With over 5000 expectant fans packed into Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena, Darlington’s Stuart Hall and County Durham’s Martin Ward made history last night (March 29), becoming the first two North East fighters to face each other for a world title.
Unfortunately, with the fight shaping up to be a terrific contest, it was all over before it really began, with Ward pulled out at 0:35 of the second session sporting a deep gash on his right eyebrow that subsequently required numerous stitches.
The pair were cheered to the ring by a fervent, electric crowd and got down to business straight away. Hall, making the first defence of his IBF world bantamweight title, pressured from the opening bell and looked to push Martin backwards.
Commonwealth king Ward showed deft footwork and had some success landing counters but, as the action heated up, the momentum appeared to be with the champion as he began to find his range.
Towards the end of the opener, as the pair both looked to land, heads clashed and Martin was left with blood streaming down his face. Ward’s corner frantically worked on the damaged optic during the minute’s recess but to no avail. Immediately the action resumed, blood again began to gush and the ‘man the middle’ Marcus McDonnell had little option but to wave it off.
With the contest not past the fourth round mark, the official decision for the record books was a technical draw. Stuart retains his belt and is scheduled to face his mandatory challenger by June 21. Martin, meanwhile, keeps hold of his Commonwealth strap and will chase a future rematch.
At the post-fight press conference both men expressed their disappointment at the unsatisfactory ending of the contest:
Stuart Hall:“I’m just gutted at the way it has turned out. The crowd has been robbed of a great fight. It’s one of those things in boxing though and I don’t really know what to say.
“It was a bad cut. I’m still champion and that’s the main thing in my eyes. I felt stronger and I started strong. Martin was warming up too but I felt like I had the strength in there.”
Martin Ward: “The fight fans have been robbed. It was only a round a and half. That would have been a terrific fight. Everybody knew Stu was the stronger lad. I was sticking to my game plan and it was starting to gel nicely.
“Stu feels deprived of saying he was world class tonight, and I feel deprived that I have not had the chance to prove that I’m at the same level that I believe I’m at.
“The North-East still has a world champion and good luck to him. He is a very good fighter. He is the best bantamweight in the world. Paul Butler is far too small in my opinion, Stu will keep his belt for longer.”
Dennis Hobson: “We’ve been robbed of a bit of drama. There is always drama in a fight of this magnitude. The first time two North-East kids have been together for a world title.
“There was a sense of expectation. But it was dangerous, a terrible cut. There is nobody stronger than Stu, you can tell he has grown in stature and looks a mountain at bantamweight.
“Stuart will take some beating for a long time to come. People saying what about a rematch, that’s a bad cut, he might need plastic surgery on that. IBF rules are that Stu should defend by June 21 and there are two kids fighting an eliminator for number one spot. We will see where we get to and will consult with the IBF.”
Jon-Lewis Dickinson also made history on the night by becoming the first man from Newcastle to retain the Lonsdale Belt. The cruiserweight repelled the challenge of Rotherham’s Neil Dawson, stopping the hard-hitter in the tenth round of their British title fight. Dawson’s main weapon was his left hook but Dickinson’s measured boxing negated the oncoming threat. Knocking his opponent’s head back with speedy jabs and backhands, as well as some eye-catching uppercuts, Jon-Lewis ground Dawson down before referee Phil Edwards deemed he’d seen enough.
On an action-packed undercard Frankie Gavin survived a scare when he was knocked down by Namibia’s Sacky Shikukutu, before keeping hold of his Commonwealth welterweight title. The African came to win and put in a spirited shift but Gavin’s class told in the end as he ran out a points winner.
Also on bill, Sunderland’s Kirk Goodings retained his English lightweight belt, stopping local rival Fishburn’s Gary Fox in the eighth of their scheduled ten-threes. Fox pushed Kirk hard but body shots took their toll and a sustained assault by Goodings saw the contest waved off.
Other results included: Sedgefield’s Bradley Saunders had Mitch Prince over four times before finishing his man in the fourth of their scheduled 10-round contest. American heavyweight ‘Fast’ Eddie Chambers stopped game Czech Tomas Mrazek; Doncaster heavy Dave Allen picked up a draw against Bulgaria’s Plamen Nikolov; Birtley’s Craig Dixon outpointed Gloucestershire’s Lewis van Poetsch; Slough’s George Michael Carman scraped a win against William Warburton; and Dronfield middleweight Lewis Taylor repeated a previous points win over Doncaster’s Jason Ball.
(Photo Credit: Rob Chambers)
