Welborn retains Midlands belt with power show

Jason Welborn had predicted in the run-up to his Midlands Area welterweight title defence that he'd be too strong for his challenger.

And so it proved as the bull-strong champion dropped and stopped Coventry's James Flinn in five rounds in the chief support to Shane McPhilbin's British cruiserweight title defence against former world champion Enzo Maccarinelli in Wolverhampton on Friday night [March 23].

The BoxNation cameras were in town to capture an intriguing-looking all-West Midlands clash over ten rounds - and to see improving Welborn [10st 6lbs 8oz] post his best performance to date.

Pre-fight, local opinion was divided on whether Flinn's solid, neat skills - which saw him represent Wales in the unpaid code and reach a national semi - or Welborn's much-vaunted strength and power would win the day.

And after three absorbing rounds of hard-to-score action, on a PJ Promotions and Frank Warren-promoted card at a sold-out and lively Civic Hall in the Black Country, nothing was any clearer; i had them winning a round apiece and had the opening three minutes even.

But from the fourth onwards you had a sneaking suspicion that the determination and strength of the Tividale fighter, who took the Midlands belt from another Coventry scrapper - southpaw Sean McKervey - in three rounds last November, would slowly break Flinn [10st 6lbs 10oz] down.

I couldn't split the pair during the first round. Though former two-time British Masters boss Flinn picked several holes in Errol Johnson-trained Jason's defence with a probing left, the champion roared back inside the last 60 seconds with two overhand ropes when the challenger had his back to the ropes.

James' well-timed one-twos on the back foot secured him the second round on my card, and that was in spite of an on-the-neck punch that sent him down on the bell [no count]. But after starting brightly and sending sweat flying from Welborn's head early in the third, the Andre Yerou-trained stylist found himself increasingly under fire.

The 25-year-old Black Country banger thumped home the heavier and more hurtful-looking punches, switched the attack to the body, before bringing it back to the head with a left hook. 

Even so, Flinn, 30, still deflected plenty of blows on his gloves and gave as good as he got in a give-and-take fourth that i gave to the champion on the strength of a right on the bell that snapped the head of Coventry City supporter, now 10-2-1 (2), skywards.

But the fight was slowly being ebbed out of the challenger - and an intense attack, to both body and head, had Flinn down within the opening minute of the fifth. Though up at seven and firing back on the resumption, a left to the body dropped him again and, in spite of beating the count, referee Terry O'Connor waived it off at 2-13.

With the impressive victory, Welborn improves to 9-1 (4) - and suffered his only professional defeat to Ingle-trained Nottingham stylist Tyan Booth four years ago. That was at super-middleweight and Jason is targeting a tilt at the English 10st 7lbs belt, currently held by former British boss Lee Purdy, by the summer.