Foster vs Beech Jr LIVE reports from fight night
Check back here at 7pm tonight for live reports from Foster vs Beech Jr
The first boxing event back has been claimed by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions as British and Commonwealth super bantamweight champion Brad Foster (12-0-2, 5KOs) defends his titles to unbeaten challenger James Beech Jr (12-0, 2KOs).
After a successful and socially distanced weigh-in on July 9, it was confirmed that all five of the fights were ready to go.
BBN are reporting all the action live from 7pm on fight night:
Mark Chamberlain vs Stu Greener
Six-rounds lightweight contest
Portsmouth's Mark Chamberlain (5-0, 3KOs) registered at 9st 11.5lbs at the day before weigh-in, whereas Wiltshire's 'Little Canelo' Stu Greener (3-4, 1KO) was just under at 9st 9.5lbs.
Boxing came back with a bang after 118 days as Mark Chamberlain stopped Stu Greener with 15 unanswered punches to head and body in under one minute in the first round.
21-year-old southpaw 'Marky Boy' jabbed to the head to whip in two body shots which set up a crushing left hook to the head, which snapped Greener's head back and was finished very soon after. The 5’11” Chamberlain immediately pressed the action in a frenzied start which would see him switch attacks from head to body and back again.
By registering the first victory in British boxing post-Lockdown Chamberlain has undoubtedly secured his place in the history books but, more importantly, he moves to an impressive 6-0 with 4 KO’s.
Post-fight, the victor said, “It was a bit different! It wasn’t really like sparring because there were probably less people there!”
Dorin Krasmaru vs Phil Williams
Four-rounds heavyweight contest
Sidcup-based Ukrainian heavyweight Dorin Krasmaru (2-0, 2KOs) weighed in at 17st 11.75lbs, just slightly lighter than 34-year-old opponent Phil Williams (3-24-1, 1KOs), who came in at 17st 13.5lbs.
Trained by Martin Bowers at the Peacock Gym, Krasmaru has sparred hundreds of rounds with British champion Daniel Dubois.
Early in the fight Dorian established his left lead hand with a mixture of long hooks and jabs, before opening up with right hooks as the round progressed. Opponent Phil Williams did fire back with a few jabs but ultimately failed to make his mark.
The second round opened with more solid work from Dorian behind his jab before a strong left hook backed up his opponent. Williams did land a jab of his own but an unphased Krasmaru continued to box smartly behind his lead hand.
As the round progressed it was a similar story as Krasmaru increased the volume of his punches, working the body and head. The pace seemed to tell on Williams as his hands started to drop, allowing Dorian to more easily ping his jab towards Williams head.
The third round was another conclusive victory for Dorian, as he continued his tidy work with both his lead and back hand. As his pace and precision continued to wear down his opponent, the holes began to show and by the end of the round Krasmaru was landing at will to Williams’ body.
Williams tried to spring a surprise in the 4th with a flurry at around the halfway point but the pace quickly became too much and, as he backed off, the final round finished with Williams’ trying to hold on.
Without putting a foot wrong, Krasmaru moved to 3-0 at the BT Sport studios, wobbling Phil Williams a number of times before getting the 40-36 verdict on referee Michael Alexander's scorecard. Next up was Daniel Dubois’ Heavyweight sparring partner Dorian Krasmaru, who would compete under the watchful eye of trainer Martin Bowers.
David Adeleye vs Matt Gordon
Four-rounds heavyweight contest
Highly-regarded heavyweight prospect David Adeleye (1-0, 1KO) tipped the scales at 15st 9.25lbs for his second professional fight with Midlander Matt Gordon (2-2-1), who was significantly heavier as 17st 5.25lbs.
Huge hits in the corner from David Adeleye gets him the second consecutive knockout. Repeated right hands, a cheeky uppercut, plus more rights to the head forced the stoppage.
The heavyweight prospect approached the penultimate bout of the night with mean intent, landing a pair of brutal left hooks to the body that made his opponent Matt Gordon wince. Gordon saw the round out, but it was clear Adeleye was chasing a spectacular finish.
That finish would come in the second, as the ref waved it off late in the round. Early on, David opened up with a series of vicious combinations but Gordon would find a way back into the fight before Adeleye managed to land a series of straight rights and right uppercuts that saw his man off.
Impressive Adeleye improves to 2-0, 2 KO’s.
“I thought that come July I’d be 5-0 or 6-0 but it’s 2-0,” Adeleye said. “God-willing, by the end of the year lot more bouts and a lot more experience.”
Hamzah Sheeraz vs Paul Kean
WBO European super-welterweight title
Defending his title for the first time, Ilford's Hamzah Sheeraz (10-0, 6KOs) weighed in at 10st 13.5lbs, almost identical to his last fight in November when he won the vacant belt against Ryan Kelly (14-2). His Scottish challenger Paul Kean (12-1, 1KO) registered on the scales at 10st 13.25lbs, almost a stone lighter than his last fight in February.
After a torrid time, lasting 18 minutes, having been dropped in the first and on the wrong end of a steady beating, Paul Kean’s corner pulled him out at the end of the sixth round after a flawless performance from Sheeraz to retain his WBO European super welterweight title and moves to 11-0.
Sheeraz made a quick impact, dropping the tentative Kean with a snap right hook as the Scot tried to move along the ropes in the first round.
It wasn’t a devastating knockdown, but it was enough to make Kean wary, as Sheeraz was able to dictate the early rounds at distance.
Kean had a better round in the fourth, but got little reward beyond a bloody nose for his efforts and Sheeraz then upped his output in the fifth, landing repeatedly with combinations, as Kean struggled to get any punches off. He lasted until the end of the sixth, before Kean was pulled out. In the third fight of the night, WBO European Super Welterweight Champion Hamzah Sheeraz sought to defend his crown against Paul Kean.
In what looked set to be a cagey opener, Kean seemed happy to sit on the back foot but his plan went awry as a sweet right hand floored him at around 1’30” of the round. A spiteful Sheeraz began to work the body as the round came to a close, landing a jab to the body as the bell rang.
The second round saw Sheeraz immediately on the front foot and stalking Kean around the ring, using his jab effectively to maintain his dominance.
The third saw much of the same and, as the round progressed, Sheeraz began to flick his jab out with even more confidence, backing up his opponent and picking his power shots cleverly. Kean fired back on occasion but struggled to break the guard of Hamzah.
A quieter fourth round allowed Kean to do his best work of the fight, but Sheeraz came on strongly at the end of the round landing a series of punishing right hands.
Sheeraz switched it up a gear in a violent fifth round which saw him draw blood from his opponent. He started the round with an early combo of left hook to the body followed by a left uppercut to the head before repeating it once more, this time followed by a vicious straight right. The sixth round was much of the same with Sheeraz dominating from behind a stiff jab.
Kean’s corner would wisely decline to send their man back out for the seventh and Ilford’s Sheeraz would move to 11-0, 7KO’s and retain his WBO European title.
“It was a good victory,” Sheeraz said. “It hasn’t been a good camp, but under the circumstances we dug deep and go the win.
“It was a mature performance and one I can build on. Seven rounds is the most I have even gone. I can sit down with Eddie (Kelly, his trainer) and work on the negatives of that performance.”
Brad Foster vs James Beech Jr
British & Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles
The champion Brad Foster (12-0, 5KOs) weighed in at 8.5lbs and the challenger James Beech Jr (12-0, 2KOs) a couple of pounds heavier at 8st 9.75lbs.
In an all action first round, both men threw and landed with intent. The second was equally fast-paced and evenly contested, with Beech holding his own against the Champion.
In the third the fight was contested in close quarters, with both men willing to stand and trade. As the round progressed, Foster would switch his stance from orthodox to southpaw and started to see some success with short hooks to the body. As the third ended, Foster’s accuracy arguably saw him ahead but the fight was tantalisingly close.
Foster opened up a cut on Beech’s left eye at the start of the fourth and then proceeded to try and establish his strength as the round progressed. Beech did manage to land a stinging right hand at one point, but Foster returned with a flurry of punches.
A quieter fifth round gave way to a rough and tumble sixth with both men throwing a number of meaningful shots. Beech landed arguably the toughest shots of the round, at one point landing hard with a right hand through the middle.
Foster charged back in the seventh, landing a huge right hand of his own that drew blood from the nose of Beech. Another fiercely competitive round passed with the TV commentators struggling to separate the pair.
Fewer telling shots were landed in the eighth as the pace slowed, but Foster was able to land a strong left hook that was the most decisive shot of the round.
In the ninth round Foster was delivered a final warning for use of the head before rebounding with a series of big shots. Beech more than held his own though and the fight was still thrillingly close going into the tenth.
Beech’s corner was demanding he matched Fosters output at the start of the round, a rallying call he tried his best to meet in another fiercely competitive round that ebbed and flowed. Foster started strong but Beech grew into the round as the pace slowed.
A blood-and-thunder eleventh saw Foster up the pace once more, doing some lovely work on the inside and landing some eye-catching combinations. BT Sport’s pundits had Foster one round ahead going into the final round, but in a fight this close nothing was certain.
In the final round of boxing’s big comeback to British screens, Foster emerged with some venom in his punches and pushed Beech back almost immediately. Brad began to unload with a minute left on the clock, landing a terrific bodyshot and forcing Beech into the ropes. As the round wore down, Foster landed a trademark left hook as the final act in a fascinating fight that went to the judge’s scorecards.
117-111 twice and 116-113 means that Brad Foster keeps his British belt outright and defends his Commonwealth title successfully after a brilliant fight against plucky challenger James Beech.
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