On a night where Gavin Gwynne and Craig Woodruff’s British Lightweight Title fight was positioned below two eight-rounders, the Welsh duo stole the show as they battled to a majority draw.
Joe Howarth and James Moorcroft
Wigan boys Joe Howarth (5-0) and James Moorcroft (16-2) added knockouts to their records through impressive performances. Howarth looked dominant from the opening bell, busting his opponent’s nose in the second, scoring two knockdowns in the third before securing the deserved knockout.
Meanwhile, Moorcroft, who is trained by Anthony Crolla, scored the early knockdown in the first round and from that point on it was clear that his counterpart wanted out.
Samir Aftab vs Mikey Young and Kane Gardner vs Miguel Antin
Hometown boy Samir Aftab (1-0) looked comfortable and silky in just his second outing as he cruised to a 40-36 decision victory against Mikey Young (2-3-1), in front of a vocal crowd. Whilst Kane Gardner (14-2) endured serious punishment in the early rounds against Argentina’s Miguel Antin (20-10-1), but survived the onslaught and went on to win the following rounds, coming away with the victory.
Gavin Gwynne vs Craig Woodruff
Then it was the turn of Gwynne (15-2) and Woodruff (12-6), with the British title on the line, plenty of support for both fighters and a bit of needle, it always looked like the fight of the night on paper. Despite being the underdog, it was in-fact Craig Woodruff who looked the stronger of the two, showcasing good head movement and punch selection to land cleaner than title-holder Gwynne.
However, the Newport man began to slow down and Gwynne began to take more control of the fight through the middle rounds, as he found his timing and Woodruff’s head movement went missing.
It looked as if Gwynne was set to command the remainder of the fight as he does so well due to his spectacular ‘gas tank’. But Woodruff had other ideas and worked his way back into the fight, gaining a second-wind from the help of his travelling supporters.
The fight was scored a majority draw and it’s hard to argue against that. An outstanding exhibition of Welsh talent and a fight many would like to see again.
Troy Williamson vs David Benitez
Last-but-one was British super-welterweight champion Troy Williamson (18-0-1), who took the fight on late notice, with Nathan Gorman pulling out of the show.
Many in attendance and possibly Williamson himself underestimated opponent David Benitez (8-7). After a few early scares, Williamson’s quality eventually shone through and Benitez’s corner threw in the towel, with their fighter being visibly vulnerable and exhausted in the sixth round.
Lyndon Arthur vs Walter Sequeira
Finally, Lyndon Arthur (19-1) made his return to the ring and his jab looked as sharp as ever, causing clear problems for the small but game Walter Sequeira (25-9-1).
There was a bit of evidence of ring rust for Arthur, as would be expected, getting caught on a couple of occasions and lacking the killer instinct that has scored him six first round knockouts in his career.
However, he did manage to get the stoppage dealing some thunderous blows and causing three knockdowns, convincing the referee to call it off in the sixth round.
Lyndon Arthur will now look to move up through the light-heavyweight division, whilst next up for Williamson is a trip up North to take on Josh Kelly in Newcastle.