Luke Paddock loses the Midlands title
Bloxwich's Luke Paddock had the Midlands light welterweight title ripped from him by Andy Keates on a slender points margin.
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Paddock defended his crown for the first time against his challenger and nemesis at Walsall Football Club's Banks's Stadium, writes Craig Birch.
But it's the toughman from Stoke who is the new champion, capitalising on Paddock fading in the later rounds to pip him the post.
The defeated fighter and his corner, from Priory Park Boxing Club, felt aggrieved and again begged to differ with referee Terry O'Connor's decision.
O'Connor was the scorer when another Priory puglisit, Ryan Aston, was controversially outpointed by Jason Welborn for the area belt at light middle in June.
Keates has done it again to 'Cool Hand' and is fast becoming his 'bogeyman,' with now a pro victory to add to his three wins to Paddock's two in amateur bouts between the pair.
The two share a healthy respect, but Paddock could not hide his disappointment that his hand was not raised at the final bell.
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Back-foot tactics went out of the window when the bell went, as the two waded into each other toe-to-toe.
Paddock absorbed right hands to the head as he look to trap Keates and let his shots go, which he did in the third near to the ropes.
Fearlessly charging in was taking its toll on both combatants by the halfway point, so Paddock went back to his boxing and gained the upper hand.
The rounds were still nip and tuck, but Paddock nicked a vital session in the fifth and dominated the sixth, beating Keates to the punch as they came together.
But he was hampered by a cut by the left eye, sustained from a clash of heads with Keates, who smelled blood and hit the gas.
That put Paddock on the defensive come the eighth and he had to grit his teeth when Keates rattled him with a right uppercut.
He hung back in the ninth as Keates came looking for him, leaving it to all to fight in the 10th and final round.
Keates got in his face and looked to be dragging Paddock another ring for much of the dying embers, but they saw the distance out.
They went to the cards with a round in it for O'Connor, 96-95. He had Paddock winning the first, second, fourth and sixth. Keates took the third, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth, with a drawn 10th.
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Shropshire's Craig Morris scored his second straight stoppage on the under-card, with a fourth round TKO over London-based Italian Victor Edagha.
Morris turned the screw in the second after a busy first, bombing forward to switch hooks that took the steam out of his opponent.
A swift and loaded right hook on the turn landed flush on Edgaha's chin and left him scrambling to regain his senses.
Morris took advantage with a big right hand and a cross body blow to the sternum, but Edagha retreated and was saved by the bell.
He was knocked clean out of the ring in the fourth and last round with punches flying, although O'Connor ruled it was a push.
But Edagha clearly didn't want to continue and was badly shipping punches again when the action resumed, after Morris trapped him in the corner and started swinging.
O'Connor finally stepped in with one minute and seven seconds of the session gone to no protests from the away corner, who must have been considering throwing the towel in.
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Cradley Heath's Manny Zaber opened the three-bout show with a shut-out points win over wily veteran Matt Seawright at light welter.
Seawright, participating in his 130th paid contest, had to be ultra-cautious after another head clash sliced both him and Zaber open.
He was left nursing a gash on his left eyebrow with Zaber, who had weakened the area with some sharp right hands earlier in the first, cut on the side of the head.
The journeyman used every trick in the book to keep 'Pac Man' at arms length for the rest of the six twos, bobbing and weaving in the second making Zaber start to miss for the first time.
He implored Zaber forward in the third and the prospect from Old Hill duly obliged, windmilling his way in and tracking Seawright down.
Wary of the distance, Zaber slowed the pace down and considered his moves, with Seawright looking to hold on.
Zaber couldn't land to the head and negated to work the body, with Seawright showboating and trying to wind him up. They saw the final bell, O'Connor going with Zaber by 60-54.
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