Explosive undercard fights in the Benn vs. Eubank Jr. rematch: Jack Catterall, Adam Azim, Richard Riakporhe and Ishmael Davis prevail at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The undercard to the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2 mega rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium delivered pure action, brutal hits and several early decisions.
Badass combo from Catterall
Welterweight Jack Catterall secured a late T.K.O. against English rival Ekow Essuman in the co-main event. Catterall (32-2, 14 knockouts) ended the match impressively in round eleven when a hard-hitting combination sent Essuman (22-2, 8 knockouts) through the ropes – just 50 seconds before the final bell. Prior to this, Catterall had already put down a clear exclamation mark in the fourth round when Essuman stumbled into a heavy right hook and went down. With the victory, Catterall successfully defended his WBO Global title.
Azim celebrates knockout in the twelfth
In the light-welterweight division, Adam Azim put in a mature performance and secured a dramatic knockout in the final round against Kurt Scoby. Scoby (18-2, 16 knockouts) was deducted a point in round seven for excessive head-butting. Azim (14-0, 11 knockouts) nevertheless remained focused and followed up in round twelve with a delayed left hook that forced Scoby to the floor. Although Scoby got up again, referee Howard Foster stopped the fight at 0:50. Azim thus won the vacant WBO Intercontinental title by T.K.O.
Riakporhe dismantles Welch in two rounds
Heavyweight Richard Riakporhe only needed two rounds to put Tommy Welch in his place. Welch (16-1, 9 knockouts) went down hard twice. First Riakporhe (19-1, 15 knockouts) caught him with a wide, powerful right haymaker. This was followed shortly afterwards by a short right hook that sent Welch to the ring floor again. Riakporhe stepped up the pace again in the final seconds of the round and followed up with his feared right hand. Referee Mark Bates stopped the fight at 2:48 minutes.
Davis wins British and Commonwealth titles
Ishmael Davis was also able to add his name to the list of winners. With a close but clear majority decision (115-113, 115-113, 115-114), he prevailed against Sam Gilley (18-2-1, 9 knockouts), who had previously been unbeaten in eight fights. Davis (15-3, 6 knockouts) produced a composed performance over the full distance to secure the British and Commonwealth half-middleweight titles.