Essuman defeats Taylor as Itauma stars

The main event was an intriguing affair, even if it lacked the knockout action that boxing fans crave. However, the undercard provided ample stoppages throughout what proved to be a very entertaining evening. 

Here is a recap of all the action at the OVO Hydro Arena. 

Luke Bibby, now 10-1 (2), kicked off the action with a comfortable points win over Cesar Ignacio Paredes, now 18-19-1 (5).  

Defeated for the first time in his professional career by Rashid Omar in a Celtic super lightweight eliminator in his last fight, Bibby dropped back to lightweight to produce a comfortable display against an awkward customer in the form of Peruvian Paredes. 

Bibby’s fellow lightweight Lee Walsh, now 5-0 (2), made quick work of his opponent Tony Morton, now 1-18 (0). 

The 21-year-old had his opponent down twice in the opening round, before he convinced referee Darren Maxwell to call the fight off with 20 seconds of the first remaining. 

Luke McCormack, now 4-0 (3), had to wait until the second round to end his contest with Panamanian Samir Cuentas, now 4-6 (0). The stoppage came in bizarre fashion, with Cuentas lying on the canvas after being knocked down by McCormack.  

After remaining still for seven seconds of the referee’s count, Cuentas sprung to his feet – just as the referee was waving the fight off. Despite his protests, Cuentas’ delaying tactic proved costly, McCormack winning via TKO. 

Welterweight Drew Limond improved to 4-0 (1) with a whitewash of Ezequiel Gregores, now 3-23 (0). Son of late Scottish fighter Willie Limond, the 19-year-old took all four rounds in the eyes of ref Kevin McIntyre. 

The offspring of another Scottish boxer fared just as well, with Alex Arthur Jr beginning his career with a 40-36 points win over Robbie Chapman, now 13-49-9 (2). 

With his father, former world champion Alex Arthur Sr, in his corner, super middleweight Arthur Jr looked impressive despite being unable to find a knockout. 

Aston Brown, now 8-0 (3), did not have to wait long to find a knockout in the first fight of the main card. In his BBBofC Scottish area middleweight title fight, he had opponent Reece Porter, now 5-1 (3), down twice in the first round, before the fight was called off after 108 seconds. 

That set the tone for the main card, with Aloys Junior, now 10-1 (9), cruising to victory over David Jamieson, now 13-4 (10). The 22-year-old cruiserweight knocked his opponent to the canvas in the first and second round, before a left hook in the third stopped Jamieson completely. 

The clinical display from Aloys Junior secured him the Commonwealth belt at cruiserweight. 

Debutant Reese Lynch continued the streak of knockouts, defeating Jonatas de Oliveira with a shot to the body right before the bell in round two. De Oliveira, now 6-27 (5), was unable to get back to his feet, giving super lightweight Lynch a flying start to his professional career. 

Entering his contest with Mike Balogun, now 21-2 (16), heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma was expected to secure a knockout victory of his own. 

The 20-year-old duly delivered, sending Balogun to the canvas once in round one, before continuing his dominance with another knockdown in round two. Balogun was unable to recover from either knockdown; Itauma securing the stoppage by sending the American to the floor once more. 

Remarkably, the stoppages did not stop there. Scottish duo Nathaniel Collins and Lee McGregor went to battle in front of an arena filled with their compatriots, with the WBC silver featherweight title on the line. 

In the end, it would be Collins who proved victorious; a seemingly endless assault in the fourth saw McGregor down three times before his corner throw in the towel. Collins preserves his unbeaten record, moving to 17-0 (8), whilst Lee McGregor’s record now stands at 15-2-1 (11). 

There was more knockout action after the main event, which ended in a unanimous decision victory for B-side fighter Ekow Essuman. 

Marcus Sutherland, now 8-0 (5), clearly did not want the night to drag past midnight, putting Dylan Nixon down to the canvas three times in the first. That led to the fight being stopped before the last bell of the opening round could be sounded. 

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