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Hobson's
Champ....
and the division's hot!
Reported from ringside by Paul Concannon
After the
disappointment of Clinton Woods late notice injury withdrawal from a scheduled
world Light-Heavyweight title eliminator with Glencoffe Johnson, the show went
ahead at the Ponds Forge Leisure Centre.
With Woods
unexpected pull-out, Cruiserweights Mark Hobson and Rob Norton found themselves
bumped to main event status on a show televised the same night by the BBC.
It was a chance for two skilled operators with a punch to showcase
themselves to a wider audience with the added incentive of the vacant British
Cruiserweight title to the winner.
Stourbridge’s
Norton was back from a 10-month layoff following a brain scan irregularity (now
clear), but the southpaw entered the ring with a 22-2-1 (13) record and a
reputation for a dangerous left hand.
Hobson, 20-3-1
(10), coming in, was also the reigning Commonwealth champion, a title also on
the line in this 12-rounder, so with two titles to play for and a chance for the
winner to feature in some big-money fights in a talent-packed division, the bout
promised to be a very reasonable consolation for the loss of the original
show-topper.
Hobson was
quickest off the mark in a cagey opener, patiently walking down the
counter-punching midlands southpaw. Boxing
in a languid, relaxed style, the lanky Hobson nagged away with efficient
pressure as both probed for openings in an even first.
Hobson continued
his stalking in the second as he nagged away with neat jabs and crosses before
timing a perfect right cross to dump Norton heavily for the first knockdown.
Up quickly, smiling and seemingly unhurt, Rob survived the remainder of
the round without undue difficulty.
The third and
fourth rounds followed a similar pattern with Hobson the busier and more
effective fighter and Norton, who perhaps a touch effected with ring-rust,
agonizingly slow to get off, seemingly looking for that one big left when he
should have been at least shooting out his jab to give the taller local
something to think about. With four rounds gone, the best I could give Norton was a
share of one round, the first; he needed to make something happen, soon.
After more
probing and posing Norton finally found the shot he was looking for when a
perfect left hand caught the attacking Hobson flush sending his eyes into orbit
as he wobbled backwards into the ropes midway through the fifth.
Norton’s attempts to follow up were sloppy, again perhaps indicative of
his inactivity and Hobson saw out the round easily enough, even landing a good
right hand seconds later.
Norton was
floored again by another right cross in the sixth round, and while up and
smiling once again, it was pretty much downhill all the way for the
shaven-headed midlander. Busier,
sharper, hungrier Hobson applied steady pressure and survived the odd wobble and
a cut eye inspection in round nine to take a wide 118-110 verdict on the
referee’s card.
The immensely
likeable Hobson, quick to praise the loser for a gutsy performance, was well
worth the win; he simply wanted it that bit more. Despite finishing with a cut
and swollen left eye he completed his first 12 rounder with plenty to spare as
he chased the fading Norton round in the last and at 27, he can feature in some
very interesting matches in a bubbling division.
As for Norton,
another very pleasant man, it’s back to the drawing board.
The 12 rounds may have helped him shed that ring rust and while widely
(perhaps too widely) outscored, he didn’t take a serious beating; despite the
two knockdowns the defeat was more of the out-worked variety. He can come again.
Currently,
the cruiserweight division over here includes WBO champion Johnny Nelson, WBU
champion Enzo Macinarelli, hotshot David Haye, and old warhorse Carl Thompson
amongst others. The aforementioned
Nelson and Haye were both ringside and Thompson scored an easy first round
knockout down the bill meaning that the majority of the UK top 10 were actually
present on the night. Match any two
of them and it’s a good fight, lets just hope it doesn’t fizzle out like the
once equally promising home Light-Middleweight scene did a few years back; more
on that some other time…
A
very reasonable undercard saw three fighters scoring fourth round retirement
victories. Amer Khan out-boxed the brawling Shepethim Hoti at Light-Heavyweight
before nailing him with a left, some say with a thumb, to force a surrender.
Lee Swaby and the gifted Roman Greenburg forced Brody Permaine and Luke
Simpkin respectively to stay on their stools in a pair of mainly one-sided
workouts up at heavyweight.
Greenburg
was the standout as he floored and out-boxed the tough Simpkin in a fine
exhibition of southpaw sharp-shooting. Much
is expected of a former amateur sensation that improves to 12-0 (9).
Tony
Dowling debatably outscored ex British title contender Denzil Brown at cruiser
in a real slam-bang affair over six. Most
felt Browne was unlucky, his punches being of the eye-catching variety as the
less experienced Dowling bustled away bravely.
It’s a fight that could and should go on again.
As
mentioned above, Carl, Thompson, the ex WBO Crusierweight champion looked sharp
before drilling the over-matched and rather fragile Hastings Rasani in the first
round; one right hand did the damage. Carl
is 2-0 (2) on the comeback following his loss in a 6-knockdown war with Ezra
Sellars back in 2001.
The
final bout of the night saw the colourful prospect Patrick Maxwell score a final
round stoppage of a very brave Spanish debutant called Isidro Gonzalez at
Light-Middle.
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Special thanks go
to Richard Poxon at Hobson Promotions and Kevin the Sheffield taxi driver who
pulled over to help me change a flat tyre while driving home after the show!
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