Express & Star

Lennox Clarke destroys rival in a round

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Halesowen's Lennox Clarke made a statement to his rivals by demolishing Richard Horton inside a round at Walsall Town Hall.

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'Dangerous' destroyed the visitor from Essex and knocked him down three times in what was supposed to be a competitive contest.

Not much of the allotted eight rounds were required to get the job done as the heavy-hitter sent out a message to his rivals in emphatic style, writes Paul Webb.

He got off to a fast start, landing a sharp jab and followed up with a straight right that sent Horton down to the canvas.

Clarke showed composure as his opponent beat the count and boxed smartly waiting for an opportunity, which came in the shape of a beautifully timed left hook to the side of Horton's head.

Despite beating the count for a second time, the 34-year-old looked unsteady and, following a third knockdown, the fight was rightly waived off.

A breakout win of sorts for made it a perfect 10 for the 24-year-old, with four stoppages. The improvements he has made in the last 12 months were clear to see.

Co-promoter and former two weight world champion Ricky Hatton had four fighters on the bill, staged in conjunction with Errol Johnson's Black Country Boxing.

All of the quartet had their hand raised, with late addition Sergey Rabchenko bringing a bit of glamour to the fight night.

The former European light middleweight champion made his ring return following a year out.

His opponent came out firing, but the gulf in class was obvious as Rabchenko sent Miguel Aguilar to the canvas four times in two rounds, before the Spaniard retired in the corner.

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Heavyweight Nathan Gorman looked at complete ease as he won every round against the much-lighter Jakub Wojcik.

It was almost too simple for the prospect, who was in action for a second time after scoring a TKO on his December debut at the same venue.

He probably should have stopped his over-matched opponent this time, though, but instead he chose to box letting his shots go without over- committing himself.

Wednesbury's Sam Evans felt the full frustration of experienced journeyman William Warburton, as he struggled to land anything of note in their four-rounder.

Evans improved his pro record to three victories without reply - with a stoppage on his paid bow - by virtue of his 40-37 points decision.

Reuben Arrowsmith moved to 4-0 at just 19 and boxed like a seasoned pro against Sam Wall, showcasing a nice variety of shots on route to a 40-36 over-the-distance win.

Lightweight Manny Zaber, from Old Hill, is still looking for his first stoppage as a professional.

But 'Pac Man' boxed well against the defensively-minded Liam Richards. The 21-year-old brought a very vocal following who saw their man cruise to a 40-36 points success.

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Stoke's Kieran McLaren got in another decent night's work to make it 7-0 after taking on 'Fonz' Alexander Anderson, taking the points decision 60-54.

The one blot on the home corner's copybook was a draw for West Bromwich's Matthew Gordon, who could only manage a draw with Lukas Horak.

Gordon had controlled the first-half of the heavyweight contest through work-rate and accuracy, but faded badly and nearly lost altogether.

The Slovakian took advantage by applying pressure, throwing in a punishing body shot by that hurt Gordon in the third round.

He was thankful for the bell at the end of the third, having exerted way too much energy in the third.

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The popular 31-year-old was in trouble again come the fourth, as a couple of shattering left hooks from Horak stunned him.

Horak was desperate to force the finish but the big man wouldn't fall. A brutal contest came to an end, with both men somehow still standing.

It was a close call, with referee Kevin Parker, rightly scoring the contest 38-38.

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