HAVING talked the talk, Deion Jumah delivered – flooring and halting gallant Wadi Camacho in five rounds to take the vacant English cruiserweight title at York Hall.
A southpaw left counter to the head put Camacho down. He was up at about “six,” but still unsteady – and referee Marcus McDonnell completed the compulsory eight-count and waved it off after 2-08 of the fifth (scheduled for 10).
Both took the ring mic afterwards – Jumah (Chelsea) to praise his opponent and announce: “I want some big fights – soon!” Camacho (Canning Town) was equally gracious to his conqueror – and then announced, to warm applause, that he was retiring (though he hoped to stay involved, helping young boxers). He leaves having won Commonwealth and Southern Area belts (as well as Prizefighter), and always given good value.
Both started fast – Camacho looking to use his height advantage but Jumah (the Southern Area champion) steaming forward and landing in close. A right to the side of the head caught Camacho’s attention, and by the second there was a lump below the champion’s left eye.
Jumah continued to force, while Camacho tried to fend him off. A right to the head had Jumah holding in the third, but he came back with a burst. The fourth saw Jumah well on top, with Camacho holding on at the bell.
A Camacho attack had Jumah on the ropes in the fifth – and Jumah received a second warning for hitting around the back of the head. Then Jumah banged in the left that finished it.
Unrequired judges were Ian John-Lewis, Robert Williams and Terry O’Connor
There was another new English champion in Luton’s Kay Prospere, who took a unanimous 10-round verdict over super-lightweight kingpin (and fellow-southpaw) Sam O’maison (Sheffield).
They previously clashed here in March, with Prospere devastated at getting only a majority draw. The return was close, too, with judges McDonnell and John-Lewis both carding 96-94, Mr O’Connor a wider 97-93.
The pattern was set early – O’maison trying to get close, Prospere moving and scoring at distance. O’maison was trapped on the ropes in the fourth and fifth, but rallied in the sixth to have Prospere holding on.
It was give-and-take, with O’maison coming back well after being tagged by a right in the seventh, and Prospere coming back in the eighth after shipping a succession of jabs. O’maison was holding on in the ninth, Prospere in the last as O’maison attacked strongly – it was hard-fought, with little in most rounds. There could well be a third meeting.
The third 10-rounder on this Josh Goodwin promotion (in association with Goodwin Boxing) saw yet another new champion crowned, Ilford’s Ramez Mahmood besting Lambourn’s Jack Budge for the vacant Southern Area featherweight belt. Referee John-Lewis scored it 98-93, which I thought a tad wide – though several rounds looked very tight.
Budge couldn’t have won the title, as he came in 2lbs overweight – but he played his part in a good-value scrap. Again, it was aggressor v mover, with Budge aiming to come inside while Mahmood moved and countered.
Both got stuck in quickly, and a Budge attack had Mahmood holding in the first. Mahmood countered well in the second but Budge scored effectively to the body in the third.
By the fifth Budge’s face was reddening, but he kept coming forward – and in the seventh I noted “good counters M but can’t stop B’s advance.” They embraced sportingly at the start of the 10th, and Budge’s attack had Mahmood holding before coming back strongly – and Budge nodded in acknowledgement after shipping a stiff right counter.
Ellis Zorro (Bromley) KO’d former James Branch victim Jan Hradzira (Czech Republic) in the sixth and last round.
Hradzira came forward gamely but Zorro kept moving and scored off the back foot. By the last Zorro was picking his shots effectively – and a left and following right to the body sent Zorro to his knees, to be counted out by referee Williams after 2-52.
There was a dream debut for Watford’s Kola Koyejo, who dispatched Bulgarian Tzvetozar Iliev (a two-round loser to Anthony Yarde in 2016) at 2-55 of a scheduled four.
Koyejo quickly raised a bump under Iliev’s left eye, and opened up to have him in trouble in a neutral corner. Finally a right to the side of the head sent Iliev down, and referee Lee Every signalled the end, leaving Koyejo the winner by technical count-out. The stool was brought across so that Iliev could sit for a while before leaving the ring.
A freak injury to southpaw Stefan Sashev’s left shoulder ruled the Bulgarian out after just 2-03 of his scheduled six against Newham’s Ryan Walker. With Sashev staggering, and in danger of going down, referee Mark Bates quickly signalled the end.
Southpaw Steven Maguire (Middleton) has now lost 16 out of 16, and referee Williams’s 60-54 tally suggested Islington’s Sam Cox won all six rounds. But Maguire came forward constantly and gave it a great try.
Cox countered effectively and opened a cut in the corner of Maguire’s right eyebrow in the third.
The show began with an all-action four between ex-Southern Area lightweight champion Jumanne Camero (Mitcham) and Gateshead’s Kris Pilkington, Camero taking Mr Every’s 39-37 verdict.
A day short of a year since his debut (a draw here against Michal Lukacik) Londoner Ishmael Olapido returned with a four-round win over Swindon’s Phil Williams, referee Bates scoring 39-38.
In other fours Mr Every had Robbie Chapman (Chalk Farm) besting Walsall’s Kearon Thomas by 40-37, and there were 40-36 wins from Mr Bates for the Ben Doughty-trained Robert Asagba (Chadwell Heath) over Hyde’s Dale Arrowsmith and Ryan Copland (Ipswich) over southpaw MJ Hall (Brierley Hill): from Mr John-Lewis for super-welter Jordan Dujon over Norwich’s Duane Green and debutant Shocki Khan (Aylesbury) over Southwark-based Italian Victor Edagha: and from Mr Every for light-heavyweight Jack Owen over Chessington’s Richard Harrison.
The Verdict Jumah keeps his promise – and Prospere gets revenge.
FULL RESULTS
Deion Jumah (197lbs), 12-0 (7), w rsf 5 Wadi Camacho (199lbs), 21-9 (12); Kay Prospere (139lbs), 13-1-1 (7), w pts 10 Sam O’maison (139lbs), 16-3-1 (7); Ramez Mahmood (125lbs), 10-0 (2), w pts 10 Jack Budge (128lbs), 4-1; Jumanne Camero (145lbs), 9-6 (2), w pts 4 Kris Pilkington (143lbs), 2-3-1; Ishmael Olapido (301lbs), 1-0-1, w pts 4 Phil Williams (242lbs), 2-16-1 (1); Robbie Chapman (169lbs), 6-1, w pts 4 Kearon Thomas (170lbs), 0-3-1; Robert Asagba (159lbs), 5-2-1, w pts 4 Dale Arrowsmith (154lbs), 2-29-1 (1); Jordan Dujon (156lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Duane Green (154lbs), 6-44-7; Ryan Copland (157lbs), 3-0, w pts 4 MJ Hall (154lbs), 0-42-2; Jack Owen (175lbs), 2-0-1, w pts 4 Richard Harrison (179lbs), 3-39; Sam Cox (117lbs), 5-0 (1), w pts 6 Steven Maguire (121lbs), 0-16; Shocki Khan (154lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Victor Edagha (159lbs), 2-63-2 (1); Ryan Walker (125lbs), 10-1 (2), w rsf 1 Stefan Sashev (125lbs), 5-25-1 (5); Kola Koyejo (178lbs), 1-0 (1), w tco 1 Tzvetozar Iliev (177lbs), 8-26-4; Ellis Zorro (199lbs), 7-0 (4), w ko 6 Jan Hradzira (197lbs), 3-14-1 (1).