KID GALAHAD stopped James ‘Jazza’ Dickens after 11 rounds in an increasingly brutal fight on Saturday (August 7) at Matchroom’s HQ on the second show in the new Fight Camp series.
Liverpool’s Dickens had started brightly, aiming shots at the body and setting up a hard left to the head that gave Galahad pause for thought.
But from the second round Galahad took over. He switched easily from stance to stance, picking out openings and disrupting Dickens’ rhythm. As the Liverpudlian lost shape and focus, as the rounds went on Galahad settled into the bout more and more and exerted control. When Dickens landed a shot, Galahad punished him for it. He was winning round after round, not allowing Dickens back into the bout. The Sheffield man didn’t load up with power but continuously struck accurate punches into the target as he relaxed in the fight. All those shots took a toll.
Galahad did have point taken off after regularly standing on Dickens’ foot but it proved irrelevant to the outcome.
A clash of heads had opened up a small cut above Dickens’ right eye early on, but it was the persistent punching from Galahad that caused damage. By the 11th round it was turning into a cruel, one-sided contest as Dickens took punishment. Jazza returned to his corner with a bad swelling over his eye and a terrible cut. Referee Michael Alexander rightly stopped him in the corner.
This victory brings Galahad the IBF featherweight belt.
“People can think what they want but I come to fight. I’m a fulltime professional, I don’t take days off,” he said. “I’m just over the moon.
“18 months [out] and I went in and smashed him from pillar to post.”
“I just beat the guy who beat Leigh Wood,” he added. “I am going to dominate this division.”