TYLER Denny successfully defended his European middleweight title last night in Birmingham, winning a technical decision over Felix Cash.
The challenger suffered an early cut over the right eye that worsened as the bout wore on, mostly due to Denny’s persistent punches. Referee Mark Lyson ruled the cut was caused by a headbutt, even though it appeared that a punch had opened up the initial wound.
Denny celebrated, thinking he had won by TKO, only to be dragged to the cards and wait longer to confirm his victory. Buzzing Cash at the close of the fourth, Tyler had been the boss, but you never really know in boxing.
Judges Lee Every and Victor Loughlin had it 49-47, while Kevin Parker scored it 49-46, all in favour of the retaining EBU titlist. Cash had hooked up with Adam Booth for this contest but looked understandably rusty after a lengthy absence from the ring.
Tyler Denny improves to 19-2-3 with only one KO. Cash lost for the first time, falling to 16-1 with 10 KOs. The puncher that had once destroyed Denzel Bentley could not put a dent in Denny, who is now, justifiably, calling for bigger nights and bumper paydays. His recent run of form has been remarkable and the Black Country man deserves a big fight to reflect the consistent improvements.
Speaking in the ring immediately after his win, Denny reckoned the writing had been quickly scribbled on the wall for his opponent: “He was never lasting, man, he was tired after two rounds. I’m the man. He was desperate in there. Put some respect on my name. That’s all I’m looking for. You’ve got to put my name in the mix.”
The “respect” theme continued backstage as Tyler explained to Boxing Newswhy he was irked by Cash’s pre-fight antics and weigh-in shove. Even though the win was sweet, Denny wanted to prevail in cleaner circumstances.
“Yeah, especially after he gave me that little push as well. Not so much that, but I wanted him to stay in there. I wanted to give him some digs, man. Do you know what I mean? Because I think he crossed the line then.”
Denny once again linked his name with Chris Eubank Jr, the man every aspiring middleweight wants to get paid off. While Tyler is naturally looking to cash in, the loser may need to Cash out of the sport altogether or at least consider his future options.
