Goodings wins English title in cracker With Truscott

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It was another cracking night of action on Saturday night from Phil Jeffries’ Pro Box North East show, this time at the Rainton Meadows Arena in Houghton le Spring. You name it, the show had it - KO finishes, local upsets, fight of the year contenders and even an element of farce.

Heading the bill was the English lightweight title fight between Middlesbrough’s Paul Truscott and Sunderland’s Kirk Goodings which also had local pride at stake, as well as the national title.

Goodings started off in the first round at a ferocious pace, throwing and landing seemingly at will, and moving quickly out of range of the counters. Truscott started to pick up towards the end of the round but when the bell went, he was sure to be a point down.

It was a similar pattern in the second, with Goodings unafraid of Truscott’s punches. The Middlesbrough man is a superb boxer who could have gone to the top if he had more of a dig. In the early stages of the fight, the only damage Truscott was able to inflict on his younger opponent was due to an accidental clash of heads which caused a cut over Gooding’s right eye.

It was a lot closer in the third as Truscott was able to evade a lot of Goodings' shots. The Sunderland man started as he left off in the previous round but Truscott seemed to flick a switch and was trading with Goodings blow for blow. Opinions were split at ringside as to who won the round. This continued into the fourth and although it was another very close round, it seemed that Goodings was throwing more shots and doing enough to shade the close sessions.

Both men were visibly tiring as they came out for the 5th. Of the two, Goodings looked more tired, which wasn't surprising after how many shots he had already thrown in the fight. At this stage, Truscott’s extra experience at the championship level could have proved crucial.

Just when you thought they couldn’t keep up the pace, they seemed to up it in the 6th. Although looking tired and potentially vulnerable, Goodings was landing a lot more shots and clearly won the round, although Truscott was landing with some classy counters, particularly uppercuts when up close.

The 7th was not as easy to split. Goodings was still landing more but Truscott was really punishing any mistakes and landing cleanly himself. It became ragged at times, but nobody was complaining as the crowd were all on their feet shouting for their man. Truscott may not be known for his punching power but he is one tough individual who gives it his all and at this stage it still looked like he was in with a chance of turning it around.

While it looked like Goodings was flagging, he raised his game again and clearly took the 8th. Not only was his work rate exceptional, but he also improved his boxing and was once again getting out of range after landing his shots. Both men were putting so much into this but the younger, fresher Goodings just seemed more willing to let his gloves go and that was looking to be the difference between the two.

Truscott rallied again in the 9th as he toughed it out with Goodings. Once again, those at ringside were split as to who won the round. Goodings continued to throw more leather but Truscott seemed to be landing the cleaner shots overall. It was exhausting just watching.

Both men came out for the final round not knowing for sure if they were ahead or behind and gave it their all for one last stand. Once again Goodings threw more punches and although Truscott cannot be faulted for how much he put into the fight, he just didn’t throw enough shots. When the final bell sounded, both men soaked up the deserved adulation from the crowd.

It was now a waiting game as MC Brian Houshby read out the judges’ scores. With cards that read 99-91 twice and another of 99-92, it was no surprise that Goodings’ hand was raised. Although it could have been a few points closer, Goodings did more in a lot of the rounds and deserved the win. Despite what looked like a landslide on the cards, Truscott did himself proud and it was a lot closer fight than the scores would suggest.

There was another local derby on the show as Horden’s Anthony Hardy took on Newcastle’s Chris Bennett in a four round light welterweight contest. The first round was very much a scouting mission with both men clearly not wanting to lose out to a local rival. Bennett landed some decent body shots, whilst Hardy ended the round with a decent combination to push Bennett back onto the ropes. It was hard to give either man the edge in the opener.

The second round was scrappy at times but there was a lot more action. Hardy was the much taller man and also fights from the southpaw stance, so Bennett had to force the issue. The Newcastle man raided with his head low and although Hardy was doing enough to keep Bennett away, his punches weren't that effective. It was crying out for the uppercut but he seemed unsure of the range and wasn’t throwing with confidence or power.

Bennett had a good third round and forced the issue. Although he never looked like he was going to hurt Hardy, his good head movement was enough to keep him out of danger when he came into range and it was Bennett who won the first clear round.

It seemed level as both men came out for the final round and once again it was Bennett who started better, landing shots to the body as he managed to evade Hardy’s counters. It was still in the balance with around a minute to go when Hardy seemed to step things up and really go for it. Bennett had put a lot in to the first half of the round and Hardy saw his chance as Bennett’s work rate dropped. Hardy scored a knockdown with a good combination which ended with a solid straight left. Bennett didn’t look like being stopped but after putting so much into the earlier part of the fight, he couldn’t answer back and Hardy won the last round by 10-8.

As it turned out, that knockdown was crucial as Hardy won the contest by 39-38. It wasn’t the tidiest of contests but neither man could be faulted for their effort. When a southpaw meets an orthodox fighter it can be messy, especially when one man is a lot taller than the other. Both men will come on for the experience but it is Hardy who marches forward with his unbeaten record intact.

Also on the undercard, Sunderland’s Jonson McClumpha got back to winning ways against Sheffield’s Dean Walker in a fairly one sided middleweight contest. McClumpha, still unbeaten as a pro, recently drew with Newcastle’s Andrew Buchannan in a fight many are calling the north east fight of the year. After a lengthy absence, he clearly needs the rounds and the durable Walker was just what the doctor ordered.

Although some were looking for McClumpha to step things up and go for the finish, he dominated the fight behind a good solid jab and although he could have taken more chances, it has to be remembered that to get to the top, you need to practice the art of hitting without being hit. As the fight wore on, McClumpha was landing some decent right hands to the head but with Walker’s high held guard, his fans would have liked to see him work the body a bit more.

That said, he ran out a comfortable 40-36 winner and he is now unbeaten in 7 contests. McClumpha looks like he needs to bring more aggression into his game, like we saw against Buchannan in July. On that day he was forced into action from the excellent Buchannan and if he is to realise his undoubted potential, he will need to step up against sterner opposition in order to bring the best out of himself.

At light middleweight, Edinburgh’s John McCallum travelled down to take on Lancashire’s William Warburton over 4 rounds. McCallum came into the contest with a record of 4-0 and brought down a good following who certainly made plenty noise directly behind me. There was no scouting mission in this one as McCallum started like a train, landing with solid combinations to body and head, although Warburton did have his moments on the inside.

McCallum did enough to win the second but was clearly having to work hard to stay on top of his more experienced opponent. Warburton is one of the toughest journeymen around and comes to the ring with his own ambitions and as McCallum was beginning to tire, he saw his opportunity to apply his own pressure.

It was no surprise to see Warburton having a good third round, despite being the naturally lighter man. Warburton has beaten 7 unbeaten prospects in his time and this was beginning to look like it could be number 8 as McCallum was taking punishment, especially to the body. It was a round that was hard to judge but Warburton seemed to land the cleaner, better shots.

The final session was another close one and it looked like it could be a Warburton round until McCallum closed the fight with a late assault. He may have tried too hard early in the fight as he tried to put a show on for his fans, but Warburton is a good pro who knows how to look after himself and it would have been interesting if this had been over 6 rounds. In the end, McCallum ran out a 40-38 winner and Warburton will have to wait until next time to see if he can take another scalp.

As well as the good action, there was an element of comedy about one of the fights. On paper it looked like a decent heavyweight bout between Yorkshire’s Dave Allen (3-0) and Hungary’s Oliver Nagy (2-1) but as soon as they entered the ring, there were concerns over Nagy’s condition. The man from Budapest was described as the worst conditioned heavyweight those at ringside had seen with his gut clearly sagging over his shorts.

The fight itself was over before it began with Nagy going down to the first meaningful attack from Allen. Nagy slowly scrambled to his feet and although it was clear that he simply didn’t want to be there, the referee allowed the fight to continue. One more attack from Allen and it was over and the crowd didn’t know whether to boo or laugh. It was another win for Allen but nothing could be gained from this fight, apart from Nagy never being invited back to these shores again.

On a much more positive note, there was an impressive showing from Hartlepool’s Michael Hadfield as he took on Maidenhead’s Jack Heath at super featherweight. Hadfield, a former European junior champion in the amateurs, came into the fight with a buzz of expectation but he looked like he was going to be tested as Heath started well with a series of solid jabs which didn’t allow him to settle. As the local man began to find his rhythm, he started landing clean, classy shots which were knocking Heath’s head back towards the end of the round.

Hadfield started the next round where he left off and was looking like the hot prospect his amateur pedigree suggested. He was now in full control and was asserting effective aggression with both hands, shifting his weight superbly to get good power without loading up. Heath still fought gamely but by the end of the round, the end was already looking in sight.

Heath failed to show for the third, citing an injured wrist. Even without the injury, it was hard to see the contest going much longer. Hadfield certainly looks like one to watch and another great addition to the blossoming pool of talent in the region. He is clearly adapting well to the pros and although it’s important not to rush things, Hadfield looks capable of stepping up a level and it will be interesting to see how he progresses over the next 12 months.

It was not all celebrations on the local front as Easington’s Paul Archer suffered his first loss at the hands of hard hitting Welshman Tony Dixon at welterweight. Both men entered the ring with 100 per cent records and it was Dixon who had the early success. After being warned by the referee for holding and hitting, Dixon caught Archer with a solid left hook to the head and put him down quite heavily. Archer was throwing a right hook of his own and got caught square on - he did well to get up, managing to get through the round as he held on to Dixon, smothering his work.

Archer came back well in the second and landed some good shots, pushing Dixon back on to the ropes. Those attacks were sporadic and Dixon looked like he could have Archer in trouble again at any stage if he connected clean. Archer still may have done enough to shade a close round.

In the third, Archer did his best to turn the fight around after his nightmare start, although he was still looking understandably cautious. Dixon, though, would not be denied and the longer the fight went on, the more he was able to impose his strength on to Archer. The Welshman looks very big at the weight and carries serious power in both fists.

As both men came out for the last round, Archer clearly needed a KO to win. He was able to land some decent right hands but Dixon also showed that he could take a shot and he was always looking to come back at Archer with interest and he ran out comfortably to a 39-36 win, inflicting the first defeat on the Easington fighter. Archer did well to hear the final bell after such a shaky opener and he can still take positives when he has time to reflect on the experience, whilst Dixon now moves to 3-0 and looks like he could well be a future champion. He is still very raw but his strength and aggression could take him a long way in the game.

Despite the disappointment from Archer’s defeat, the fans went home more than happy after a night of top action, finished off by the cracker between Goodings and Truscott. Jeffries’ final show of 2013 will have the region looking forward to his next bill, although there is still more pro boxing to come before the year is out. Newcastle based promoter Steve Wraith has a show on in Gateshead on November 22nd with Sedgefield's Bradley Saunders heading the bill. After that, former pro boxer Mark Clauzel puts on his first show as a promoter in Newcastle on December 7th headed by the Commonwealth bantamweight title fight between Martin Ward and Gabriel Odoi Laryea.

More on those shows to follow soon but for now the glory has to go to Kirk Goodings after winning his first title. After 4 fights in the last 8 months, he will take a well earned rest before a planned defence on Jeffries’ first show of 2014 on March 1st, once again at the Rainton Meadows Arena.

 

 

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