JUST four short weeks after Oldham Leisure Centre hosted a show in the dying embers of the old season the gloves were on again for this six-bout Black Flash promotion. It yielded home winners in each contest with four of those victories coming via the short route. Eccleston super-middle Mark Jeffers, full of intent, took his wins tally to double figures with a lightning fast victory over Huddersfield’s experienced Alistair Warren in the nominal bill topper. Warren, having been beaten to the punch, remained on all fours for the duration of referee Steve Gray’s count after being dropped in a neutral corner by a hammer of a right to the body.
It had been slated for six but was all over after just 115 seconds according to MC Phil Seymour. The announcer, who was already struggling with a troublesome heel, was also plagued by microphone problems and at one point had to resort to shouting the details.
Another extending their 100 per cent record was Shaw’s Jack Rafferty who again lived up to his “Demolition Man” moniker. After claiming an early triumph against overseas opposition last time out he scored another one here.
Truth told, barring a surprise of the highest order a success over Braintree’s Dylan Draper (with just a single win to his credit in 37 outings) was all but assured. Dominic Negus-trained Draper proved a tough cookie and made it as far as the fourth (of a six). With 69 seconds remaining and having been under the cosh from the start, referee Gray decided that he had taken enough.
Having his first contest since being widely outpointed over 10 by Gloucester’s Akeem Ennis-Brown in Cardiff six months ago, Rochdale’s tall Bilal Rehman went in against an opponent from the Welsh capital in the guise of Rhys Saunders and won by way of a stoppage. Just 38 seconds into the fourth of another scheduled six had gone when referee Andy Brook intervened. The end came after Bilal, who had already sent the visitor to one knee by a pair of rights in the previous stanza, slammed home a chopping right and two more for good measure.
Blackburn’s Omar Dusary was back after an absence stretching some 21 months and in against the boxer he outpointed over four on his debut back in 2016, Hull’s experienced Luke Fash. So no real surprise that he was able to complete another success, this one to the tune of 40-36 for referee Mr Gray, after bossing proceedings from the outset.
Confident, and mixing it up nicely throughout, the popular Blackburn man ensured it was pretty much one-way traffic. He was, however, tagged late on and caught on his heels by a counter left from Luke and did well to stay on his feet, grinning as he regained his balance.
Having returned just a month earlier from his own lengthy spell of inactivity Wythenshawe’s Macaulay McGowan maintained his unbeaten record with a third and penultimate round stoppage victory over Basildon based Latvian Kristaps Zulgis. Referee Mr Brook jumped in with 15 seconds of the session remaining with Zulgis, who had just been allowed time following a low blow and who had rocked McGowan with a cracking left late in the opener, coming off second best in a spell of wild trading in centre ring.
Heavyweight first-timer Danny “Big Dawg” Whittaker, from Silsden in Yorkshire and with Glenn Banks in his corner, made a winning start by outpointing Swindon’s Phil Williams 40-37 in the four-round show opener.
Remaining on his feet between rounds Danny, who had initially been set to go in against Grantham’s Miles Willington, proved the busier of the two for the most part. After a closer second session, during which he was tagged by a decent right, he remained surprisingly nimble and stretched his lead by working the body and throwing in the odd right uppercut. Mr Brook of Leeds was the man in the middle again with Steve Gray scoring.
Preston-based South African Michael Ramabeletsa had originally been down to box fellow African Abdon Cesar (Stockton via Cameroon) but with a particularly tough first defence of his English super-bantamweight title against Leeds stylist Jack Bateson fast looming that particular bout disappeared from the listings.
The Verdict Some gutsy showings from the away boxers who ultimately all came off second best.
FULL RESULTS
Mark Jeffers (171 1/2lbs), 10-0 (2), w ko 1 Alistair Warren (169lbs), 11-26-5 (4); Bilal Rehman (145lbs), 13-1 (4), w rsf 4 Rhys Saunders (150lbs), 3-19-1 (1); Jack Rafferty (148 1/2lbs), 9-0 (5), w rsf 4 Dylan Draper (150lbs 10oz), 1-37; Omar Dusary (126lbs), 6-0-1 (1), w pts 4 Luke Fash (128lbs), 2-52-2; Macaulay McGowan (161lbs), 14-0-1 (3), w rsf 3 Kristaps Zulgis (162 1/2lbs), 3-11-3 (2); Danny Whittaker (250 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Phil Williams (242lbs 2oz), 2-15-1 (1).
