Catterall,Butler And Adams All Victorious In Manchester

Jack Catterall produced a one sided beatdown as he stopped Martin Gethin inside three rounds, successfully defending his WBO Inter-Continental Championship on the Flanagan Vs Petrov undercard in Manchester,England on Saturday night.

Catterall started brightly and went to work to the body and head, his power seemingly catching Gethin by surprise. Gethin’s nose was bloodied in round 2 and then a left uppercut, as he was ducking inside, and a right to the temple put him on the canvass. Gethin’s best days are seemingly behind him and he was outclassed in all departments, succumbing to two more knockdowns in round 3. A straight left hand had the Walsall fighter down for a third time and Gethin indicated to the referee he wanted no more. Catterall is now 17-0 and has a #2 ranking with the WBO, although a fight with British Light Welterweight Champion, Tyrone Nurse should be on his radar for the summer as we gauge his readiness for an elite step up.

Daniel Dubois lived up to the hype, ending his debut fight against Marcus Kelly in 39 seconds. The crowd were disappointed as they were hoping to see more of the 19 year old but the first left hook that landed had Kelly in all sorts of trouble. Kelly came out swinging for the fences but he was caught on the inside and then sustained a barrage in the corner, putting him on the deck. He stumbled to his feet on eight but was in no position to carry on. Dubois is a real Heavyweight prospect but there’ll be much sterner tests in the future in which we can judge just how far he can go.

Paul Butler took one step closer to a world title challenge with a fourth round stoppage over Carlos Ruiz. Butler was in control from the beginning, a class above really, and used the bout as target practice on his Argentine opponent, who has shared the ring with some very talented operators. The former IBF Bantamweight champ took a couple of rounds to find his range and then finished the fight with a straight left after a flurry trapped Ruiz on the ropes. Ruiz managed to get back up but the referee had seen enough. Butler has been treading water for some time now and it is time he stepped back up to the big time and showed what he is really capable of. The rumours continue to swirl that Butler will challenge Jamie McDonnell for the WBA strap sometime in the summer.

Giant Cruiserweight prospect, Jordan Thompson recorded an easy second round stoppage of Jevgenijs Andrejevs in a fight scheduled for four. Thompson, at 6’7, completely dwarfed his opponent and showed his superiority from the outset, bullying his his Latvian foe. The referee waved the fight off after a huge right hand sent Andrejevs spinning around the ring, turning his back on the attack. Thompson is 6-0 now with 5 early stoppages and will certainly a present a formidable challenge for anyone in the division.

Former world title challenger, Jimmy "Kilrain" Kelly scored a close fought ten round decision over Rick Godding. Godding played the role of counter puncher throughout whilst Kelly preferred to push forward on the front foot. Kelly was the busier fighter but Godding certainly landed the more eye catching punches, it was definitely a case of what you prefer to see in a boxing contest. Rounds 7 & 10 where fought toe to toe and punch for punch, both fighters trading left hooks but neither hurting the other. Godding may kick himself that he didn’t press the action a little more in the mid rounds, allowing himself to be backed up on the ropes whilst Kelly worked to the body. A re-match could certainly be in the offing although the fight was billed as an eliminator to the British Super Welterweight title. The referee scored the fight 96-95 in Kelly’s favour.

Talented Super-Featherweight, Zelfa Barrett impressed with a sixth round knockout over the durable Ross Jameson. Barrett worked beautifully off his left jab and dropped Jameson in the first with a step back and brilliant right hand to the temple as his opponent came forward. Jameson, a late replacement, showed toughness to get up and give Barrett a workout throughout but he was over matched. Barrett rocked his opponent in round 4 with a right hand and then two knockdowns in the final round finished the job, a sickening left hook ending proceedings. Barrett moves to 16-0 and will have his eyes on title bouts in the near future.

Local fighter Mark Heffron dispensed of Achilles Szabo in the second round of a scheduled eight rounder. Heffron finished the fight with a hooking right to the top of the head, Szabo rose but the referee waved it off. It was the second time Heffron (now 15-0 with 13 KO’s) has knocked Szabo out early and he will be looking for a better test next time out.