The bizarre and largely unknown WBO Global Heavyweight Title was on the line, as Daniel Dubois beat the tougher than anticipated Richard Lartey in four entertaining rounds.
Lartey, complete with orange beard, was tagged with a big right hand in the opening seconds, before the two traded blows. The Ghanian was operating behind a tight guard in an attempt to steer clear of heavy fire from Dubois. It was a largely quiet opening session.
The Londoner pumped the jab out in the second, and the two again traded, with Lartey coming off second best in the main. After a break in the action for a low blow to Lartey, the African landed with a right to the top of Dubois’ head that momentarily wobbled him. Dubois returned with his own right, that visibly hurt Lartey in the final minute of the round. Lartey was proving gamer than expected, and the pair swung wildly at each other in the next, with Lartey giving as good as he was getting, landing another decent right in the exchanges.
The breakthrough came in the fourth, when a devastating Dubois right hand landed flush on the Accra man’s chin, dropping him to the canvas walking in. Lartey just about beat referee Bob Williams’ count, but it was rightly waved off.
Post fight, a dazed Lartey was unhappy about the stoppage, but it was absolutely the right call. Commonwealth Champion, Joe Joyce was ringside for the BT Sport cameras to discuss the rumoured July meeting with Dubois in July. Dubois didn’t really elaborate on his potential meeting with the 2016 Olympic Silver Medallist, but Joyce was then brought in to stoke the fires between them. Joyce announced that the plan is to box on the undercard of the open air show at Stevenage Borough next month, where Billy Joe Saunders attempts to win a WBO Title at a second weight. He will also fight in July, but it’s now not clear whether Joyce v Dubois will be made for then.
Lerrone Richards is the new Commonwealth and WBO International Super Middleweight Champion after clear points win against former British and Commonwealth Middleweight Champion,Tommy Langford. It wasn’t a classic by any means. Langford was outboxed through most of the contest, and there was no real argument for him to be declared the winner.
It was repetitive action, with “Sniper The Boss” Richards’ quick hands, and accurate punch picking, trumping Langford, who struggled to pin Lerrone down for the majority of the fight. Scores of 118-110, 116-113 and 118-111 were enough for New Malden’s Richards to lift the two vacant crowns on offer.
Jack Catterall kept busy while awaiting news on when he will challenge for the WBO Super Lightweight Title, by stopping Oscar Amador in three rounds. The Nicaraguan was no match for Chorley’s Catterall, but it was a pretty quiet opening round, with Jack feeling out his opponent. The end wasn’t long in coming though, and it came in round three. Catterall stepped up the tempo, and a left uppercut caused a delayed reaction knockdown. Amador was unable to beat the count, with his nose suspected as broken.
Catterall will hope to now finally get his opportunity against Maurice Hooker for the World Title later this year.
Following the main event, Sunny Edwards successfully defended his WBO European Super Flyweight Title, with an eighth round stoppage of Pedro Matos.
Matos shipped some big punishment at the fists of Edwards, but was a tough customer. The end of the seventh round rubber stamped the win for the Croydon man, as a massive left hook turned Matos’ head almost right around, leaving him wobbled and dazed right on the bell. This was the beginning of the end, as, at the start of the eighth, referee Phil Edwards intervened, with Matos taking unanswered punches.
The BT show opener saw Zak Chelli again impress, with a lopsided 100-89 points win against Jimmy Smith to pick up the Southern Area Super Middleweight Title. Chelli dropped his opponent in round eight with a left hand to the body, which confirmed his dominance of the fight.
