IN the 59th and final fight of his eventful 17-and-a-half-year pro career, Ashley Theophane’s brave effort was ended in the sixth round by the bigger, stronger and younger Sam Eggington in Redditch.
Contesting a scheduled 10-rounder at super-welterweight, the well-travelled Theophane was continually pushed back to the ropes by Eggington, who fired out stiff jabs and targeted the midsection with punishing consistency. Theophane attempted to cover up behind a high guard and employ lateral movement, but his occasional bursts of blows had little effect on Eggington.
Eggington, 27, scored a knockdown in the second round when a partially blocked right hand up top caused Theophane to stumble backwards. The Smethwick “Savage” continued to relentlessly stalk his veteran opponent, with spiteful right hooks slamming into Theophane’s ribs.
Despite the persistent pressure being applied to Theophane, the tough Paddington man remained game throughout. Now and again he hit the target with a clean counter, but Eggington was undeterred by the shots.
In the sixth, the accumulation of Eggington’s educated body attacks finally took their toll on Theophane. A shuddering, perfectly placed right hook downstairs forced the former WBA super-lightweight title challenger to fall to the canvas. The 40-year-old valiantly dragged himself up at the count of ‘eight’, but the referee correctly waved the bout off at 2-58.
The victory was an important one for ex-British, Commonwealth and European welterweight titlist Eggington, coming as it did after a close points defeat to Ted Cheeseman four months ago.
