Kid Galahad vs Jazza Dickens – Results & Post Fight Report

The latest instalment of Fight Camp from Matchroom HQ in Brentwood saw a new world champion crowned, with Kid Galahad taking the vacant IBF featherweight title with a dominant win over James ‘Jazza’ Dickens, who was retired by his corner at the end of the 11th round.

The pair had met previously, in September 2013, with Galahad scoring a tenth round stoppage win to lift the vacant British super bantamweight title, and Galahad would go on to challenge for world honours, losing out to Josh Warrington in a challenge for the same IBF title in June 2019. Dickens came into this one on a run of eight straight wins, and had climbed the world rankings with impressive wins over the likes of Leigh Wood and Ryan Walsh.

It was a technical start to the fight, with both men keen not to give much away, and it was a relatively quiet opening three rounds as a result. Galahad’s constant switch hitting style, the traditional style of the Wincobank Gym, was hard for Dickens to find success from, and the Sheffield man was constantly making Jazza work to force angles to try and find a way into the contest. The fifth saw Galahad show his variety of punches to both body and head of his opponent, and he was letting his hands go, connecting with regularity.

Dickens had his best round of the fight in the sixth, but Galahad retained control with crisp punch picking. Dickens was being busted up with his face bloodying more and more by the round, but he did have his moments in round seven, taking advantage of Galahad switching off. Galahad though again stuck to his boxing, and kept things simple to keep comfortably ahead. The damage to Dickens’ eyes and nose were worsening by the round, and even a point deduction for Galahad in round ten couldn’t bring the Liverpudlian any closer to an improbable victory. The penultimate frame saw more classy boxing from Galahad, and, with Dickens shipping more and more punishment, his corner wisely, and maybe a little lately, withdrew their charge from battle at the end of the round.

Fabio Wardley needed less than a round to knock out Nick Webb to defend his English heavyweight title. Webb made a decent start, but was stopped in his tracks when trapped in the corner by Wardley, who unloaded with power shots that left Webb unable to defend himself, and the referee jumped in with the challenger visiting the canvas under heavy fire.

Alen Babic and Mark Bennett went to war in their heavyweight showdown, and it was the Croatian that came out on top with a fifth round retirement win. Both men swung for the fences from the off, and it was Babic that outlasted his opponent in the end, as Bennett began to understandably tire. The fifth was particularly gruelling, and Bennett dropped his hands in exhaustion, allowing Babic to land several power punches that were causing plenty of damage. The pace was far too much, and Bennett’s corner rightly pulled their man out at the end of the session.

Ebanie Bridges rebounded from her world title defeat to Shannon Courtenay last time out, as the Australian scored a third round stoppage of the always game Bec Connolly at bantamweight. Bridges controlled the early rounds, and the third saw her land with an overhand right, and a follow up flurry put a hurt Connolly down. Bec bravely beat the count, but another sustained attack saw the referee’s intervention.

Johnny Fisher made it three wins from three as a professional, as he stopped Danny Whittaker in two rounds at heavyweight. Whitaker was down twice in the second, the first early on in the frame from two cuffing right hands, and he never recovered, down again from power punches, and, after fighting fire with fire on the resumption, the referee waved the contest off.

Aqib Fiaz moved to 7-0, but was made to work hard by Kevin Baldospino, eventually edging out the Spaniard by a single point over eight at super featherweight. Referee Kieran McCann scored the contest 77-76 in Fiaz’s favour.