Hunt can only post draw on return; weekend round up

Rob Hunt's return to action after a ten-month absence ended in a disappointing draw.

The Stafford welterweight [pictured against Jason Nesbitt in 2008] is hoping to secure a shot at the Midlands Area title later in the year but could only stumble his way to a 38 apiece four-round draw with a one-fight pro novice at Chester's Northgate Arena on Saturday night [March 3].

This is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Hunt, who has been forced to endure a tumultuous previous 24 months. He lost for the first time in 15 [one draw] in November 2010 - a six-round stoppage defeat to Ben Lawler in a challenge for the vacant British Masters welterweight strap - and [prior to Saturday] had only boxed once since.

Yet the 26-year-old made a bright start against Colwyn Bay's Lee Quinn, sweeping the opening two rounds on the referee's scorecard with neat work off the jab. But though the third was fought on level terms, the now-two-fight unbeaten North Wales prospect battered Hunt in the final three minutes - forcing the Lyndon Newbon-trained Midlander to desperately hold for survival.

Though he managed to hear the final bell and avoid defeat, it's a disappointing result for Hunt, now 15-1-2 (1). He'll need to post better performances than that if he's to convince anyone he has what it takes to dethrone either Dave Ryan or Chris Truman [who meet for Ryan's Area 10st belt in Burton later this month] of the Midlands title.

Another Staffordshire fighter, Leek lightweight Andy Keates, battled to a 39-38 decision over Eastern European import Andrejs Podusovs, now 1-1, on the same Chester bill. Podusovs outpointed former Prizefighter finalist Paul McElhinney on his pro bow two months ago but found himself squeezed out after a slow start. Keates is now undefeated in four.

On the same night, albeit at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre in Sheffield on the undercard of Jamie McDonnell's European bantamweight title defence, undefeated East Midlands pair Gilson De Jesus, 1-0 entering, and Lewis Taylor, without blemish in two going on, met in an exciting-looking, evenly-matched four-rounder that was edged by Taylor on points.

Referee Phil Edwards handed the Derbyshire middleweight a 39-38 tally that could so easily have gone the other way. Carl Greaves-managed De Jesus, from Nottingham, boxed Chris Eubank Jr in the amateurs and has a reputation as an aggressive banger. He tossed plenty of looping right hands that Clinton Woods-trained Taylor sometimes slipped and sometimes caught.

Though both men had a claim to have done enough to preserve their unbeaten tallies at the end of the 12-minute contest, the 22-year-old from Dronfield was the one who hand his hand raised by the Preston-based referee and is now 3-0.

On Friday evening there were defeats for a brace of Jon Pegg-handled fighters, hard-nosed Andrew Patterson [on points, 40-36, to southpaw former British title challenger Barrie Jones in Wales] and durable Nuneaton centurion Kristian Laight [also on points, 40-37, to Yorkshire first-timer Robbie Barrett in Doncaster].

Dangerman Patterson, with four wins [all stoppages] and three draws in his 34-bout paid journey, takes on former Big Brother contestant JJ Bird in Peterborough on Friday and prepared  for it with four testing sessions in Cardiff. The Brummie was never troubled but generally out-boxed by a right-leading stylist whose ledger improves to 19-9 (7) and was once good enough to challenge for the Lonsdale Belt at welterweight

Laight, though, showed his debutant opponent a few tricks on his way to sharing a round on referee Michael Alexander's scorecard. Quick-fisted and slick, Kristian tagged the eager Yorkshire with the occasional left hook and right hand as he marched in and will see action for the 127th time in Scotland this weekend.

On the same bill at the Doncaster Dome, Northampton super-bantamweight Ash Lane, now 1-1-2 and who boxes in Bedworth on March 16, earned a hard-fought 38-38 draw with five-contest unbeaten [one draw] Gavin McDonnell, brother of European monarch Jamie.

Image courtesy of Jane Warburton.