LIVE results - Golden Contract featherweight and super-lightweight semi-finals

LIVE results from the York Hall

BBN's Anish Parekh keeps you updated LIVE from ringside:

DOORS OPEN - 5:30pm GMT

FIRST BELL - 5.55pm GMT

 

Preliminary bouts (Sky Sports Facebook)

 

Bout 1
BURIM AHMETI (Debut) vs. RYAN HIBBERT (0-5)

The light-heavyweight debutant from London, Burim Ahmeti, had trainer Mickey Burke and the legendary Jimmy Tibbs in his corner. Ahmeti whipped in two nice right hands to the body in the opening minute, then snapped Hibbert's head back with a sharp, powerful jab midway through the round. It was a decent opening round from the Londoner.

Ahmeti was looking too much to land heavy with single shots in the second round but experienced journeyman Hibbert was wise to everything.

The same occurred in the third, but this time, Ahmeti, who was a good amateur, managed to land with a leaping right hand to the head to send Salford's Hibbert into the ropes. There was another solid head shot in the final 30 seconds, but the away fighter stayed firm. The replay showed it was the best shot so far, teed up superbly with a jab for the straight right to land hard and fast on Hibbert's head.

Ahmeti was patient behind the jab in the fourth and final round. Hibbert was keeping his distance after feeling those two heavy blows in the previous round.

Burim was a lot looser and calm in the last round and his jab was better for it. Hibbert received another heavy right in the last minute which spun him around in the corner and had to survive for the final 30 seconds of the fight.

Ahmeti won 40-36 in a promising performance for his pro bow.

 

Bout 2
ELLIOT WHALE (1-0) vs. LEE HALLETT (1-28)

Southpaw Elliot Whale, 22 from Sidcup, was up against Lee Hallett. The 6ft 1" tall welterweight, trained by Alan Smith and Eddie Lamm out of the iBox Gym, was busy and varied in his attacks and although there didn't appear to be a lot of pop in the punches, Hallett was resorting to every trick in the book to try to catch some rest.

In the second round, Whale found two nice body shots to sink into the target. Trainer Johnny Greaves told his away fighter, Hallett, to tie the hands up.

Whale was really landed frequently in the third round, especially with the body shots. Putting combinations together, the Sidcup man was looking increasingly impressive in there. Welterweight Whale was not letting his counterpart have a moment's rest and was peppering shots from everywhere.

There was comedy in the final round as Lee Hallett hid behind referee Chas Coakley for a few seconds to gain a moment's respite, much to the delight of the crowd.

The tough journeyman managed to hear the final bell, looking ragged however.

Kent puncher Elliot Whale moved up to 2-0 with a very convincing and high-paced performance.

 

Bout 3
INDER BASSI SINGH (1-0) vs. ZIGIMANTAS BUTKEVICIUS (2-30)

Haringey Box Cup winner, Inder Singh, trained by Kevin Lilley, was up against Hull-based Lithuanian, Zygimantas Butkevicius.

The tall, wiry Londoner was sharp and fast, but it was mostly speed behind his rapid punches, rather than muscle. The first round was high-paced and exciting, but it slowed slightly in the secoond as 'Zygis' tried to be awkward and elusive. It wasn't until the last 30 seconds that the home fighter managed to start landing. Not much to report from the second stanza, unfortunately.

'Zygis' cut on the bottom lip, Bassi started lively in the third, sensing a stoppage victory. He tried to let his hands go when he got the chance in the closing moments of the round and received a nice left hand under duress from his away opponent. With blood pouring from his mouth, 'Zygis'  did well to keep away from most of the danger throughout the round.

'Zygis'  tucked up well and caught most shots on his gloves in the first minute of the fourth, so Bassi went to the body and then came back up again to land cleaner to the head, which worked. The crowd applauded both fighters as the bell rung, with Bassi the clear winner and 'Zygis'  earning the respect from the York Hall spectators.

Bassi won his second pro fight 40-36, scored by referee Chas Coakley.

 

Bout 4
WILLIAM HAMILTON (Debut) vs. JOHN SHEARER (Debut)

Two debutants meet in their pro bows, with another iBox Gym prospect William Hamilton and Johnny Greaves-trained John Shearer meeting over four-rounds at cruiserweight.

MTK-signed Hamilton stands with his left hand low as he patiently tried to line up his heavy right hand. Southpaw Shearer kept away and rolled underneath most of the early attacks. Backing off consistently, Shearer was caught up to in the closing seconds where he copped a right hand unneccessarily, then the bell sounded.

Shearer was down in the first third of the second round, but Hamilton didn't rush his work and Shearer stayed in there until another minute later when Hamilton found another right hand that sent Shearer sprawling again.

The referee called off the fight after the second knockdown. Hamilton wins his pro bow with a second-round TKO.

 

Live on Sky Sports Action (UK) & ESPN+ (US), 7.30pm GMT

 

Bout 5
Golden Contract super-lightweight semi-final, 10 Rounds
OHARA DAVIES (20-2) vs. JEFF OFORI (10-1-1)

Hackney's Ohara Davies dismantled a brave Jeff Ofori to earn a spot in the Golden Contract super-lightweight final.

If Ofori was nervous about being the underdog in this fight, he didn’t show it as he strode out confidently and leapt over the ropes to entertain the packed house.

As the two stood in the ring together, it was striking just how much bigger Davies was and brought some clarity as to why he selected Ofori as his opponent, when he picked out the Golden Ball during the mid-week draw.

'Two Tanks' Davies immediately takes command of the centre of the ring and throws his jab repeatedly to gauge his distance.

Despite landing with crisp jabs, Tottenham's Ofori was undeterred and began walking Davies down. He slipped Davies' vaunted right hand well and had success with a great straight right hand to conclude the first round.

Ofori increased his workrate in the second stanza by getting in close to the often controversial 'OD' and aggressively fighting on the inside. The tactic worked well but the superior size and strength of Davies meant that when he did land, it momentarily stunned his smaller foe.

A tiring Ofori became a static target for Davies in the third round as he  finally found his range. Davies repeatedly landed his jab and found a home for his powerful right hand, which culminated in a knockdown with the final punch of the round.

The fourth round saw Ofori continue to battle on courageously, but he didn’t have the power or strength to withhold the relentless Davies, who marched forward and clubbed away with swinging hooks. His eagerness to dramatically end the contest affected his timing, as Ofori survived a torrid round.

Davies landed shots in the fifth act, which left many wondering how Ofori was still on his feet. The hunted Ofori then surprised the crowd some more, as he swung away with abandon and had enough success to rattle Davies and steal the round.

That would be Ofori's last stand as the aggressive Davies caught his opponent whilst his back was against the ropes with a booming overhang right hand. Ofori stayed on his feet but lost the ability to defend himself, as two more clubbing right hands forced the referee to mercifully stop the contest.

Davies was simply too big and strong as he marched into the final, following a ruthless display of power. All eyes on McKenna now...

 

Bout 6
Golden Contract super-lightweight semi-final, 10 Rounds
WBC International title
TYRONE McKENNA (20-1-1) vs. MOHAMED MIMOUNE (22-3)

McKenna wins 96-94, 96-94, 97-93 in an unforgettable fight, but with controversial scoring.

I can barely hear myself think as the noise increases and the tension heightens as the two combatants enter the ring.

The action begins frenetically. McKenna is boxing effectively on the backfoot. Demonstrating a nice jab and countering with flurries before wheeling away.

Mimoune has portions of success with his left hook as he attempted to catch up to McKenna, but the Irishman was too slick and won the round the greater quality.

The two go toe to toe in the second as this contest unravels into a war. They take turns to exchange punches. Neither man giving the other an opportunity to enjoy their success. McKenna probably edged the round with flashier combinations that caught the eye.

The second round has appeared to sap some energy out of McKenna. He’s no longer able to evade Mimoune as he becomes more flat footed. Mimoune grows in confidence, trapping McKenna against the ropes and unloading with punishing hooks to the head and body but is still made to work hard as McKenna defiantly fired back.

Mimoune took his momentum into the fourth round where he pushed McKenna back into the corner and landed power punches that stunned McKenna. The gruelling nature of the contest has both dripping in sweat and breathing heavily as they continued to battle at a jaw-dropping pace.

 In the sixth McKenna starts by using his footwork as he effectively did in the earlier rounds. It has the desired effect as he jabs, and moves out-boxing Mimoune enough to take the round.

Mimoune traps McKenna against the ropes and lands numerous hooks to the head which open a nasty cut on McKennas eye. The Irishman somehow manages to survive and fought back to survive the round.

Mimoune shrugs and marches forward after catching left hooks with his gloves. The sting has gone from McKenna’s work. Mimoune catches McKenna with a hard, short right hook, before unleashing a tirade of punches on his tiring foe whilst his back was against the ropes.

The final round encapsulated what was a superb fight from start to finish as the two went hammer and tongs until the final bell. McKenna possibly feeling that he was behind on the scorecards, threw the kitchen sink at the Frenchman but couldn’t find a way to dent his chin, as it went to the judges scorecards. Despite most people believing that Mimoune had done enough to earn the victory, it was McKenna who surprisingly got the nod. The Frenchman was incredulous as he stamped around the ring in disbelief.

McKenna will now face Davies in a mouth watering, grudge match in the final.

 

Bout 7
Golden Contract featherweight semi-final, 10 Rounds
RYAN WALSH (25-2-2) vs. TYRONE McCULLAGH (14-0)

Ryan Walsh made it into the final of the featherweight by out-pointing Tyrone McCullagh 96-92, and 97-91 twice.

It may not have had the blood and guts of the war it followed but Walsh and McKenna's styles meshed nicely to give fans an intriguing battle. This was the archetypal bull vs matador matchup.

Cromer's Walsh stormed out of the blocks in an attempt to panic McCullagh. He literally chased and harassed as he smartly waited for his opponent to make a mistake to capitalise on. McCullagh remained calm under pressure, flicked a few jabs and kept he marauding Walsh at a distance.

McCullagh is disciplined in avoiding to get involved in a tear-up with Walsh. He feinted, slipped and circled away from Walsh, utilising every inch of the ring before taking advantage of the openings by landing with crisp jab-crosses.

The unpredictable movement of McCullagh caused  Walsh problems in the third round. He’s started to follow him aimlessly around the ring only to leave himself exposed to the straight left. The punches don’t appear to hurt Walsh but they are scoring and must have impressed the judges.

The contest dramatically swung Walsh's way in the sixth. After landing a decent left hand, McCullagh performed the cardinal sin of keeping his hands low, whilst stepping back in a straight line, only to be caught with a right hand bomb that exploded on his chin. Walsh landed several more blows as McCullagh fell to the floor. The Irishman rose and peddled away for the rest of the round. Walsh patiently stalked his prey and landed one more booming right hook but couldn’t finish the fight as the bell sounded to end the round.

McCullagh looked to have regained the feet beneath and the two fought on even terms in the seventh stanza, however Walsh's work was doing the greater damage. The Irishman struggled to deter him with his own attacks as he ploughed forward with spiteful intentions. Walsh landed with an exceptional right hand and, but for the ropes, which kept McCullagh up, would have scored a second knockdown. Walsh was using his greater experience to stay patient and pound away. The slick movement that made McCullagh so effective in the earlier rounds was gone and replaced with the drunken stagger.

McCullagh rose from another knockdown in the ninth, partly attributed to fatigue. Walsh waited for the referee to commence the action and pounced like a starved predator but didnt have the time to find any decisive blow.

McCullagh was resilient up to the very end and deserved to hear the bell, but Walsh’s strength, power and experience were the difference as he booked his place in the final.

 

Bout 8
Golden Contract featherweight semi-final, 10 Rounds
WBO European title
LEIGH WOOD (23-1) vs. JAZZA DICKENS (28-3)