JOSHUA BUATSI endured a torrid return to action when he met Marko Calic at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on Sunday night. Croydon’s Buatsi zeroed in on his opponent’s chin with hard, straight jabs. Those shots alone were hurtful. But the Croatian unleashed rapid right crosses. Tearing through the openings he caught Buatsi repeatedly, damaging his left eye. It swelled up badly in the third round. Calic continued to press home his advantage. He flung in clusters of shots, well timed and well placed.
This was the test Buatsi has been waiting for in his professional career. He hesitated when he sought to protect his eye but ultimately responded. He bombed forward behind rights of his own, hurting Calic by the end of the fifth round.
He found Calic’s body with vicious hooks. In the seventh
round solid punches again forced Calic to retreat. The Croatian switched stances,
only for a looping right to snag him high on the head. He backed off, only
inviting a further onslaught. Heavy rights bounced Calic into the ropes and he
sank to his knees. He looked to his corner, badly hurt. With Buatsi closing him
down, his trainer threw in the towel.
Referee Michael Alexander stopped the contest at 2-09 of the
seventh round.
Chantelle Cameron became the WBC super-lightweight world champion, dominating the outgunned Adriana Araujo. Her Brazilian opponent had come in five pounds over the weight limit the day before, ending her hopes of winning the title on the scales. Araujo seemed listless during the contest itself, planting herself in ring centre and reaching for Cameron with wide hooks. With superior footwork Cameron constantly offset her. Moving in Chantelle struck with sustained combinations, cracking in her right and following up with sharp hooks. Araujo stuck out the 10 round distance, but Cameron shut her out, 100-90 for all three judges.
Linus Udofia defended his English middleweight title from John Harding Jnr. The two began with cautious jabs but quickly their contest came to life. Udofia landed the greater weight of punches, showing better variety as he directed his attacks to the body and the head. Harding let his fists fly in bursts when he caught the champion. But his breathing grew heavier and he began to fade. Udofia clipped him with a greater frequency until, in the ninth round, he slammed a hard right hook into the side of Harding’s head. It sent the Londoner tumbling to the canvas. Referee John Latham waved the bout off at 2-07.
John Hedges, an 18-year-old who turned professional with no senior amateur experience, was fortunate to get through his four-round debut with a win over Jan Ardon. He was too open to Ardon’s harder punching, but referee Ian John Lewis handed Hedges a 39-37 decision.
Freely swinging heavyweight Alen Babic winged hooks into Niall Kennedy. The latter let too many of his left hooks through. Kennedy sank to the canvas in the second round. Babic attacked him along the ropes to start the third, dropping him again and obliging referee Ian John Lewis to end it 34 seconds into the round.
Despite his high workrate Kane Baker could not derail Aqib Fiaz who picked his punches and used his footwork to take a clear points win after eight rounds, 77-75 for Ian John Lewis.