With only two weeks notice Josh Baillie has won the vacant Midlands Super Featherweight area title against Leo D'Erlanger at the Deco arena Northampton (25/5/19).
Report BcB Dan Mole
Josh Baillie forced Leo D’Erlanger to retire in his corner before the fourth round began. Baillie won the BBBofC Midlands Area super featherweight title with ease on Saturday and in a show of dominance. From the first bell Baillie looked like the stronger fighter and rocked D’Erlanger a number of times with some smooth and powerful shots. During the third round D’Erlanger looked defeated and broken and once he took the stool the drive to step up for the next round was gone from him. Baillie had out boxed, outperformed and out classed D’Erlanger in just three rounds. Before this retirement D’Erlanger seemed to apply pressure during the fight at times however, he was no match for the power and dominance that Baillie possessed.
I caught up with the new Featherweight Midlands area champ and asked him how he felt when he got the news he was fighting for the title? Josh told me “I felt great getting offered the fight and I bit my managers hand off”. My next question was how did he feel when the ref stopped the fight? Baillie who trains at Red Corner gym under the guidance of Glenn Smith and Paul Hudson told me “I was just warming into it. I wanted to showcase more of what I’ve got and felt comfortable in there to start doing that. I cut him over the left eye and think he said he couldn’t see, he could! I just think I’d broke his heart”. Baillie continued “He gave me his best shots in the first couple rounds and I smiled at him. He won the first two but I came back into it in the 3rd and was going to turn the screw in the 4th”.
My final question to Josh was what is next for the new champ? He told me “I think there is a plan to defend the Midlands then push on, I want a shot at the English but if anything comes up in between I wouldn’t turn it down”.
Dexter’s Thoughts
With just two weeks notice Baillie wins the Midlands Featherweight title and what a well deserved victory. Baillie has had an up and down boxing career but this is more to do with him having a lot of fights on the road. I have always rated Baillie ever since I first saw him fight in 2016 beating the then unbeaten Manny Zaber at the Walsall town hall winning a British challenge belt. This is only his second fight in the last 18 months and I’m hoping to see him in the squared circle more in the next year, I look forward to defending his Midlands title.