Knockouts galore on thrilling Itauma vs. Franklin undercard

Before the two heavyweights squared off, there was an exciting undercard which saw four of the six bouts finish within the distance.

DAZN News rounds up the latest results from ringside. 

Gerome Warburton may have sent Nathan Heaney into retirement with unanimous decision

In the night’s co-main, Gerome Warburton beat Nathan Heaney by unanimous decision in a fight which proved difficult to watch.

Warburton was nervous, while Heaney was rigid, offering very little and not throwing.

Heaney landed two successive lefts to Warburton’s body in the second, but this was arguably the only major punches thrown.

Warburton grew in confidence as the fight progressed, using his footwork to dance around Heaney who only seemed to have one direction of travel, and that was forward.

With Heaney struggling to make any notable impression, Warburton continued to dance around the former British middleweight champion, and he was rewarded with the win.

One judge scored the fight 98-92, and the two others 97-93 in Warburton’s favour.

While Heaney was optimistic about having one last fight at Stoke in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, he may need to re-think as boxing like that would not be the best way to end an overachieving career.

A disciplined Willy Hutchinson beats tense Ezra Taylor

Willy Hutchinson settled the score against Ezra Taylor with a convincing points win.

It was not the all action fight which many had hoped for, but Hutchinson set the tone in round one with a short left.

This punch sent Taylor into his shell who seemed reluctant to engage and looked tense when throwing.

Round three saw Taylor catch Hutchinson with a left hand, but two rounds later, Hutchinson rocked his opponent with his own swinging left.

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Willy Hutchinson overcomes Ezra Taylor in scrappy grudge match

Watch Taylor vs. Hutchinson fight highlights

 

 

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As the fight progressed, Hutchinson’s fluidity allowed him to keep control against Taylor who failed to push ahead with each passing round going to the ‘Hutch Train’.

Hutchinson’s dominance was reflected on the judges’ scorecards with scores 99-91, and two reading 98-92. DAZN News scored the fight 97-93 in Hutchinson’s favour.

This defeat for Taylor was the first of his 14-fight career, while Hutchinson hopes this victory can push him towards a world title shot.

Brad Pauls determination pays off with round nine stoppage against Shakiel Thompson

Brad Pauls snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a ninth-round stoppage against Shakiel Thompson.

The opening rounds were cagey, but Thompson seized the initiative and began to dominate. While he threw combinations, Pauls was only managing single jabs without any meaningful follow up.

With the fight seemingly under his control, Thompson clipped Pauls with a right hand in the fourth, and in the seventh, two left hands had Pauls on the back foot, and the contest slipping away.

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Brad Pauls mounts incredible comeback against Shakiel Thompson

Watch Thompson vs. Pauls fight highlights

 

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As the fight reached round nine, it looked like Thompson was set for a comfortable points win, but Pauls tore up the script. A left jab wobbled Thompson up close before three successive rights to the head had Thompson down.

Pauls sniffed blood once Thompson got back to his feet and met the referee’s count, he unloaded what felt like endless left-right combinations and in the end, it proved too much for Thompson.

Another Pauls left hand sent him to the canvas, and the referee stopped the fight with 90 seconds remaining in the round.

Liam Davies becomes European featherweight champion after Francesco Grandelli retires on stool

Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

Liam Davies is the new European featherweight champion after Francesco Grandelli was pulled out of the fight by his corner at the end of round six.

It was a fight which Davies dominated from the outset, an overhand right and left to the body in the first round were a clear sign that Davies was in control against the Italian.

Grandelli began to slow down in the third, his shots lacking zip, while Davies, full of energy, was throwing with ease.

A Davies left hand in the fourth knocked down Grandelli who increased his intensity in the fifth with him knowing the fight was quickly slipping away on the scorecards.

Grandelli was backed up to the corner at the start of the sixth, and managed to land a right hand before controlling the rest of the session.

The Italian’s team had seen enough at the end of the sixth, pulling their fighter out which made Davies the new European featherweight champion.

It sets up an intriguing immediate future for Davies who no doubt will have a keen eye on the rematch between Nathaniel Collins and Cristobal Lorente on April 17, live on DAZN.

Josh Holmes stops Alex Murphy in destructive fashion

Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

It took Josh Holmes just one round to beat Alex Murphy.

Murphy looked comfortable after rocking Holmes, but the latter struck back.

First with a right hook, followed by a left which floored Murphy.

As Holmes’ support roared, Murphy got back to his feet, but he was on shaky legs and Holmes capitalised. A left-right had Murphy on the floor once again, this time in the neutral corner.

The bell may have sounded, but Murphy was unable to continue and the fights was stopped by referee Howard Foster.

Michael Gomez Jr. stops Jordan Flynn in opening fight

Queensberry/Leigh Dawney

Michael Gomez Jr. beat Jordan Flynn in the night’s opening contest with a stoppage in round three.

Flynn opted to box off the jab, and had the better of the early exchanges, but there was always the threat from Gomez who was beginning to land a number of power punches towards the end of round one.

Gomez stepped up the intensity in the second and landed a left to the body which winded Flynn and gave his opponent plenty of confidence to continue the offensive.

With Flynn cut going into the third session, it was one-way traffic with Gomez clipping Flynn numerous times with uppercuts. Gomez managed to back Flynn on to the ropes before landing at will, forcing the referee to intervene and stop the fight.

For now, Gomez’s boxing career continues after stating that he would retire if beaten in Manchester.

Watch Itauma vs. Franklin with a DAZN subscription

Knockout sensation Moses Itauma faces his toughest test against Jermaine Franklin this Saturday night, March 28. Watch exclusively with a DAZN Ultimate subscription to also get PPVs Chisora vs. Wilder (April 4), Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9), and Usyk vs Verhoeven (May 23) included.

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