A Knockout Night at UEA

PLEASE SCROLL THROUGH THE PHOTOS (from Edd Smith Photography)

JOE HAZELL

Without question, the sport of Boxing is one that divides opinion. Indeed, to many, the endeavour of inflicting physical harm upon one’s peers represents and epitomises much of what they deem to be wrong with our sporting culture. As such, the last 20 years have admittedly seen a nosedive in Boxing’s mainstream popularity.

Various endemic problems within the administrative sphere of the sport have sadly left many fans feeling somewhat disenfranchised and alienated. With television exposure restricted to Pay-Per-View Box Office events, limited coverage on Sky Sports and the occasional domestic dust-up offered by Channel 5’s burgeoning Boxing department; the game has struggled to endear itself to new generations of younger fans.

In the past, fighters have emerged as not only great athletes, but great heroes. The dignified honour of Britain’s beloved Henry Cooper, the flare and charm of Sugar Ray Leonard, the unrelenting fortitude of a Roberto Duran or Jake LaMotta – these were men who became the embodiment of what our sporting idols could and should be. They were men who could inspire, men who could move us, and men we could believe in. Sacrificing their bodies upon the altar of sporting will, they illustrated the redemptive power of Boxing; built upon principles of integrity, respect and bravery.

However, recent times have seen these cherished principles clouded by needless thuggery and arrogant machismo. It has meant that nowadays it is the out of the ring action that generate greater publicity than those undertaken within the ring itself, painting the sport as viciously sordid and rendering it increasingly marginalised within the public consciousness.

If ever there was a time for Boxing to reconnect with its roots, it is now.

And so it was with great delight that I entered a crowded LCR on Sunday night to witness an evening of pugilism at its most pure; an exciting card of one-on-one competition, a packed house, and a golden opportunity to bring the sport back to its roots; and to a whole new audience of potential fans.

The night got off to a fascinating start with two cagey but technical encounters. Raphael Vaton used a strong jab to dictate the pace of his Welterweight contest with Conrad Francis. Although sharp movement from Francis and a beautiful overhand right put Vaton

under serious pressure in the latter stages of the 2nd round, the Frenchman weathered the storm well and used his skills to shut-out his opponent with a cool efficiency to claim a points victory.

In another clash of the smaller men, some slick counter-punching from Gianni Peluso helped him to a majority decision victory over the brave and aggressive Kiron Parkash. Parkash’s come-forward style forced the action and ensured an entertaining contest, but Peluso kept his right-hand high in a tight defensive stance and stopped his opponent from delivering any effective shots, firing back with accuracy to earn a deserved win.

Thereafter, the crowd witnessed a distinct change in the nature of the action.

         Seb Newport and Jack Shreeves came to fight, and fight they did. The bout provided some fantastic action, punctuated by fiery exchanges and vicious counter-shots. Somewhat inevitably; the result was close, but Newport nonetheless landed with greater precision and accuracy throughout, securing the judges’ decision and a hard-fought victory.

Following a short interval from the UEA Dance Squad, the card resumed with Maura Flatley and Liz Coe taking to the ring. From the off, Coe showed her superb boxing skills as she jabbed beautifully, dictating the fight at distance. Her excellent footwork allowed her to control the ring-space and restrict her opponent’s movement, while a truly exquisite defence – focused around a high-guard and upright stance – prevented the ever-brave, relentless and assertive Flatley from gaining a foothold in the contest. Undoubtedly, experience told as Coe secured a solid points decision.

Next up, Luke Bennett and Yuki Sakurai Riches delighted the crowd with a traditional tear-up reminiscent of Boxing’s glory days of the pre-90’s era. The tone was set early in the 1st round with a crunching exchange of straight right-hands, with the ensuing action more than living-up to its initial promise. As the bout progressed, fatigue caused both men to widen their stances and lower their hands, inviting punishing shots from a variety of intricate angles. Bennett came away with a close decision victory over his gallant opponent, but a victory that he was made to work for all the way.

Further up the bill, Kyle Furbert triumphed over Oliver Broad in a well-matched contest. The crowd enjoyed yet another great spectacle as both fighters worked hard to adhere to Boxing’s golden rule of throwing ‘punches in bunches’. Furbert ultimately managed to fire the better, crisper shots and impressed the judges with his stout, calm resilience in the face of a number of vicious onslaughts from Broad.

But for a truly impressive display of resilience and heart, one needed to look no further than the Zulf Azam – Vangelis Nicolaides clash. A rematch of their hotly-contested draw, both fighters set about their adversary with energy, landing inventive shots aided by good footwork, a ferocious pace and raucous support from a passionate and partisan crowd. The fight was defined by Nicolaides persistently backing his opponent onto the ropes, forcing him to trade blows. Meanwhile, Azam was more than up to the test, firing back with gusto and achieving some success with a beautifully timed left-uppercut in the 2nd round. However, Azam appeared to injure his right-hand late in the round, causing him to wince in visible pain. He fought valiantly for the remainder of the contest, but – regardless of the hand injury – the greater work rate of Nicolaides ultimately meant that he was deservedly awarded the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

In the evening’s penultimate fight, UEA Boxing favourite and Derby Day hero Ed Howes turned in a nicely balanced performance in comfortably outpointing Luc ‘Lazy Boy’ Donati. Howes frustrated his rival with good movement and a varied plan of attack. He kept Donati constantly unstable, pressuring him with heavy flurries and a series of big, straight right-hands throughout. Donati looked in some distress by the 3rd and final session, but he showed admirable heart and desire to keep coming forward and forcing his opponent to fight, tucking his chin in and throwing some heavy hooks out of his ‘bob-and weave’ style.

But nothing seen throughout the night could quite prepare anyone for the evening’s MAIN EVENT. As Heavyweight contestants Abdullateef Abiola Shogbeni and Michael ‘The Pain Doctor’ Gomes entered the ring with all the razzmatazz of a Las Vegas super-fight, you could palpably sense the anticipation of what was to come. However, no amount of expectation could have possibly primed the crowd for what they saw. When Shogbeni unloaded a sickening straight-right after 12 seconds, it was clear the fight was over. Gomes had been caught with a stiff left-jab instantly, and although he weathered the punch with aplomb, the chilling shot that detonated on his exposed chin just seconds later sent him crashing to the floor with a thud obscured only by the frenzied crowd. Indeed, this is ultimately the allure of Boxing’s big men; one punch, one shot, one moment of magic can define a fight. Blink; and you just might miss it.

       UEA Fight Night is exactly the sort of event that boxing needs, boxing desires, boxing thrives upon. Honest fighters, motivated by nothing but spirit, pride, willpower and a love of their sport, performing in front of a full-house of fervent fans.

The night was an unqualified success, and underlined the fact that this wonderful, honourable sport need not be maligned and shunned by the casual fan. Events like this give boxing a good name and, perhaps more essentially, introduce it to the wider audience that it so desperately needs.

A massive congratulations must be afforded to the hundreds who went to watch, the organisers of the event and, most importantly, all the fighters who acquitted themselves so admirably. All involved deserve a great deal of respect.

Boxing has historically provided some of the most identifiable, charismatic and accessible personalities in sport. Suitably; Muhammad Ali, that most transcendent of all sporting figures, summed up Boxing’s engaging nature with typically enigmatic eloquence: ‘Boxing is not about me, Boxing is not about he, Boxing is about we’.

Indeed, if ‘we’ can continue to support events such as those seen here at UEA, his words could soon prove even more prophetic than at first thought.