No Guts No Glory TOPromotions 1st September 2018
Picture taken James Deen, Edited by Dexter Hastings
Tommy Owens Promotions kicked off the new season with a 10 fight show called “No Guts No Glory” at the Holte suite Villa park Birmingham (01/09/18). There were 8 fights contested over 4 X 3 minute rounds, there was one fight over 4 X 2 minute rounds and topping the bill there was a six rounder. There were 2 fighters in Shaun Duffy and Nathan Bendon both making there debuts on the card and also some of the finest young boxers to come out of Birmingham and the Black Country on display. Refereeing the show was Shaun Messer and Kevin Parker with the ring cards being done by the stunning Rachel Rapunzel and Jade Hayes form the CP Agency the stage was set for a great night of boxing.
Fight 1 Cori Gibbs v Victor Edagha 11.3. 4x3. 11.1. Middleweight
Gibbs controlled the centre as Edagha moved well around the ring, Gibbs seemed to be sizing his opponent up for the first part of the round. He stepped it up in the second part of the first to win the round.
Edagha came out with some good shots at the start of the second, Gibbs came back with some cracking shots of his own. Gibbs banged in some great combinations and wobbled Edagha few times. Gibbs continued to pour on the pressure until the ref stepped in and stopped the fight 2 minutes 19 seconds in to the second round.
Result
Gibbs wins 2nd round stoppage
Fight 2 Shaun Duffy v Phil Williams 16.4 4x3 17.7 Heavyweight
Duffy started sharp and got some good jabs off, Williams was shooting out some nice jabs just weighing up the debutante Heavyweight. Duffy then moved in with a cracking body shot and seemed to be coming up for a right hook to Williams head. Before Duffy could do this Williams countered with a right hook of his own putting Duffy down. Duffy got to his feet but looked dazed, the ref count got to 8 he then took a good look at Duffy and waved the fight off.
Result
Williams wins 1st round stoppage
Fight 3 Zaheer Asghar v Lewis Van Poetsch 11.13. 4x2. 12.6 Light heavyweight
Asghar controlled the first round from start to finish, banging in some nice combinations and showing fast hands. Poetsch could do nothing as Asghar snapped out fast combinations in the second, Poetsch went down from a cracking body shot from a lead right hand from the southpaw. Poetsch took a 8 count and saw the round out. Asghar started the third fast and was looking for the stoppage, Poetsch covered up and took some heavy shots but managed to see the round out. In the final round Asghar came out sharp again and was looking for that lead hand body shot that had put Poetsch down in the second round. Asghar caught Poetch low and was warned by the ref, Asghar continued to bang in heavy shots with Poetch just looking to see the final bell.
Result
Dexter – 40-35 Ref – 40-35 Asghar wins on points
Fight 4 Anthony Manning v Jan Korec 11.1. 4x3. 10.13 Super welterweight
Manning took the centre of the ring and got his jab going well from the start. Korec gave Manning a good fight in the first round but Manning was in Control, near the end of the round Manning caught Korec with a lovely straight right hand putting Korec down. Korec got to his feet took a 8 count and was lucky there was only a few seconds left when the ref told them to box on as Manning went looking for the stoppage. Manning banged in some cracking shots in the second round and looked intent on stopping Korec. Korec fought back hard but Manning won the round with ease. In the third Korec came out fast but Manning moved out of the way making his shots miss. Manning then took control of the round banging in some great combinations and using some nice movement to win the round. In the final round Manning got some lovely jabs of and smashed in some great combinations. Manning put Korec down with a lovely right hand, Korec managed to get to his feet and see the round out.
Result
Dexter- 40-34 Ref- 40-35 Manning wins points decision
Fight 5 Sean Daly v Sam Omidi 10.11. 4x3. 11.1 Super welterweight
Daly came out strong at the start of the first and controlled the ring, he smashed in some nice combinations catching Omidi with a nice right hand. Daly took the centre of the ring at the start of the second and controlled the round with some nice boxing, working well behind the jab and getting some nice combinations off with some great movement. Omidi put some good shots together at the start of the third which just seemed to make Daly work harder. Daly worked well on the inside going from head to body with some great combinations but Omidi was coming back with shots of his own making this a close round. Omidi gave Daly a good hard final round as both fighters went for it, Daly worked well in the pocket but Omidi was catching him with shots as they went to war for a very entertaining final round.
Result
Dexter – 40-37 Ref – 39-37 Daly wins on points decision
Fight 6 Nathan Bendon v Kevin McCauley 10.11. 4x3. 11.3 Middleweight
Good first round with McCauley giving Brendon a good test, Bendon banged in some good but also got caught a few times. Bendon worked well in the second behind his jab and got some cracking body shots off. McCauley was still getting some nice shots off and was making Bendon work for the whole round. The third started scrappy but Bendon soon got back to some tidy boxing banging in some heavy body shots. McCauley took them well but you could see they hurt the veteran fighter but McCauley continued to test Bendon on his debut. In the final round Bendon worked McCauley's body with some great combinations going from body to head. McCauley contiuned to test Bendon with some good shots, but Bendon had done enough to win the fight.
Result
Dexter – 40-38 Ref - 39-38 Bendon wins a points decision
Fight 7 Ellis Blake v Qasim Hussain 10.4. 4x3. 10.9 Super welterweight
Blake worked well behind a stiff jab banging in some nice combinations to win the first round with ease. Blake controlled the second round again with a good jab and fast combinations, Hussain could only cover up as he had no response to Blake’s Combinations. In the third Blake put on a great display of controlled boxing putting in some evil combinations and controlling the ring. You had to give Hussain credit for staying in there with the shots he was taking. Blake took his time in the final round and picked his shots well with some great combinations. Hussain hung on in there to hear the final bell, but this was a great display of boxing by Blake.
Result
Dexter – 40-36 Ref 40-36 Blake wins on points decision.
Fight 8 Kaisee Benjamin v Chris Jenkinson 11.1. 4x3. 11.6 Middleweight
Benjamin worked Jenkinson hard in the first round with some nice combinations and heavy straight right hands to the head and body. Jenkinson covered up well and got some good shots off of his own. Jenkinson got a few good shots off at the start of the second, but Benjamin just stalked him down banging in some heavy body’s shots and some fast combinations. Jenkinson did let fly with some good shots but it was Benjamin's round. Jenkinson again got some good shots off at the start of the third but this made Benjamin fight harder. This was a close round but Benjamin won the round on his work rate. In the final round Benjamin took the centre of the ring and controlled the fight with some heavy right hands and some great combinations. Jenkinson continued to have a go and kept it competitive.
Result
Dexter 40-36 Ref – 40-37 Benjamin wins points decision
Fight 9 Jack O’Keeffe v Dean Jones 10.1. 4x3. 10 Super Lightweight
Scrappy first round but both fighters got some good shots off, O’Keeffe won the road by finishing strong. O’Keeffe got back to his boxing and controlled the round with some nice tidy boxing. Jones was still getting some good shots off but it was O’Keeffe’s round. Jones stepped up the pace in the third and banged in some good shots in. O’Keeffe contiuned to box clever staying behind his jab but did get drawn into some mini tare ups which he dealt with well. O'Keeffe worked behind the jab with some nice tidy boxing to control the round, Jones continued to battle hard but this round was “No Beef” for O'Keeffe.
Result
Dexter - 40-36 Ref - 40-36 O’Keeffe wins on a points decision
Fight 10 Louis Fielding v Ricky Stark 9.4. 6x3. 9.3 Featherweight
Scrappy first round with not much between them, Stark finished the round with a flurry which nicked him the round. Round two was as scrappy as the first with lots of holding, not much between them in this round. The third was another scrappy round which was working in Stark's favour with him getting shots off on the inside. Fielding was trying to box tidy but all the holding and inside fighting was making it hard for him. Stark nicked this round for me. When Fielding kept his distance he got some good shots off, but Stark worked well when he got on the inside, Fielding just edged this round. Stark seemed to start enjoying himself showboating with his hands down and dancing around the ring. Fielding got caught with so e good shots but came back with shot if his own to take a share of the round. Fielding did better in the final round getting some good shots off, Stark contiuned to hit and then hold but Fielding won this round.
Result
Dexter – 57-57 Ref 59-57 Fielding wins on point decision
Dexter's Thoughts
What a great start to the new season, a 10 fight show with some of the best fighters in Birmingham and the Black Country. It was great seeing Cori Gibbs back in action stopping his opponent in the second round. He is looking to fight for a title in his next few fights and on this display I think he is more than ready to make the step up and take a Midlands area, I could even see this talented unbeaten fight challenging for the British title in the next few years. I was gutted for Shaun Duffy, he had trained hard for this fight and had looked good in sparing. He was caught with a good shot and when that happens in the heavyweight division it usually ends in a stoppage. Duffy now needs to learn from this put it behind him and focus on getting back into the ring. Asghar put on a great performance, showing great movement and power putting down Poetsch in the second. It was a very good performance and I look forward to seeing Asghar fight again. Anthony Manning also put on a great performance, his move to Eastside has made a big difference in the way he boxes. He was controlled and had a great shot selection putting his opponent down twice in the fight. This was by far the best I have seen Manning fight and I’m looking forward to seeing him fight against soon. Sean Daly kept his unbeaten record going with a great win, the first two rounds showed how well Daly can boxes, but it wouldn’t be a Sean Daly fight without a tare up which the last two rounds were. He is looking to do a six rounder next and I think he is more than ready. Nathan Bendon made the move from Muay Thai to boxing with a good win against a tricky opponent. Bendon who fights out of Smoking Joe’s gym under the tutelage of Shaun Cogan eased his way in banged in some heavy body shots and showed he was up for the job. I hope to see Bendon box again soon. Ellis Blake really impressed me with a clinical display of boxing, you can see he is a talented boxer and I can see him going far. Kaisee Benjamin done the business and looked real good doing it, he showed great shot selection and some heavy hands and it’s another Eastside boxer who is destined to be heading for titles. There was “No Beef” for Jack O’Keeffe as he won every round in his fight. He is looking to do a six rounder next and like Daly is more than ready to make the step up. Louis Fielding had a hard fight against a frustrating opponent who kept holding and scuppering Fielding’s work. I had this fight a draw as there was not much in it for me but the ref gave him the result winning a six round fight by two rounds. Fielding has now moved over to Smoking Joe’s gym and will be trained by Shaun Cogan. I look forward to see how Fielding does now he has a new trainer. The Birmingham Boxing Column would like to thank Tommy Owens Promotions for having us at the Show and we look forward to the next one on the 27th of October.