Express & Star

Home comforts result in five of the best

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It was a night for the home fighters at Walsall Town Hall on Saturday night as all five boxers came away victorious on Black Country Boxing's 'The Avengers' show.

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Birmingham super featherweight Paul Holt pulled out with a shoulder injury and left a gap at the top of the bill, writes Daniel Mole.

Rookie West Bromwich heavyweight Matt Gordon stepped up to main event in only his second professional fight.

The giant southpaw didn't disappoint ,as he recorded a shut-out 40-36 points victory over 41 year-old Czech fighter Jindrich Velecky.

The 30-year-old, keen to impress his army of fans, put in a much improved performance and showed signs that he had worked on the defensive side of his game.

Working behind a range-finding jab, Gordon picked his shots and paced himself well as his superior conditioning proved key to move to 2-0.

Fellow West Bromwich pair Jack Summers and Tom Stokes also recorded shut-out victories.

Jack Summers throws a shot at Russ Midgley. Picture by Rob Ellis.

Summers, who trains alongside Gordon, completely dominated his opponent – Leeds' Russ Midgley – from start to finish.

Durable though Midgley was, he didn't provide much threat going forward but, despite offering little the other way, deservedly saw the final bell and the inevitable resulting 40-36 scoreline.

Middleweight Stokes made a welcome ring return, after an 18 month absence, when he stepped in with Telford's experienced and game Kieron Gray.

Back after managing to juggle his full-time scaffolding job with training, Stokes came out swinging.

Gray became more offensive as the fight wore on but, after four entertaining rounds, Stokes was awarded a 40-36 win to extend his unbeaten start to life in the pro game to 5-0.

Completing the line-up were debutants Luke Heron and Leon Brown.

Heron, who has made the switch from the unlicensed game, put in the night's best performance, impressing against fellow debutant, Bryn Wain.

Real name Luke Walker, the Birmingham middleweight will box under Luke Heron to avoid confusion with the Lincoln light welterweight of the same name.

Heron buzzed Wain within a minute of the opening round, catching his Yeovil-based opponent with a solid right to the body before following it up with a stinging left.

Wain shipped further punishment in the second as Heron, trained by his father Ian, showed off his boxing skills. Switching from body to head, he put Wain to the sword.

Referee Reece Carter rightly waved the contest off halfway through the third with Wain taking shots without reply. Heron is certainly one to watch.

The final fight of the evening saw former bodybuilder, Leon Brown, step in with Lincoln's Mitch Mitchell in the latter's 50th pro bout.

The 33-year-old cruiserweight was cautious throughout and paced himself as he got to grips with life in the pro game after a handful of amateur bouts for Amphion Boxing Club.

That was until the final round. Brown, who by then knew how much he had left in the tank, put the pressure on and connected with a stinging right that put Mitchell on the seat of his pants.

The Lincoln man recovered to see the final bell but that shot went a long way to the muscular Brown recording a 39-37 win.