Denzel Bentley vs Marcus Morrison round by round fight reports
Friday Fight Night – BBN reporting live from ringside at the York Hall
Battersea's Denzel Bentley (16-1-1, 13KO) defends his British middleweight title to Manchester's Marcus Morrison (25-5, 16KO) at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on Friday, September 16, live on BT Sport from 7pm-12am.
BBN Editor, Tim Rickson, is reporting live from ringside from 6:30pm:
First Fight 6:30pm
4×3 Middleweight Contest
Joel Kodua vs Joe Hardy
Opening the show is middleweight debutant Joel Kodua, trained by Tunde Ajayi, who signed him after impressing in sparring sessions with Anthony Yarde. Just like Yarde, Kodua also had limited amateur experience, just 12 fights in total, having only started boxing aged 20. The 25-year-old kicks off his pro career against Leeds journeyman Joe Hardy.
'JFK' opened the show with a confident, dominant performance to kick off his pro career with a 40-36 points win.
Fight #2
6×3 Super-bantamweight Contest
Adan Mohamed vs Reiss Taylor
Another product from Repton ABC, Adan Mohamed became a seven-time amateur champion when representing the Bethnal Green based club. The 20-year-old from Buckhurst Hill enters into his second six-rounder against Birmingham's Showy' southpaw Reiss Taylor. Still only 20, 'The Pirate's' seventh opponent is 11 years his senior with 14 more fights experience.
Adan scored a fifth round stoppage to move up 7-0 with 2 KOs.
Fight #3
6×3 Super-featherweight Contest
Masoud Abdullah vs Stefan Nicolae
National amateur champ Masoud Abdullah, 28 from Islington, only had his first fight in 2017, but once squeezed in 14 bouts within four months, and has since had 34 amateurs and five pro bouts in total. The super-bantam talent jumped up to six-rounds in his second bout, has beaten three winning fighters including two unbeaten opponents, knocking out all but one of his victims when he was taken to eight-rounds exactly two months in July. In his fourth six-rounder, the North Londoner faces Romanian Stefan Nicolae in his third appearance at the 'Home of Boxing', who, like Royston Barney Smith, also appeared under the arch at Wembley, when he took Ireland's Kurt Walker the distance on the Fury-Whyte undercard.
After a very one sided fourth round, with Nicolae taking too much punishment and looking in pain, referee Chas Coakley saw fit to end the contest.
Fight #4
4×3 International Cruiserweight Contest
Arnold Obodai vs Pawel Strykowski
Two-time national amateur champion representing Repton, Arnold Obodai returns to the same venue where he won his pro debut six months prior, scoring three knockdowns within a blisteringly quick first-round stoppage, lasting just 100 seconds. In his second outing he faces Poland's Pawel Strykowski in the 32-year-old's fifth visit to the York Hall.
Hands held low, Obodai was establishing the range with his jab in the opener against a very negative opponent. The 25-year-old Londoner was itching to let his right hand go and he landed a couple but missed a few too.
Arnold stuck his jab in the second stanza, landing plenty to head and body. The mobile visitor probably threw a total of three shots during those three minutes.
In the third, Obodai was trying to set up the right hand but it was difficult against such a tricky opponent, but a powerful straight right got through but Strykowski managed to ride it as he leaned back against the ropes.
In the fourth and final round, Obodai managed to land another big right but the European shook it off, he's got a chin. When the klaxons sounded, Strykowski probably released more shots in those 10 seconds than the rest of the fight!
Scorecards we're inevitably 40-36 to Obodai to move up to 2-0.
Fight #5
8×3 International Super-featherweight Contest
Frank Arnold vs Brayan Mairena
Managed by Tunde Ajayi, Frank 'The Tank' Arnold is unbeaten in 10, which includes one draw against Brett Fidoe, regarded as one of the best journeymen in the country. 23 from Hackney, the southpaw meets Nicaraguan Brayan Mairena in what is both boxers' second appearance at York Hall this year.
Despite his losing record and fighting out of the away corner, Mairena is not messing around; he's loading up on his shots and getting through with some heavy blows. A huge right hand rocked Arnold on the ropes and the South American went in for the kill but Arnold held on to hear the bell. First round to the visitor.
Arnold boxed in the second round the way he should have boxed in the first. He was landing neat shots – jabs and one-twos – whilst evading the big blows coming back, scoring a lovely long left hand midway through the stanza then countering with a nice flurry towards the end. Much better.
But not for long! Arnold's gum shield was sent flying from his mouth by a Mairena punch but play continued and he chased him across the ring relentlessly until he got through with another big right hand to floor Frank in his own corner, partially held up by the ropes. He lingered in the same spot for too long despite moving his head and got caught big! He was allowed to continue despite looking worse for wear, and although the referee was having a very close look, standing very close to action ready to jump in, somehow he managed to make it to bell, but was just an extra punch or two away from being stopped.
In the fourth, Arnold was again pressured relentlessly but he moved laterally, popped out his jab and tried to stick to his boxing. But it wasn't long until another big right hand landed from Mairena, this time it was a huge, blisteringly fast, long right hand that landed so cleanly it ended the fight instantly. Frank sunk into the ropes to fall to the canvas heavily and didn't get up for many minutes after. He received medical attention but was eventually able to leave the ring on his own two legs, thankfully, after the stretcher was waiting nearby.
Fight #6
6×3 Welterweight Contest
Khalid Ali vs Dario Barosa
Yet another Repton ABC product, Tower Hamlets welterweight Khalid Ali marks the start of his second year as a pro against Croatia's Dario Barosa. The 21-year-old Brick Lane boxer is trained by his father, Wolid, and Roger Hunt, whose uncle was world champion Maurice Hope.
When 'The Bengali Tiger' Khalid Ali's name was announced, the walls of the iconic York Hall trembled under the noise of his following. Ali danced his way to the ring, relaxed and clearly enjoying himself.
He brought the same confidence into the ring, wasting no time at all to start landing combinations and targeting the body of Baroso, who got on his bike and tried to keep well clear but his face and left side of his body was reddened after a torrid three minutes for him.
It was a game of cat and mouse for most of the second but Ali caught up with his mobile opponent towards the end to land some lovely four/five punch combinations.
At the start of the third, Baroso smiled after a big right hook to the body landed. When Khalid goes for the head, Borosa is able to absorb a lot of the shots on his gloves, a better boxer than his record suggests, but Ali is able to land clean when he targets the body.
Baroso was so slippery, the moment he's trapped in the corner, he manages to wriggle out again without taking too much punishment.
Ali takes the win with ease at 60-54.
Fight #7
8×3 International Cruiserweight Contest
Ellis Zorro vs Dec Spelman
BOXXER cruiserweight tournament winner, Ellis Zorro, trained by Martin Bowers, makes his Queensberry Promotions debut against a former BOXXER finalist, Dec Spelman. The South London jeweller has defeated three unbeaten fighters in his unblemished 14-fight career, but Scunthorpe's 'Kid Nytro', a former English light-heavyweight champion, has won his last two fights at cruiserweight.
Spelman looked heavier than ever before but started brightly, landing a body shot early in the round, but after a bit of range finding, Zorro landed two of his own to the body as well as a neat uppercut on the inside as Spelman came forth.
Dec was on the front foot throughout the fight, as Zorro was tight, technical and economical.
The fight caught fire in the fourth, as Zorro decided to up the pace and soon landed a heavy left hook to the body to down Spelman, who got back up despite looking very hurt, then rode out the ensuing storm well, even coming forward once more in the next round to try and claw it back.
Zorro was far busier than ever in the sixth stanza, trying to wear Spelman down, who looked badly marked around the eyes by this point, but as Zorro was unloading, Dec landed a sensational left hook to the head that had Zorro dazed and backing up against the ropes for the rest of the round, clearly in trouble.
The seventh round caused the York Hall to erupt! Dec threw the kitchen sink at Zorro who was blooded by the nose and gulping for air, but managed to escape the ropes and eventually turn the round into his favour by having Spelman backed up on the ropes in trouble.
In the final round, Zorro was able to keep Spelman at bay with his persistent jab but Spelman still managed to bloody his nose and get through with another thudding left hook, the same punch that caused the cut to his right eye.
Points were awarded 77-74 to Ellis Zorro in what was a fantastic fight for the fans and invaluable learning curve for the fighter.
Fight #8
4×3 Super-featherweight Contest
Royston Barney Smith vs Paul Holt
It might be a bit of a come-down for the fresh-faced 18-year-old Royston Barney Smith, who last fought at Wembley Stadium on the Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte undercard in April. Described by promoter Frank Warren as "Our little superstar", 'RBS' was a double European amateur champion, who signed with Queensberry Promotions on his 18th birthday. The Poole-born Southampton southpaw has his third fight within six months against former Midlands Area super-featherweight champion, Paul Holt.
From Birmingham, 'The Incredible Holt', who is also a southpaw, will provide the teenage prodigy with his biggest test yet.
Trained by Ben Davison, the super-feather sensation landed a right handed jab and one-two as his first three punches of the fight to immediately wobble the legs of Holt who fell backwards towards the closest corner, within the first five seconds of the fight, where Royston went in for the kill but patiently relented when he saw it wasn't quite time yet. Then seconds later, he had Holt on the canvas with another blisteringly fast one-two, who bravely got back to his feet but was not allowed to continue.
Main Event
12×3 British Middleweight Championship
Denzel Bentley vs Marcus Morrison
The main event sees Battersea's Denzel '2Sharp' Bentley in the first defence of his second stint as British middleweight champion. In the opposite corner stands challenger Marcus Morrison along with trainer Joe Gallagher.
The champion feints the jab up top to land a straight right to the body to kickstart the contest. But then a grazing right to Bentley's temple temporarily dazed the champ, having to reach out for the ropes momentarily with his right hand. Morrison sensed he was hurt so went in for the follow-up, but Bentley clinched then regained his focus and shape. He then miraculously turned the tables and soon had the challenger in trouble, pinned to the ropes, bleeding from the nose and was glad to hear the bell sound.
Denz managed to become more dominant in the second round but it's still anyone's fight, with big shots landing from both sides. Morrison still bleeding from the nose.
By the third, the defending champion had seized control, boxing beautifully, landing to head and body, and using his jab well. On the klaxons, Bentley landed a low blow but it was missed by the referee so was forced to face an onslaught to the bell.
In the fourth, it was pretty one sided. Morrison tucked up tight and absorbed Bentley's power punches, so the champ tapped the guard then unleashed a left hook underneath the vistor's right elbow who immediately dropped his guard, visibly hurt and wincing as he was stepping backwards. Bentley plowed forward but trainer Joe Gallagher stepped in to concede defeat after seeing his bloodied boxer take too much of a battering. The official time was 2:00 minutes of round four. Bentley's educated, sustained attacks were just too damaging for the Manchester man, who is stopped for the first time ever at middleweight.
