Jack Massey wins IBO World cruiserweight title
In a career-best performance from Jack Massey (19-1, 10KOs), the British title contender dropped Bilal Laggoune (25-3-2, 14KOs) twice in the third round of their IBO World cruiserweight title fight on Friday, November 26.
It was a brutal finish from 28-year-old Massey to become a world champion in his 20th fight.
In round one, Chapel-en-le-Firth's Massey was boxing smartly behind his jab, winning the first round.
Massey grew in confidence after the opener and began landing hurtful body shots in the second stanza.
In round three, the Derbyshire dynamo dropped the Belgian with huge shots and finished matters brutally to become IBO world champ.
Pre-fight, Massey had promised a 10th-round stoppage but managed to get the job done much earlier after detonating a left hook on his Belgian opponent’s chin, then piling on the pressure to force referee Steve Gray to intervene and wave off proceedings to the joy of a feverish crowd.
Having only lost once, in a competitive British title fight with unbeaten, world-ranked Richard Riakporhe, Massey’s stock has now skyrocketed through the roof and can certainly look forward to a 2022 that promises title defences and unification bouts.
Superb Scot Nathaniel Collins (9-0, 4KOs) continued his unbeaten run to retain his Commonwealth featherweight title and extend his record to 9-0 with an impressive ninth round stoppage over unbeaten South African Thembani Mbangatha (11-1, 5KOs).
Managed by Sam Kynoch, 'The Nightmare' dealt with the WBF African featherweight champion with relative ease, proving the class that his stellar amateur career had previously promised. Mbangatha was in great shape and had some success during the contest, but was ultimately no match for the clever skills from Collins, who had his man down in the eighth before ending matters in the ninth of a scheduled 12 rounds.
Magnificent Mancunian Mark Jeffers (14-0, 4KOs), 23 from Chorley, won the WBO Global super-middleweight title with a unanimous decision over once-beaten Belgian Michel Garcia (16-2,5KOs).
Born in Northern Ireland, the six-foot-tall Jeffers was given a decent workout by another Belgian visitor, who had only lost one in 16 prior to the contest but despite looking ‘fleshy’ on the scales proved that appearances are deceptive.
The Central Area champion was the aggressor throughout the fight, and ultimately claimed a wide and decisive points victory – winning every round on two of the judges scorecards – but wasn’t able to finish the contest early, despite his best efforts and recent run of three KOs from his last four fights. 33-year-old Garcia proved to be ring-savvy and game as he toughed out the rounds, allowing Jeffers some valuable experience and learning, which will prove beneficial in future fights.
Further down the card there were also points victories for Zak Miller (60-55) and Harry Mullins (40-37), and stoppage wins for Josh Holmes (TKO8) and Khaleel Majid RTD2).
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