An electric crowd in Bournemouth cheered their hometown hero Chris Billam-Smith to victory in a brutal twelve-round fight with Isaac Chamberlain for the European and Commonwealth Cruiser Championship shared.
All three judges scored the contest 117-111 in favor of Chris Billam-Smith, giving him a decisive unanimous victory in one of the fiercest competitions to take place on British soil in recent years.
Both men threw skins from first to last bell, with the second round being particularly action-packed, both men dealing obvious damage to the other over three minutes. Alternating between long-range bombs and close-range gunfights, no one would back down from start to finish.
The fight looked like it was going to end at any point, with the advantage reciprocating and one boxer gaining the upper hand only to see the other return. Isaac Chamberlain also constantly found loopholes in Billam-Smith’s defense and was considered the stronger fighter of the pair in the Championship rounds.
Chris Billam-Smith has now taken the top spot of Cruiserweight in the country and has set himself up for the world title competition. He looks set to achieve even greater glory in the years to come, and he can now confidently claim that Bournemouth is behind him.
Result
Joe Pigford bt Raphael King TKO Rd 3 – 1:49
Knockout artist Joe Pigford has claimed another tough victory after overwhelming an opponent with skill and strength in Raphael King.
Pigford landed with a crisp shot that caused his opponent to stand up, then bullied him into the corner of the ring, and continued to smash his body while also taking some blows to the head, forced the referee to end the match and give Pigford the 19th win of his flawless 20th career.
This matchup is an elimination for the Commonwealth Championship and should help Pigford stand up to the big fights he has been craving for years.
Ben Whittaker bt Greg O’Neill KO Rd 2 – 0:21
‘Surgeon’ Ben Whittaker put in a fantastic performance in one of the most anticipated professional debuts in British boxing history.
The Olympic silver medalist landed perfectly with a right hook into the temple in the second round that sent O’Neill chills down the ring. The first round was fiery as both men had moments of frustration in their embrace, while Whittaker also suffered in some showing off.
Whittaker was already considered a pro superstar before this match, and this flashy knockout only made this seem all the more certain.
Frazer Clarke bt Ariel Esteban Bracamonte KO Rd 2 – 2:57
A brutal left hook sent Bracamonte tumbling to the tarp and giving Frazer Clarke the win, maintaining his 100% completion rate, right at the death of the second inning of their fight.
Clarke delivered powerful punches throughout the two rounds of teamfights, but Bracamonte took them down well, and at times returned fire with jabs and punches straight at Clarke.
Clarke displayed impressive intelligence when he set up his end-of-game left hook by hurling them at himself during the fight, then abruptly switching to his head and resulting in a perfect landing. Clarke joined this fight after a while out of the ring for surgery on his right hand, and will want to stay active from now on.
Hassan Azim bt Jacob Quinn PTS – 59-55
Hitman Adam Azim won every round but was on the referee’s scoring list in an impressive win that took him 4-0 in his young professional career. Azim came off the field at breakneck speed and scored a 14-second knockdown in the first round before hurling all he had at Quinn, who somehow survived the first round’s onslaught. .
The fight slowed to a more structured pace since then, with Azim effectively handling Quinn’s dodging style and closing in on him from short and long range for the remaining five rounds. Hassan Azim remains one of the most exciting prospects in boxing and will learn a lot from these six rounds.
Caroline Dubois bt Happy Daudi TKO Rd 3 – 0:46
Young athlete Caroline Dubois raised her record to 3-0 with a brutal performance against an experienced opponent in Happy Daudi. Dubois landed with a barrage of shots from both hands throughout the three innings of the fight, with Daudi displaying a great heart that wasn’t stopped, despite being knocked down in the second round.
Dubois eventually overpowered Daudi’s defense in the third inning and forced the referee to step in and end the fight. Caroline Dubois looks set to become one of the biggest stars in women’s boxing at just 21 years old.
Lee Cutler bt Meshack Mwankemwa PTS 6/6 – 58-56
Lee Cutler had a decisive victory on the referee’s scorecard in an exciting fight in front of a vocal hometown crowd. Cutler smartly boxed in the first round, picking opportunities to throw powerful hooks and damage his opponents, while also finding smart range with his stab.
The Bournemouth player picked up a quick pace in the second half, continuously launching powerful shots from the head and body. Cutler continued to find success in the third and fourth innings, though Mwankemwa displayed immense heart and tenacity to keep moving forward and fighting Cutler.
The final two rounds of fights continued in a similar fashion, with both men landing, and Mwankemwa advancing, but Cutler consistently dealt more damage, and was more successful on the way to victory.
Mikael Lawal bt Crispulo Javier Andino KO Rd 2 – 1:25
Mikael Lawal went away with another stoppage-time win to his unbeaten record tonight after a deadly left hook left Javier Andino to his knees and was unable to get up until after the referee. count 10.
This came after a measured and sought-after round and a half from Lawal, where he displayed strong boxing intelligence. Lawal is now looking to face Deion Jumah in an ordered fight for the British title.
Stevie McKenna bt Facundo Alberto Rojas KO Rd 2 – 2:59
Stevie ‘Hitman’ McKenna, the euphoric welterweight made a stunning statement with a devastating second-round save against a tough opponent that had never stopped in his career before this game. . McKenna scored a knock-out in the first round after a left hook to the body, and wore Rojas down in the second round, forcing the referee to send off after the Argentinian was able to get back on foot from a knock down. another at the end of the game. ring.
