Doors could be opening for Daws!

Morden’s Lenny Daws showed great ring generalship as he made a second successful title defence of his British light welterweight title has he turned back bloody but brave challenger Steve Williams after ten rounds.
Williams last time out had beaten Tottenham’s Michael Grant for the vacant English bauble back here at the York Hall in Febraury on the undercard to Daws first defence which ended in a draw against Welshman Jason Cook.
However to begin with it was Williams who got off to a rip roaring start as he outfought the notoriously slow starting champion, who did very little compared to the challenger whom kept in close banging away with both hands on the inside as Daws could’nt match the workrate being metered out by the determined Liverpudlian.
In the second Lenny did seem to pick things up a bit more and when he did he showed the better accuracy of the two if not the determination of Williams, it seemed to myself that Daws was mearly saving something for later on, Williams though seemed to skate the first three rounds with ease.
Fourth round action saw things pace wise dip a little, but when both did spring into action Daws found himself backed up, but it was the champion who now and again showed some nice combinations as he found his range, and was it seemed to be testing the water as he fought mostly in spurts as if he was testing his man skill wise and obviously conceded the early rounds though Williams was missing more than Daws, it was with greater conviction and overall workrate that Williams was applying himself, throwing four punches he was landing two or three, but they were two more than Daws was throwing!
The fifth saw a turn in the tide as Daws, true to form started to ease his way in as he started to land with flurrys, even one burst of shots opened a cut over Williams right eye as Daws took control of the fight from the ring’s centre and it was the challenger who was looking rather disorientated due to Daws better accuracy, the blood from the afforementioned cut did’nt help matters as Daws notched up the fifth.
From thereon it was all Daws has he blocked most of Williams attacks and countered nicely, it was more than evident that Lenny was doing a job, however in the Seventh Williams workrate dropped, Daws was now controlling the destiny of the bout and it seemed it was a matter of time until the fight was eventually awarded in favour of the champion, but in boxing it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings’ and though there seemed from here on that Williams was’nt going to pull out a miracle punch, it was his right hand that did land now and again on Daws unprotected chin, but it seemed unlikely to say the least that Williams could turn the tide, Daws himself had his signature punch, a left hook that kept landing as Williams had defeat written on his face at times.
In the next stanza the eighth Williams was drinking in the last chance saloon as the blood flowed from the cut over his right eye, coming out throwing himself at the champion with a fusilade of leather, but Daws had his number as early as the second it seemed before moving up the gears, in the ninth Williams again kept trying gallantly and found the target on the odd occasion, but still Lenny evaded most of the attacks coming his way and counter punched effectively on the open target that was Williams!
At the start of the tenth Williams had a little more success as he landed twice with combinations, but has he came on the inside, it was there that Lenny tied up his man in the clinches before again finding his range and outboxing his man, at the end of the round third man Ian John Lewis was called over to the challenger’s corner where Williams remonstrated as he was over ruled by his corner and Ian John Lewis waved it over with the challenger on his stool.
So what next for the champion, Daws who a brilliant tactician and technician could be in line for a shot at Northern Ireland’s European champion Paul McCloskey in a battle for the British and European titles.
{For the record, the judges officiating had thing’s almost level at the end, I wonder what fight these so called professional’s were watching?, I has a few other observant ringsider’s had Daws leading}
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The undercard featured the comeback of Matt Skelton the former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion and former W.B.A title challenger, opposing the Bedford man was Lee Swaby a durable veteran type in a rather labourous six rounder, things were a little messy through out until the finish, when Skelton landed an over hand right that dumped Swaby to the deck, on arising referee Ken Curtis waved things over as Swaby bravely got to his feet at the 1:00 mark of the fifth.
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Bradley Pryce former Commonwealth light middle king looked impressive in dismantling Brixton’s ‘Dangerous’ Ted Bami in just two rounds.
Things looked like they were shaping up nicely in the opener as Bami pressured the taller Pryce, who worked nicely off of the left jab before whipping in some spiteful looking left hooks and doing enough to take the opener, things in the second were of a similar veign to that of the opener, however just before the end of the session Pryce smashed in a big right just before the bell that had Bami over before getting up where Ref Jeff Hinds waved it over, though some felt the stoppage a little premature, it obviously was’nt the case as Bami almost seemingly collapsed in a heap after the bouts conclusion, ref Hinds decision was spot on and he should be commended for his timely intervention.

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Canning Town’s George Hillyard coming back from a the disapointment of last Febraury’s Prizefighter to eventual winner Prince Arron who also featured on the undercard here tonight.
Hillyard looking strong and in tremendous shape kept up the pressure through out the six rounds has he banged in good body shots to Keiron Gray’s midsection, chasing the Telford man for the best part of the contest, one big left hook from the Canning Town man staggered Gray towards the end of the opener but Hillyard could’nt follow up.
From here on Gray got on the move and did little but survive to the bell though he did try in the third Hillyard shook off the effects with out any trouble has he continued to dominate his man, in the fourth Hillyard’s work fell by the wayside as Gray did manage to pick it up a little has he picked off the Londoner, who finished the fight a little sluggish but who’s earlier work had easily clinched it, a he claimed a fairly conclusive 59-57, I had it by a far wider margin myself.

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Enfield’s Chris Evangelou got off to a fairly impressive start to begin with has his army of adoring Greek fans in the hall showed there support for there man.
Evangelou coming off an easy thirty second blast out back in April, came out landing nicely with two handed attacks, however despite his early success the bout took on a rather scrappy sloppy look as both got in close, at the fights conclusion Evangelou was awarded a charitable 40-36, I had it closer despite Chris taking the opener comfortably from there on Fox hardly sly himself, hence his surname showed a good work rate when in close, though things were has I mentioned earlier decidely messy I had it 39-37 myself.

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Bradley Evans from Hertfordshire closed the show, but had to settle for a easy four round points decision over Sheffield’s Jason Carr, who could’nt get out of first gear {sorry for the pun guys}
Evans got inside of the gangly looking Carr and put his foot on the gas as he drove Carr backwards, the taller Sheffield man kept on the move and was never in the contest as Bradley won everything with better workrate throughout and was deservedly awarded a decision.

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On getting to the venue late, thanks to the fifty or so mile journey from Work, I got in for the Matt Skelton v Lee Swaby fight, however before I made my way in Barry Morrison a former British light welter champion who had succumbed to bill topper and current British 10st boss Lenny Daws last year for the then vacant British light welter title, had a fairly easy time of it has he over came Worcester’s Billy Smith inside of a round, with a few more good performances Morrison could feature in another tilt at Daws in what would prove to be a rubber match, has Morrison won there first encounter a few years ago, before Daws exacted revenge to annex the British title.

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Also featured was Prizefighter champion at light middle, Prince Arron who dropped Birmingham’s Tony Randell twice throughout there six rounder at light middle, the last knockdown prompting the third man to step in a save Randell from further punishment in the sixth and final session, and while on the subject of Prizefighter champion’s, Michael Lomax the inaugural winner of the welterweights in Barry Hearn’s tournament chalked up a victory has he beat Ghana’s Stephen Okine at welter in a scheduled six three’s.

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Poland’s Gregorsz Proksa boxing out of Redhill, Surrey beat and back in Febraury won something called the European Union title at light middle, as if there is’nt enough titles in boxing, we now have two European champions per each division, please don’t laugh but one’s called the European Boxing Union, and the bastard child the European Union, confused? try not to be!

Michael Angelo Serra