Black Country-based promotional outfit First Team (Paul (PJ) Rowson and Errol Johnson) branched out of the confines of the Midlands over the weekend with two cards in the southern half of the country.
Their first, a Friday night show at the Christie Miller Sports Centre in Melksham, Wiltshire, saw sculpted Stourbridge trier Kevin McCauley register a decent-looking four-round draw with Swindon-based Swede Vatche Wartanian, who hadn't fought for three years but had a 9-2-2 (2) ledger entering.
McCauley, now with pro stats that show four wins in 13 (one draw), has scored back-to-back results in a brace of weeks, having outpointed five-fight unbeaten Brock Cato in Bristol on June 13. The West Country is proving to be a happy hunting ground for the Jay Morris-trained 29-year-old.
Trowbridge's Nick 'Bang Bang' Blackwell, who Rowson signed to his promotional stable after an impressive sparring session earlier this year, entered the paid ranks with a three-round stoppage win over Dave Sadler. Blackwell won 16 out of 16 (14 early wins) in the unlicensed arena and dropped the winless man from Nottingham in the second and third before the referee stepped in.
Another former unlicensed fighter from Wiltshire, Melksham super-featherweight Liam Richards, was also successful on his professional bow. Birmingham's former British and Commonwealth title challenger Anthony Hanna has 112 fights to his name and recently held top-rated Daniel Walton to a draw but lost handily over six to Richards.
Other results saw Wolverhampton light-middle Myles Holder extend his unbeaten run to two with a hard-fought six-round points win over durable Bargoed scrapper Gary Cooper, now without a win in four, and Paignton's Kristine Shergold, who gave Wolverhampton's Lyndsey Scragg an excellent ten-round tussle two weeks ago, chalked up her second win in five with a repeat points nod over Lana Cooper.
First Team's second card of the weekend, a Sunday show at Luton's Liquid Envy Nightclub, saw former British and Commonwealth lightweight boss Graham Earl return to winning ways for the first time in three years with a shut-out six-round win over Birmingham's 149-bout veteran Karl Taylor.
Earl, 30, was once good enough to challenge for a recognised world title and beat former European champion Yuri Romanov, who fights for the WBA title soon, but had lost three on the bounce and his last two were back-to-back opening round drubbings, by Amir Khan and Henry Castle. He announced his retirement after the Castle loss in October but was tempted back and dictated the action with the jab to score win 26 from 30 (12 stoppages).
Another lightweight to return to winning ways after three losses on the spin was Walsall's former English champion Martin Gethin, who outpointed Birmingham's durable Jason Nesbitt, celebrating fight 100, over four rounds.
Gethin was once 15-0-1, scoring wins over unbeaten Yorkshire pair Nadeem Siddique and John Fewkes, but then slumped to 15-3-1. He lost his English crown to Scott Lawton, dropped a close nod to unbeaten John Waston and, more shockingly, to Chris Long, who entered with very modest 9-23-4 pro stats, in May. Consensus was the 25-year-old Black Country banger was robbed against Long, but it has harmed his title credentials.
But he boxed well against busy Nesbitt, hammering away at both head and body and running out a 40-36 victor.
Belfast's Luke Wilton had twice beaten Walsall's Delroy Spencer in mounting an impressive-sounding 4-1-1 professional slate but couldn't make it three as the 40-year-old Midlander celebrated his 100th pro outing with his first win in three years.
Wilton, 21, had been lined up to fight Chris Edwards for the British and Commonwealth flyweight titles later on this year but couldn't match the fired-up Spencer, now 11-86-3 (1), and went down on points.
Happy 100th, Delroy.
Other results saw Mansfield's Pavils Senkovs, 1-5 (1), concede a points verdict to first-timer Blaine Courtney, Luton, and another Luton debutant, Michael Devine, edged out Michael Harvey, despite Devine tasting the canvas in the third. Two more first-timers, Bedford's Jamie Boness and Lincoln's Ryan Clark, fought to a well-received draw.
Their first, a Friday night show at the Christie Miller Sports Centre in Melksham, Wiltshire, saw sculpted Stourbridge trier Kevin McCauley register a decent-looking four-round draw with Swindon-based Swede Vatche Wartanian, who hadn't fought for three years but had a 9-2-2 (2) ledger entering.
McCauley, now with pro stats that show four wins in 13 (one draw), has scored back-to-back results in a brace of weeks, having outpointed five-fight unbeaten Brock Cato in Bristol on June 13. The West Country is proving to be a happy hunting ground for the Jay Morris-trained 29-year-old.
Trowbridge's Nick 'Bang Bang' Blackwell, who Rowson signed to his promotional stable after an impressive sparring session earlier this year, entered the paid ranks with a three-round stoppage win over Dave Sadler. Blackwell won 16 out of 16 (14 early wins) in the unlicensed arena and dropped the winless man from Nottingham in the second and third before the referee stepped in.
Another former unlicensed fighter from Wiltshire, Melksham super-featherweight Liam Richards, was also successful on his professional bow. Birmingham's former British and Commonwealth title challenger Anthony Hanna has 112 fights to his name and recently held top-rated Daniel Walton to a draw but lost handily over six to Richards.
Other results saw Wolverhampton light-middle Myles Holder extend his unbeaten run to two with a hard-fought six-round points win over durable Bargoed scrapper Gary Cooper, now without a win in four, and Paignton's Kristine Shergold, who gave Wolverhampton's Lyndsey Scragg an excellent ten-round tussle two weeks ago, chalked up her second win in five with a repeat points nod over Lana Cooper.
First Team's second card of the weekend, a Sunday show at Luton's Liquid Envy Nightclub, saw former British and Commonwealth lightweight boss Graham Earl return to winning ways for the first time in three years with a shut-out six-round win over Birmingham's 149-bout veteran Karl Taylor.
Earl, 30, was once good enough to challenge for a recognised world title and beat former European champion Yuri Romanov, who fights for the WBA title soon, but had lost three on the bounce and his last two were back-to-back opening round drubbings, by Amir Khan and Henry Castle. He announced his retirement after the Castle loss in October but was tempted back and dictated the action with the jab to score win 26 from 30 (12 stoppages).
Another lightweight to return to winning ways after three losses on the spin was Walsall's former English champion Martin Gethin, who outpointed Birmingham's durable Jason Nesbitt, celebrating fight 100, over four rounds.
Gethin was once 15-0-1, scoring wins over unbeaten Yorkshire pair Nadeem Siddique and John Fewkes, but then slumped to 15-3-1. He lost his English crown to Scott Lawton, dropped a close nod to unbeaten John Waston and, more shockingly, to Chris Long, who entered with very modest 9-23-4 pro stats, in May. Consensus was the 25-year-old Black Country banger was robbed against Long, but it has harmed his title credentials.
But he boxed well against busy Nesbitt, hammering away at both head and body and running out a 40-36 victor.
Belfast's Luke Wilton had twice beaten Walsall's Delroy Spencer in mounting an impressive-sounding 4-1-1 professional slate but couldn't make it three as the 40-year-old Midlander celebrated his 100th pro outing with his first win in three years.
Wilton, 21, had been lined up to fight Chris Edwards for the British and Commonwealth flyweight titles later on this year but couldn't match the fired-up Spencer, now 11-86-3 (1), and went down on points.
Happy 100th, Delroy.
Other results saw Mansfield's Pavils Senkovs, 1-5 (1), concede a points verdict to first-timer Blaine Courtney, Luton, and another Luton debutant, Michael Devine, edged out Michael Harvey, despite Devine tasting the canvas in the third. Two more first-timers, Bedford's Jamie Boness and Lincoln's Ryan Clark, fought to a well-received draw.
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