Josh Kelly vs Lucas Bastida – Results & Post-Fight Report

At the top of a Wasserman promoted bill at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, Josh Kelly claimed the vacant WBO International super welterweight title with a routine points win over Lucas Brian Ariel Bastida.

Kelly was continuing his rebuild after last year’s devastating defeat to David Avanesyan, and he stopped Peter Kramer in four rounds last time out in June. Bastida came in as South American champion at middleweight, and was considered as a dangerous proposition for ‘PBK’.

It was a pretty quiet opening couple of rounds, with Kelly (12-1-1, KO7) on top in the main, and his movement in and out of trouble was frustrating the visitor. Bastida (18-2-1, KO10) started to creep into range in the fourth, but it was a tactical and scrappy affair, with the action only coming in bursts. Bastida was simply unable to get into any sort of rhythm, and was largely having to walk Kelly down, and the Sunderland man turned up the heat in round seven, beating Bastida to the punch with regularity. Kelly was cut from a clash of heads in the eighth, but went through the motions until the final bell as he banked ten rounds and looked set for a wide win on the cards.

The judges had Kelly a winner by 99-92, 98-92 and a way too close 96-95.

Kelly is mandated for a shot at the British title, and a clash with the champion, Troy Williamson, is an exciting possibility by the end of the year.

Harlem Eubank (15-0, KO6) was involved in a rough fight with Eliot Chavez (11-5-1, KO6), eventually taking a ninth round disqualification win at super lightweight. Eubank was troubled in round seven, when the visitor landed with blows after the referee called a break, and Eubank was heavily decked by a combination. Eubank needed a lot of time to recover after the infraction, and carried on, but two rounds later, the Mexican repeated the trick, and the referee disqualified him.15-0, KO7)

2020 Olympian Pat McCormack (2-0, KO2) wasted little time, knocking out Dimitri Tremel (8-2, KO4) in a round at super welterweight.

Lisa Whiteside (4-0, KO1) dropped Jasmina Nad (11-25-5, KO4) in the first twenty seconds of their super bantamweight contest, but eventually had to settle for a 60-53 win after six rounds.

Steve Robinson (5-1, KO3) returned to winning ways, banking a 39-37 win over Phil Williams (4-37, KO1) at heavyweight, and at the same weight, Hosea Stewart (2-0-1, KO0) and Franklin Ignatius (4-0-1, KO1) couldn’t be separated in a 38-38 draw.

Ben Marksby (5-0, KO0) took a six round verdict on the referee’s card at welterweight against Rustem Fatkhullin (8-39, KO3), and Kai Richmond (2-0, KO1) halted Taka Bembere (1-26, KO1) in the third round of their super featherweight attraction.