‘The Villain’ looks the pick of Maloney’s heavyweight prospects

Ben Carey at ringside: Promoter Frank Maloney showcased no less than three fledgling heavyweight prospects on the Price-McDermott undercard at Liverpool Olympia but it was MMA convert Dillian ‘The Villain’ Whyte who most caught the eye.

Whyte (16st 7lbs) clattered veteran Hastings Rasani (16st 2lbs) with everything barring the proverbial kitchen sink for four rounds but stopped just short of forcing a stoppage. The Brixton fighter looked loose and relaxed throughout in contrast to what you might expect given his mixed martial arts background. Whyte rocked Rasani in the opener after drilling him with a left hook immediately following a clinch, and a right hand left Hastings woozy on the ropes as he desperately tried to dip and sway his way out of trouble.

Although never the most graceful of performers, Rasani’s balance looks to be getting progressively worse as he stumbled around the ring with Whyte in hot pursuit in round two. Another big right bounced off Rasani’s head but somehow he remained upright. Dillian let his punches flow impressively but was unable to produce enough composure to finish Rasani off when he had his man in trouble. This was evident in round three when Whyte spun himself around 360 degrees after launching a right hand haymaker.

Dillian continued his assault in the final session but had to settle for a 40-36 points win from referee Steve Gray, scoring from ringside for trialist official Alvin Finch who handled the action in the ring. The charismatic Whyte moves to 4-0 (1) and is going to be fun to watch.

6’7” giant Gary Cornish was taken the distance for the third fight running by Lithuania’s Remigijus Ziausys. The unbeaten Inverness heavyweight was awarded a 40-37 points victory from referee Mark Lyson after four rounds of action to register his fifth pro victory, however ‘The Highlander’ was unable to make a dent in his opponent despite enjoying over a two-stone weight advantage

After a quiet opening round, Cornish (16st 11lbs) established his jab in round two and followed this with a stinging right hand which Ziausys (14st 7lbs) felt the full force of. The durable Lithuanian journeyman, who has only been stopped once previously despite suffering 46 defeats in his 70 contests, came back and attempted to target Cornish’s body in round three. This prompted Cornish to launch a two-fisted burst in retaliation which had Ziausys covering up as he was pinned in his own corner.

Cornish switched to the southpaw stance in the final round and a body attack had Ziausys briefly sagging against the ropes but the Lithuanian was able to survive to the final bell. The Scot is mobile enough for a big man and looks to possess some decent skills, however he’d benefit from adding some much-needed power to his arsenal. His next outing will be on the undercard of Lee McAlister’s European light-welterweight title challenge against Denis Shafikov at the Exhibition Centre in Aberdeen on 25 February.

Hatfield heavyweight Tom Little made it three wins out of three with a routine 40-36 points win over Lithuania’s Ignoris Borucha (now 6-17-1). Little, appearing slightly fleshy at 17st 10lbs, showed decent handspeed and a good work ethic against Borucha (15st 1lbs) who predictably offered very little in reply. Little scored repeatedly with one-twos off the jab but at times struggled for accuracy as Borucha covered up. Tom also produced some solid body shots in the third but had to ship a right hand to the temple in reply. Borucha was sent tumbling to the canvas in the fourth and final session after a tangling of feet which referee Steve Gray correctly ruled as no-knockdown.

Chant of the night goes to the supporters of Scarborough’s Danny Price who unashamedly sang ‘Seaside Danny Price, I said Seaside Danny Price’ throughout his cruiserweight four-rounder against Bulgaria’s Tayar Mehmed. Former amateur star Price (14st 8lbs), who was cheered on by former world featherweight champion Paul Ingle at ringside, was a class above Mehmed (14st 7lbs) as he coasted to his third win since turning pro.

An uppercut on the bell to end the second round made Mehmed briefly touch down. The Bulgarian immediately sprang to his feet to make his way back to his corner only to be hauled back by referee Gray who administered him the mandatory eight-count. Price could have moved through the gears had he wished but seemed content to put rounds in the bank as he delivered a measured performance behind the jab. A shot left hook inside jolted Mehmed in the fourth and final round but Price slightly feel short with his follow-up punches and had to settle for a 40-35 verdict.

In a contest following the Price-McDermott main event, Paddy McDonagh (12st 5lbs) captured the vacant Irish light-heavyweight title with a comfortable ten-round points victory against compatriot John Waldron. For a championship contest the action had rather a sedate feel to it and resembled more of a sparring session at times. Southpaw McDonagh, now unbeaten in eight) was generally a step ahead against Waldron (12s6 lbs) who whilst marching forward throughout lacked any real urgency.

On occasion, McDonagh did showcase some genuine quality as he cleverly disguised his shots, typified when he surprised Waldron when catching him with a right cross when appearing poised to throw a left hand in round three. The action heated up slightly in round six after Waldron complained following a clash of heads. John, who had lost his last four contests going into this, appears to have forgotten how to win. This was exemplified in the seventh when he appeared to shake McDonagh with a right hand but seemed unaware that he had his man briefly in trouble and his chance had gone.

In the end, McDonagh ran out an easy winner, earning a 99-91 points verdict from Steve Gray which tallied with my card. It was dreary stuff compared to the fireworks produced by Price though.

In the show opener, Gateshead’s Robert Dixon recorded a 40-36 points win over Andrew ‘Paddy’ Patterson from Birmingham in a light-middleweight clash set over four-threes. Due to being kept waiting outside for over half-an-hour by the poorly organised Olympia stewards, I didn’t catch the boxers weights when the action commenced shortly after 6pm. Dixon, now 4-0, is still searching for his first stoppage win and did everything he could to force referee Mark Lyson’s intervention.

A right hand dipped the face-first Patterson’s knees in round two and uppercuts also jolted back the head of the Birmingham journeyman in round three (now 4-25-3). Dixon closed the fight off impressively, belting Patterson to the body with a sustained attack against the ropes in round four but ‘Paddy’ hung on.