Cash rules at Fight Camp

Commonwealth middleweight champion Felix Cash brought flash and bash to administer an impressive fifth-round beating of former British champion Jason Welborn at Matchroom’s Fight Camp in Brentwood on Friday night. 

After a slowish start to his career, Cash now has purpose and momentum. He has good feet and technique, a stiff jab and hurtful bodywork plus pleasing variety. He proved far too sharp and spiteful for the grizzled Welborn. A European title shot against 41-year-old Italian title-holder Matteo Signani could be next.

“I broke him down nice and slowly,” said Cash. “Round by round, he was getting weaker and getting tired. I knew it was just a matter of time before I got him out of there. He’s a tough lad. There was no point in rushing it and trying to get him out of there early. What a stage to be on. It was unbelievable. The week has been unbelievable. I’ve really enjoyed it. Overall it was a good week. I’m 27 and I’m in the prime of my life. I’m ready for the step ups now.”

Strong and persistent, the heavy-handed Cash dug in some wicked body shots and worked his man over for most of the contest. A right hand in the second forced Welborn back on his heels but brought a grin of acknowledgement from the challenger. 

The dogged Welborn (24-9, 7 KOs) tagged Cash with a right hand and forced him to the ropes in the third before the champion hit him with a low blow and referee Michael Alexander called a timeout. The challenger occasionally unloaded in eye-catching bursts of action but he could not sustain them as Cash applied hurtful pressure.

Welborn was usually under the cosh but still had his moments. A right hand to the top of the head clipped Cash in the fourth, but he quickly shook off the effects as the challenger bided his time and hoped for the champion to fade late on. 

Seemingly well ahead on the cards, Cash (13-0, 9 KOs) was deducted a point for a low blow in the fifth, but that only seemed to light a fire under the champion and a gassing Welborn was dropped with two clubbing right hands later in the session. The end was now nigh and, after a steady stream of punishment, Welborn was dropped by another right hand by the ropes where his corner threw in the towel. 

Super-featherweight talent Zelfa Barrett made his long-awaited Matchroom debut yet almost suffered a baptism of fire against a slick and skilful Eric Donovan before turning the tables with some brutal punching en route to an impressive eighth round win.

The 35-year-old Irishman boxed brilliantly at times and seemed on the verge of an upset before Barrett’s heavier hands suddenly flipped the script.

“I had to find it in the bag because he was hitting me with some good shots and I thought, ‘You know what, I’m not letting this guy beat me’. It was just war mode,” said Barrett. “I timed it perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for anything else. I caught him. Credit to Eric Donovan. I’ve just defeated an undefeated fighter. As soon as I put him down I thought, ‘that’s it, I’m getting you out of here’. He’s a good fighter but I’m going to pull myself together, go back to the drawing board and do what I’ve got to do.”

After a cagey opening round, Barrett found snap in his shots in the second, but a smiling Donovan peppered him with a fast-handed flurry at the end of the session. Barrett (24-1, 15 KOs) steadied his man with a solid right in the third though Donovan made the Mancunian work for every opening. In the same round, a bright Donovan spun Barrett and unloaded in a corner.

Southpaw Donovan (12-1, 7 KOs) was causing problems with a whipping left hand to the body. He ate a stiff left hook but his fast hands were making mischief. Barrett was toiling as former amateur star Donovan employed silk and steel to hang with him blow for blow.

Barrett raised the pressure levels in the fifth and belaboured his foe to the body yet Donovan blazed back with a chopping left hand that had the Mancunian backpedalling. A confident Donovan showed flashes of brilliance along with laser accuracy and crisp combinations. Whenever Barrett appeared in the ascendancy, Donovan had an answer as he carved an early lead with a fine boxing display, 

Donovan seemed on course for a shock win until a curling left hook caught him high on the head and the Irishman dropped heavily to canvas in the seventh. A desperate Barrett worked him up and down as the Irishman focused on survival. Hellacious left hooks were raining in relentlessly before a right hand sent Donovan down again near the end of the session.

Barrett’s heavy hands were prevalent now and, after Donovan battled back bravely once more, the Irishman was cleaned out with a beautiful left hook and referee Foster immediately waved it off. The Mancunian was trailing through six rounds, but Barrett pulled a win out of the bag like the best fighters do.

In a thrilling super-bantamweight eight-rounder that lived up to its billing, Aldridge’s Rachel Ball upset Matchroom’s touted prospect Shannon Courtenay in a close one on the cards. Referee Howard Foster scored 77-75.

“I’m just so happy,” a tearful Ball told Sky Sports afterwards. “It does mean everything to me. It was a closer fight than I wanted it to be. I want to go on to big things, I want Eddie to sign me up. I want to be at the top. I want to be at world title level and get a world title. That’s where I want to be more than anything.

“To be honest, when I was in the corner and I threw the [knockdown] shot, she dazed me a bit so I didn’t know what had hit her. I thought, ‘Fantastic, this fight isn’t going to last’. She does hit hard. There is a reason why she has been knocking these girls out. I’m happy I got through the fight.”

In an explosive opening round, Courtenay threatened to steamroller her rangy foe, jettisoning a series of huge right hands that backed the Midlander into a corner before Ball suddenly dropped her with a stiff left hook counter.

After that shocking start, Courtenay (5-1, 2 KOs) regrouped with stout bodywork and more intelligent pressure. By the third, she was walking Ball down and unloading hurtful left hooks as there was demonstrably less snap on the Midlander’s shots.

But Ball (6-1, 0 KOs) refused to buckle and met fire with fire. A swarming Courtenay kept coming as Ball tried to replicate that left hook success yet she had to dig in to stem the Watford girl’s aggression. But Courtenay tired demonstrably from the seventh and Ball took full advantage, pushing back the Watford girl back with a spirited late rally. One felt Ball needed a strong finish and she found it in a feverish, last-ditch effort in the final round to pip Courtenay right at the post.

In a crossroads bout between former sparring partners, Kieron Conway was too lively for Rotherham’s plucky Nav Mansouri in a 10-rounder at 154lbs. Scores were 99-92 and 98-92 (twice).

A busier Mansouri stole a march in the opening round, but Conway doubled up with the jab in the second and started to time a solid right hand. Conway backed Mansouri up in the third, but the Rotherham man matched his pace.

A flurry buzzed Mansouri (20-4-2, 6 KOs) in the fourth as the slicker Conway maintained an apparent lead with his cleaner work. A hefty right hand to the temple rocked Mansouri again in the fifth, but for about six rounds it was a fairly even affair.

Yet Conway pulled away in a huge seventh after stunning Mansouri with a left hook and unleashing a frenetic volley of blows. Conway picked his shots nicely, but Mansouri did incredibly well to hold, fire enough back and ultimately survive a torrid session with referee Steve Gray looking on closely.

Northampton’s Conway (15-1-1, 3 KOs) remained in full control, but couldn’t get the gutsy Mansouri out of there. He fully deserved to hear that final bell.

Scottish super-middleweight hope John Docherty impressed with a seventh-round stoppage of a livewire Anthony Fox in the show-opener.

Aggressive southpaw Docherty began loading up on the front foot as the wily Fox fired back with clever counters. Referee Howard Foster administered a count to Fox in the third after what appeared to be nothing more than a slip.

Docherty (9-0, 7 KOs) was warned for a low blow in the fourth, but Fox was starting to wilt under more educated pressure. The mohawked Fox (a highly deceptive 8-13-4, 0 KOs) responded with gusto in the fifth. Having previously faced 19 unbeaten fighters and embarked on a three-fight win streak against fancied foes, a gritty Fox wasn’t lying down.

A big left hand sent Fox reeling at the end of the sixth though Docherty was unable to take immediate advantage. But early in the seventh, Fox was dropped again by another stiff left and wavering under a sustained assault when referee Foster stepped in.

Main image: Felix Cash, Mark Robinson/Matchroom.