sickened Dyer and he lurched towards the ropes. It looked like the fight would close out in the first round, but Dyer, to his credit gritted his teeth and came through it.
Robinson continued with combination punching that in no way looked like that of a novice, a lovely left uppercut from Robinson at the start of the second round showed things were going to carry on where they had left off. Still, Dyer continued to put his own work in, a big fight hand sending sweat spraying from the head of Robinson. The quality of work was still there from Robinson and he easily swept the round, though this was turning into a nice, competitive match. Dyer continued to make an effort in the third but great flurries from Robinson rocked him, and a left hand to the head from Robinson dipped his legs. Robinson’s body work was that of a seasoned pro.
The closing round saw Robinson continue where he had left off in the previous round. When he boxed Robinson was top class. He would occasionally get into trouble from his corner for standing in the pocket and giving Dyer a chance to land, but if you complained you would be nit-picking. Robinson was soon able to push his opponent to the ropes a produced some lovely work, including a great right hand. The bell sounded and the referee awarded Robinson a debut win. He certainly looks one to watch. He rises to 1-0. Dyer falls to 0-16 but is always good value and a great work out for the kids.
Galway-born Louie Lee (12st 1/2 lb) made his pro debut against Ianto Jenkins (12st 4lbs) in a bout over four-twos. Lee started off quickly against Jenkins (who was beaten by Tom Doran in the Welsh senior finals in 2009). There didn’t really seem much method to Lee’s work during the first round, only wild hooks on the inside. These hooks were however landing, and the more skilful Jenkins was finding it hard to get his own work off. The second round saw Lee’s work, though still wild, becoming cleaner. There was occasional good work from Jenkins, but nowhere near enough to earn him the round. The third was better for Jenkins, as Lee, because of his frenetic work rate of the previous rounds, began to tire. As Jenkins got more time to do his work, he started to use the skills that had made him a gifted amateur. Still, Lee continued to bustle forward making the round competitive and it was a case of whose style you liked most when it came to judging the round. The fourth was a definite Jenkins round. A brilliant uppercut by Jenkins rocked the head of Lee back. Jenkins was now happy to move and throw out the classy shots he had been unable to produce earlier. The bell tolled and Lee’s had was raised in victory by a score of 39-37. I had the bout 38-38 but couldn’t really argue with the referee’s interpretation. Lee rises to 1-0 but although exciting, will need more than that if he is to make it to the big time. Jenkins falls to 0-2 will need to adjust to a more pro style if he is to find success.
The show opened with a bout full of action and no little quality between Darren Pryce (8st 6lbs) and Kyle King (8st 4lbs) over four-threes. The first round was close, good right hands by Pryce (younger brother of Bradley Pryce) were countered by a decent jab and high work-rate from King. The second round began with Pryce attempting to up the tempo. King countered with a big right hand to the head and a left to the body. This, coupled with decent straight right hands down the middle earned him the round on my card. The third round began with a big left from Pryce, but, once again in doing so, he left himself open when attacking. Both men produced good work during the session but Pryce just seemed to do that little bit more.
The fourth round turned out to be the session that dictated the way the decision would go. Pryce, industrious as ever started off with a good right hand but once again left himself far too open, a right to the body from King looking particularly hurtful. Pryce would continually land with good shots, but King would come back with better. The final bell went and King’s hand was raised and awarded the victory by a score of 39-37. The bout could have been a draw, but once again the result couldn’t really be argued with. King rises to 2-1 and seems like he can make an impact at a certain level. Pryce falls to 0-2 but shouldn’t be disheartened; he put up a good show and will win plenty if he continues to improve and fight with such heart and passion.
Also on the bill, Frankie Borg (2-0) outpointed Jamie Norkett (3-18 1 KO) 40-36 over four rounds, whilst Justyn Hugh moved to 7-0 with a victory over debutant Jody Meikle.
So all in all a very enjoyable show, especially for our new champions Robbie Turley and Shaun Doherty. Both men proof that even if things don’t go well straight away, there is always time to turn it round. The good times are always just around the corner.
