Showing posts with label IBF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IBF. Show all posts

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Rainone Wants to Have His Birthday Cake and Eat it Too!





Today being his 35th birthday and having just weighed in at a rough-and-ready 146.8 lbs. for his showdown against Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (24-0, 13 KOs), you would think that Long Island, New York's Tommy "The Razor" Rainone (22-5-1, 4 KOs) would want a victory over Harrison for his birthday gift.

Wrong. "I want to eat!!!" said a hungry Rainone, after stepping off the scale.

Rainone and Harrison (24-0, 13 KOs) will meet 10-round main-event showdown on music superstar Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports debut boxing card tomorrow (Friday, January 9), at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City and live on FOX Sports 1 (10PM ET/7PM PT).

"Eating like a normal person again after this long training camp," is my gift to myself," continued Rainone. "Beating Hernandez-Harrison tomorrow night? That'll be my birthday cake!"

Also featured on the card at MSG is, Rainone's GCP stable mate, Cecile McCalla, of Randallstown, Maryland, who will face South African southpaw Chris "The Heat" van Heerden (21-1-1, 11 KOs) for the IBF International Welterweight Championship.

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About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing's premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen made headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James "Lights Out" Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; Freddie Roach-trained heavyweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, currently rated #12 in the WBA; Top 15 IBF and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Undefeated Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla. 

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

Monday, January 5, 2015

McCalla Confident Heading into van Heerden Showdown this Friday





"It's the biggest opportunity I've had, but in my mind, it's just another fight," says undefeated welterweight Cecil McCalla (20-0, 7 KOs).

The easy-going McCalla, a Randallstown, Maryland, native, will face South African southpaw Chris "The Heat" van Heerden (21-1-1, 11 KOs) for the IBF International Welterweight Championship this Friday, January 9, at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City and live on FOX Sports 1 (10PM ET/7PM PT).

McCalla vs. van Heerden will serve as the main supporting bout to fan favorite New Yorker Tommy Rainone (22-5-1, 4 KOs) taking on unbeaten Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (24-0, 13 KOs) on music superstar Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports debut boxing card, entitled "Throne Boxing."

If McCalla is feeling the pressure before the biggest fight of his boxing career, he's hiding it well. But the 29-year-old has already proven himself a clutch player. He was scheduled to fight van Heerden last July until van Heerden pulled out with an injury two weeks before the fight. Despite having spent his entire training camp preparing for a southpaw, McCalla agreed to fight orthodox fighter Oscar Godoy (then 13-2) on short notice and won a dominant unanimous decision.

"I feel like that opponent (Godoy) is a little tougher than this guy van Heerden," continued the confident McCalla. "He (van Heerden) is a southpaw from South Africa and a pretty rough pressure fighter, but I won't have any problems with him. I used to spar Paul Williams before I even turned pro and he's a lot stronger than this guy."

If McCalla sounds supremely confident, it's because he has a secret weapon from across the ocean on his side.

"I trained for my fight in the UK," explained McCalla. "My manager, Camero Mercer,knew a trainer named Lee Beard, and told me I should go over there and work with him. I decided to give it a shot two summers ago and I've been going there to train for every fight since then. Lee knows his stuff."

McCalla says the improvements from working with Beard, best known for his work with Ricky and Matthew Hatton, have been incredible. "I felt like I was getting caught too much before and it's made a very big difference in working with Lee. He's hard to please and he pays close attention to everything. I like him."

Happy with the opportunities afforded him by his promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, McCalla says a victory over van Heerden will put him exactly where he wasnts to be.

"Greg Cohen does a great job for me and I'm happy with where I am as far as opportunities coming my way. And I'll start getting better fights after this victory and that will put me in the mix with the Andre Bertos and Keith Thurmans and guys like that. Hopefully I'll be world champion sometime this year. This is my year!"

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About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing's premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen made headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James "Lights Out" Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; Freddie Roach-trained heavyweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, currently rated #12 in the WBA; Top 15 IBF and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Undefeated Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla. 

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

Monday, December 22, 2014

RANDY CABALLERO DEFENDS IBF BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FOR FIRST TIME AGAINST ALBERTO GUEVARA AT FANTASY SPRINGS ONFEBRUARY 27

  


 
THE HOMECOMING OF "EL MATADOR"



FOX SPORTS 1 AND FOX DEPORTES TO TELEVISE

Tickets on Sale December 26th!! 
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 22) - After piling up 12 wins in 12 fights at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., hometown hero Randy "El Matador" Caballero (22-0, 13 KOs) went on the road in search of a world championship.  On October 25, it was mission accomplished for "El Matador" after he defeated England's Stuart Hall in Monte Carlo. On Friday, February 27, the conquering hero returns to Indio's Fantasy Springs Resort Casino to defend his IBF Bantamweight World Championship for the first time against Alberto "Metro" Guevara (18-2, 6 KOs) in a 12-round homecoming bout, presented by Golden Boy Promotions and televised by FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes.

"This is a night I've dreamed about for a long time, and I always said that the only thing better than winning a world title at home would be defending it there," said Caballero. "I'm going to be tough and impress my fans at Fantasy Springs."

"Randy Caballero is a good, young champion and he's fighting in his backyard, but I feel like this is my time," said Guevara. "I like being the underdog, and that will make my victory sweeter onFebruary 27."

"The fans at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino have watched Randy Caballero grow up as a fighter, so after he won a world title, our first order of business was bringing his first title defense back here," said Oscar De La Hoya, President and Founder of Golden Boy Promotions. "It's going to be a great night and a celebration of an exciting young champion, but Alberto Guevara knows what it's going to take to beat Caballero, and he's going to give everything he has to take the title." 

Tickets for the event, priced at $105, $75, $55, $45 and $35, and go on sale December 26, at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online atwww.fantasyspringsresort.com.

A former amateur star, Randy "El Matador" Caballero (22-0, 13 KOs) has been a fighter to watch ever since his amateur days, and once he turned professional in 2010, he lived up to all of the hype. He dominated his opposition both at home and abroad. A former WBC Youth Intercontinental and NABO champion, Caballero earned a shot at a world title in April by stopping Kohei Oba in eight rounds in Kobe, Japan and in October he defeated Stuart Hall via unanimous decision in Monte Carlo to win the vacant IBF crown. On February 27 the 24-year-old puts his belt on the line for the first time.

A professional fighter since 2009, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico's Alberto "Metro" Guevara (18-2, 6 KOs) is a rugged warrior who battled his way up the bantamweight ladder, earning his first shot at a world title in 2012. Guevara lost a hard-fought decision to Leo Santa Cruz, but two wins over Jose Tirado and Jonathan Vidal put him right back at the top of the class. On February 27, following a hard-fought world title bout with Shinsuke Yamanaka, the 24-year-old Guevara hopes the third time is the charm against Caballero.

# # #

Caballero vs. Guevara, a 12-round bout for Caballero's IBF Bantamweight World Championship is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Mexico, Live It To Believe It! and Golden Ram Group.  Doors open at 5p.m. and the first bell rings at 5:30 p.m. The FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes broadcast airs live at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1, www.FOXDeportes.com, follow on Twitter at@GoldenBoyBoxing, @Swanson_comm, @FOXSports, @FOXSports1, @FOXDeportes and, become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/FOXDeportesand visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing. 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Kiko Martinez, Gabriel Campillo Back in ActionThis Friday in Spain



Former IBF World super Bantamweight Champion Kiko "La Sensación" Martinez and former WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Gabriel "Chico Guapo" Campillo will return to action in their home countries of Spain this Friday, December 12, at the Palau Olímpic Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona.

The IBF #8- and WBO #11-rated Martinez (31-5, 23 KOs) will drop back down to his natural weight of 118 lbs. to face French southpaw Amor Belahdi Ali (13-3-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-round battle. Meanwhile, Campillo (24-6-1, 11 KOs), continuing to stay busy while waiting for another high-profile showdown, will face Czech veteran Tomas Adamek (21-10-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

The pair of former world champs will headline a seven-fight night of boxing, presented by former middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and his Maravillabox, in association with Javier Gallego's Gallego Prada Promociones. For tickets, visit www.marcaentradas.com or www.ticketmaster.es.

"Kiko was never a super bantamweight, he was always at his best at 118 lbs.," said his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. "He only took the great opportunity offered to him at 122 lbs and made the most of it, by winning the title and defending it twice. He will be even stronger at bantamweight and will be fighting for a world championship in the near future."

Lewkowicz says that for Campillo, it is a waiting game. "Gabriel Campillo has earned another big fight with his IBF #2 elimination-fight victory over Thomas Williams Jr. So now we keep him sharp and busy while we wait for a big fight for him."

Campillo, says Lewkowicz, would love another shot at a fighter who defeated him in January 2013. "We would love to face (now WBA Super and IBF World and WBO World Light Heavyweight Champion) Sergey Kovalev again. That was not the real Gabriel Campillo in with him that night. He was distracted by other things. Fully focused as he is now, the real Gabriel Campillo could give a slugger like Kovalev a very hard time."

Co-promoter and credited with discovering the special talent that is Sergio Martinez, Lewkowicz says he will continue his association with the great champion, even after Martinez retires.

"Sampson Boxing and Maravillabox will forever be tied together. I have worked with Sergio Martinez for over eight years now and he is a true gentleman and I am proud to partner with him at every opportunity. I wish him all the best with this terrific show he is bringing to the beautiful country of Spain."

ABOUT SAMPSON BOXING

After a very successful run as a matchmaker and adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz switched over to the promotional side of professional boxing in January 2008.

Sampson Boxing has grown into one of the world's most prestigious promotional firms, representing many of the world's best fighters and most promising young contenders.

Sampson Boxing has promotional partners all over North and South America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Central America and Sampson Boxing events have been televised on such premiere networks as HBO, Showtime, ESPN, VS. and several international networks. 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Jarrod Fletcher's Promotional Team Believe an Upset is Imminent against Daniel Geale





Greg Cohen and Adam Wilcock of Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) say their fighter, former world title challenger and WBA #8-ranked Jarrod "Left Jab" Fletcher (18-2, 10 KOs), is poised to spring an upset over former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Daniel "Real Deal" Geale (30-3, 16 KOs).

In a fight that had to happen eventually, the two Australian middleweights will finally square off in a 12-round battle for the WBA's PABA Middleweight Title, the IBF Pan Pacific Middleweight Championship and the interim WBO Asia Pacific middleweight titles on Wednesday, December 3, at the Horden Pavilion in Moore Park, Sydney and live on Main Event pay-per-view. The Australian super fight is presented by Grange Old School Boxing.

"Jarrod wanted this fight for a long time," said Cohen. "He's convinced he has the stuff to beat Geale and a lot of the late money on the fight is saying there are many, like us, who believe him."

Fletcher, 30, has already held the PABA Middleweight and Australian Middleweight Championships, but has spent much of his career in the shadow of Geale and his world championship belts.

"Jarrod has always felt he was a better fighter than Geale and now he finally has the chance to prove it," said Wilcock, GCP's Vice President of Global Operations and President of FightCard Promotions. "He's trained harder than I've ever seen him in preparation. This will be the best version of Jarrod Fletcher ever seen. He's very pumped up for this."

Fletcher and Geale will also be competing for elevated positions in the WBA, IBF & WBO rankings and an eventual chance at vying for a world title.

"Our fighter will be in a terrific position for another try at a world championship after this fight," continued Cohen. "There is tremendous significance, both on the Australian boxing scene and internationally and Jarrod is well aware of it. He's ready to pull off the upset and finally become known as Australia's best middleweight."

 
###

About Greg Cohen Promotions

One of boxing's premier promotional outfits, Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP) is a well-respected name for staging world-class professional boxing events and promoting elite professional fighters throughout the world.

Founder and CEO Greg Cohen has been involved with professional boxing in various capacities since the late 1980s, honing his craft and establishing himself as a shrewd international boxing businessman.

Distinguished by his ability to spot and develop raw talent, Cohen made headlines for his expert guidance of, among many others, former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout, who Cohen helped guide from unknown New Mexico prospect to elite pay-per-view level superstar.

In addition to Trout, Greg Cohen Promotions has worked with established names such as former unified and two-time heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KOs); and all-time-great multiple-weight class world champion James "Lights Out" Toney (74-7-3, 45 KOs).

Current world-rated contenders in the GCP roster include Arash Usmanee, universally recognized as a top-10 super featherweight; former WBA International Middleweight Champion and world-rated middleweight contender Jarrod Fletcher; top-rated featherweight Joel Brunker; Freddie Roach-trained heavyweight Lateef Kayode; Canadian lightweight and TV action hero Tony Luis, currently rated #12 in the WBA; Top 15 IBF and WBA and five-time Irish National Amateur Champion, Dennis Hogan; and Rising Undefeated Welterweight sensation Cecil McCalla. 

Greg Cohen Promotions has hosted world-class boxing events in the finest venues throughout the United States and the world and has also proudly provided talent and/or content for several television networks including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, MSG and FOX Sports Net.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Billy 'The Kid' Dib returns Halloween night in Australia

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Billy "The Kid" Dib(Photo by Shareif Ziyadat)
NEW YORK (Oct. 30, 2014) - Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight champion Billy "The Kid" Dib (37-3, 21 KOs) will not be trick-or-treating tomorrow night (Friday) at home in Australia. Instead, he'll be dressed in trunks and wearing boxing gloves for his 12-round fight with his upset-minded Indonesian opponent Ruben Manakane (14-11-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant PABA super featherweight title.

Dib, whose only three losses as a professional have been in world title fights to undefeated Evgeny Gradovich twice and Steve Luevano, based on his tremendous experience and talent advantage, will likely throw a horrific scare, if not worse, into his young opponent.

The 29-year-old Dib will be fighting in Australia for the first time in more than four years having fought three of his last four fights in the United States with the other in Macao, China. This fight will mark Dib's professional debut in Melbourne, where he last fought 13 years ago as an amateur in the Australian National Championship.

"The opportunity came about when I heard (promoter) Tarik Solak and (Dib's trainer)Billy Hussein discussing it," Dib explained to Aus-Boxing.com why he's fighting in Melbourne. "I mentioned that I'd love to fight back in Australia, so Billy and Tarik were like, let's do it. After my brother and manager Emid (Dib) got clearance from the team at SMS (Promotions) and (Dib's promoter) 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), we decided that the next stop should be Melbourne.

"I know that he (Manakane) is currently ranked fourth by the PABA and that he has eight wins from his last ten outings. He stretched world-class Filipino AJ Banal the full distance a few years back, too. He's only 21 years of age, so I'm expecting him to come out fast and do all he can to cease the moment. I never take any of my opposition lightly and I know that Manakane stands in the way of my journey to another world championship. One step at a time."

After being stopped for the first time in his career last November to Gradovich in their rematch, Dib decided to move up in weight and campaign as a super featherweight, staring this past July 2 at Foxwoods Resort Casino on ESPN Friday Night Fights against former WBA featherweight title challenger Alberto Garza (26-7-1, 21 KOs). Dib overcame a nasty cut over his right eye from an unintentional head-butt in the opening round to win a unanimous 10-round decision.

Dib (L) is shown here attacking Garza
(photo by Emily Harney) 
   
Now, Dib is rated No. 6 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), as well as No. 12 by the IBF, as he positions himself for a potential world super featherweight title shot in 2015 against one of the reigning champions: IBF Rances Barthelemy, WBOOrlando Salido, WBC Takashi Miura and WBA Takashi Uchiyama.

"After being involved in the sport of boxing for so long, Dib continued his interview with Aus.Boxing.com, "I now understand that it's a business and not just a sport. It's all about strategic planning. We have had several discussions with WBA, WBO and IBF officials about this fight for the PABA crown. It will definitely help evaluate my rankings across the board. The plan is to face the necessary opposition to work my way into a mandatory position with one of the prestigious crowns. I honestly feel that I could face any of the super featherweight champions tomorrow, but realistically we may be looking at six to 12 months. I don't just plan on getting a world title shot, I plan on winning another crown.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Fight Report: Marston Reigns Victorious, Ozgul and Counihan Impress at York Hall








Report and Photos Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro




Dave Murphy and the Acourtier Events crew returned to York Hall on Saturday night with their latest offering, ‘Capital Punishment’, which was headlined by the MBC International Super Bantamweight Championship clash between London’s Marianne Marston and Hungary’s Marianna Gulyas.


As ever Mr Murphy put together an evenly matched card, first up debuting Cruiserweight Jerome Haywood faced Rolandas Cesna.


After a slightly nervous start Haywood settled down and took the fight to his more experienced opponent, pressuring the big Lithuanian with stiff jabs and heavy rights to the body.


Haywood’s work to the body began to take a toll on Cesna, so much so that by mid way through the third Cesna was clearly struggling to cope with the constant punishment to his ribs, however he did overcomes to see the bout through to the final conclusion.


After four excellent rounds Referee Alf Sprung scored the bout 40-38 in favour of Haywood.


The second bout featured the hugely popular Nathan ‘Nightmare’ Decastro, who was making his third pro outing against a very tough opponent, Deividas Sajauka.


From the off it was clear Decastro wanted to add another stoppage victory to his record, charging in throwing big right hands at every opportunity, however it soon became clear that the tough Lithuanian was more than up for the scrap.


What followed was a virtually non stop toe-to-to battle royale, with both protagonists giving their all for every second of every round much to the delight of the York Hall crowd.


After four scintillating rounds referee Lee Murtagh scored the bout 40-37 in favour of Decastro


Third bout of the night featured sensational former Amateur star Antonio Counihan in his first six rounder, against Janos Vass.


Counihan’s class shined through bright as the Solihull youngster went to work, easily controlling Vass with stiff jabs and amazingly quick double handed flurries.


Counihan stepped up the pressure in the third, going full out on his attacks that Vass just couldn’t counter, instead he relied on covering up in an attempt to get through the round, which turned out to be a bad move as Counihan kept punishing him with vicious body shots, so much so that by midway through the round the Vass’ corner threw in the towel.


Next up see the return of Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander, who had been training and fighting over in America for the past four years or so. On Saturday night Alexander faced Tadas Stulginskas in a four rounder.


Boxing beautifully behind the jab, Alexander more or less controlled the first couple of rounds, as Stulginskas seemed content to play the waiting game, countering only when he felt he could land the punch.


Alexander stepped up the pace in the third, firing a succession of solid rights into the body of Stulginskas, which soon began to really trouble the Lithuanian, so much so that his corner threw in the towel with just seconds remaining of the third.


It was announced that Stulginskas retired due to an injury to his knee.

Fifth bout of the night see London based Turk Siar Ozgul in action against Nottingham’s Matt Scriven.


What a fight, without doubt the fight of the night, as both protagonists went to war.

Ozgul came out hard and strong, initially putting the Nottingham man on the back foot, however Scriven soon started to exert his authority and then the fireworks really began.


By the third round the non stop action started to take it’s toll on the Turkish youngster, which allowed Scriven to land some sensational power shots of his own.


The final round was a cracker, Ozgul backed Scriven into a corner and let rip with massive right hands, one of which sent Scriven’s mouth guard flying into the crowd ringside.


Once the errant mouth guard was retrieved and the bout restarted it was Scriven who went hard on the attack, one such attack late on in the round see Scriven land a massive right that shook Ozgul to the core, Ozgul sensibly went on the defensive for the remaining seconds to see his way to securing his fifth win.


Referee Lee Murtagh scored the bout 39-37 in favour of Ozgul, the correct verdict without doubt, but one that really doesn’t express how great this fight was or how close each and every round was.


Now to the main event, Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston versus Marianna Gulyas, for the vacant MBC International Super Bantamweight Championship.


Gulyas came into the bout as bookies favourite, due to her ranking - #3 in Europe and #31 in the World – being superior to Marston’s #8 in Europe and #58 in the world, however it transpires that the bookies couldn’t have got it more wrong if they tried.


Marston came out strong right from the off, utilizing her strong right hand jab to great effect, forcing Gulyas to go defensive and grab hold of the Londoner at every opportunity, a pattern that repeated itself throughout the bout.


More of the same in the second, then in the final second of the round Marston threw a sharp left to the jaw, that sent Gulyas to sprawling to the canvas, however much to the surprise of Marston, her team and the York Hall faithful, it didn’t count as Referee Alf Sprung deemed it a slip!


Round three Marston continued to plain outbox the Hungarian, as well as landing some short sharp body shots, one of which appeared to send Gulyas to the deck once more, however this time the referee dismissed it as a push.


Round four Marston controls the centre ground, picking off Gulyas with some cracking shots to head and body, the Hungarian barely able to respond to the constant onslaught.


Marston had really settled into her pace coming into round five, seemingly content to bide her time and just throw supremely accurate jabs shots, again Gulyas was sent to the deck by a lazy looping left to the head, which the referee again deemed as a push.


Once Gulyas was back on her feet Marston went on the attack once again and as if to make a point to the referee emphatically sent Gulyas to the deck for the fourth time - the moves that lead to this were sublime, after shooting a cracking left to the body Marston stepped in threw a big left straight into the Hungarian’s face before shooting three sharp lefts to the head.


In the sixth Gulyas attempted to take control of the centre of the ring, however Marston was having none of it, using her strong jab to great effect and normal service resumed.


Midway through the seventh Marston went on a heavy attack, landing a few real peaches of shots, that sent Gulyas reeling across the ring, the savvy Hungarian’s survival instincts clearly clicked in as she grabbed hold of Marston to prevent any further punches raining down on her.


After being separated by the referee Marston backs Gulyas to the ropes with a succession of short rights to the jaw, that once again sent the Hungarian to the canvas, however as Marston was leaning into Gulyas as the final punch was thrown again the referee deemed this to be a push.


As if to once again make a point to the referee Marston went on a full out double handed attack which Gulyas only survived by grabbing and holding the Londoner, what then ensued was more akin to wrestling as Marston tried to make enough space to let rip with some big lefts again.


The action was frenetic, once the referee split them Marston went hard on the attack and in an almost identical move to the one earlier in the round, Marston once again sent Guyas to the canvas, which as before was deemed to be a push by the referee.


Marston was clearly miffed, as on the restart she threw a big left, Gulyas’ legs wobbled and the Hungarian girl grabbed Marston by the waist and another wrestling style interlude ensued, again after the referee separated them Marston went full throttle, backing Gulyas onto the ropes before throwing a right to the body followed by a cracking hook to the head to send he Hungarian girl back to the deck for the third time in the round, this time the count was made.


On the restart Marston went in hard once more, landing three hooks to the head, once again the move was thwarted as Gulyas grabbed hold for dear life.


Marston started the eighth strong, literally chasing Gulyas across the ring throwing supremely accurate big lefts and rights, that sent an unsteady legged Gulyas backwards, then Marston closed in for the kill a tad to enthusiastically she sends Gulyas off balance and to the deck once more, which was rightly deemed a push.


Marston went straight back on the attack, only to be thwarted by constant holding from the Hungarian each time she started to get close, what followed next was downright scary for all ringside, Marston lands a big right, followed by a huge left that shot Gulyas’ head back and heading to the deck, the Hungarian girl grabbed hold of Marston, pulling her over with her, sending Marston over the first rope and onto the officials table face first.


There was a huge sigh of relief as both girls got to their feet, followed by a round of applause from the crowd. At the restart Marston once again began to throw big lefts and rights that shook Guyas, however she didn’t have to survive this onslaught for more than a few seconds before the bell rang.


Once again Gulyas tried to control centre ring in the ninth, as before Marston was unwilling to concede any ground what so ever and let rip with big shots to body and head, to which Gulyas responded with more holding.


About forty seconds into the bout Gulyas took a right to the head and as Marston moved in she bumps into the unsteady Gulyas, who goes down once more, which was rightly waved off.


Gulyas comes out all fighty for the tenth and final round, which led to a rather entertaining toe-to-toe battle that lasted about fifteen seconds or so before Marston steps it up another level again, Gulyas responds by grabbing hold to ensure she makes the final bell.


After ten highly entertaining rounds the judges scorecards were read out – Judges Ben Doughty (UK) and Matt Hamilton (South Africa) scored the bout 100-89 and Judge Lee Murtagh (UK) scored it 99-88, all in favour of Marianne Marston, the new MBC International Super Bantamweight Champion.


The BoxFit sponsored MBC International Championship belt was presented by Championship bout sponsor Baz Rehman and Melissa Lewars from Marianne’s sponsor JT Clarke London.


The final bout of the night featured Onder Ozgul against late replacement Remigijus Ziausys, following Matthew Pepper having to pull out following his father being hospitalized with a serious illness just days prior.


Onder, the older brother of Siar who fought earlier in the evening, started aggressively, initially forcing Ziausys on to the back foot, as I say initially as the plucky Lithuanian was more than happy to go toe to toe when required.


It was a cracking fight that had the crowd on their feet for almost the whole four rounds, yes it was that good.


At the end referee Lee Murtagh scored the bout as a shut out 40-36 for Ozgul, which again was the right decision, but as with Siar Ozgul-Matt Scriven doesn’t tell the whole story - it was a great, closely fought bout.


Once again Dave Murphy and his crew delivered the goods as promised, it was a fantastic night of pugilistic action, without doubt one of the best small hall shows this year, I for one can’t wait for the next.