Cleverly-Fry report (warning, mathematical pun free zone)
By: Andrew Harrison
Category: courtney fry, derek chisora, kevin mitchell, nathan cleverley, Uncategorized
| Aperture: | f/3.5 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 6.6mm |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Shutter: | 1/45 sec |
| Camera: | <Samsung NV3, Samsung VLUU NV3> |
A chance went begging this weekend to submit a ringside fight report from York Hall, my decision to leave the laptop at home and rely on finding a computer in the capital proving to be a costly mistake. Thankfully it only resulted in a life lesson and a sore arse from where I’ve been kicking myself ever since. If like Danny Flexen, who was doing the rounds for Boxing News, I’d had a brief to fulfil, I’d have been signing on the Nat King Cole tomorrow morning in all likelihood (is rhyming slang contagious?).
After James Slater posted up a Cleverly-Fry report at about 2pm on Eastside, I gave up my wild goose chase, decided I probably didn’t have time to provide anything which avoided duplicating the site’s content and settled down to the first of many pints of Sagres which took me from Fleet Street (rather ironic that my failed attempt to report news had ended there) all the way up to Shoreditch.
As we entered the historic venue the first thing noticeable was that the fighting Walsh boys had brought plenty of support with them from Norwich which will stand them all in good stead, although hopefully their fans can come up with a rather more catchy song to sing during future dates than that horrendous beery rendition of ‘there’s only oooonnnneee…….(insert name here)’ which was ubiquitous for the remainder of the evening-Ricky Hatton has a lot to answer for. Incidently all three brothers notched stoppage wins, the youngest of the three looking the best prospect.
Kevin Mitchell brought the family along to support his brother Vinny, who looked limited I have to say. Derek Chisora laboured to a simple and desultory win before we were were faced with a lull as we waited for 10pm to roll around and for Sky’s live coverage to start.
I had sensed that Fry would be up for this one and as he made his way to the ring it became apparent that in headlining for the first time he wasn’t going to freeze, Cleverly looked to be in for a fight. The Welshman, wearing his trademark bandana and familiar grin, bounced jauntily into the hall, eager to get cracking in front of this experienced fight crowd.
The fight was competitive from the off, Fry getting his very good jab working immediately however Cleverly had a clear edge in in power and he set about attacking his opponent’s body. Despite losing the first two rounds, Fry persisted with his jabbing, both hands cupped to the side of his head. His tactics remained effective, sadly however he lacked the pop in his shots to really make Cleverly pay for the rather open defence he was exhibiting. A booming right took the session for the Welshman and the fight’s pattern had been established, Fry was in the fight, yet his repertoir just lacked enough to truly give himself a hope of winning it.
Cleverly began to get off with his right uppercut in the fourth, adjusting to find a way past his opponent’s high guard. The fifth saw the best action of the fight, Fry turning aggressor and letting fly with two beautiful right hands which thudded into Cleverly’s face. Showing a sound chin and resilience however, the champion roared back with right uppercuts which landed smack on Courtney’s chin and at the end of those three minutes, Fry’s left eye had started to swell.
As Fry began to chase the fight he started to walk onto hard counters and in the eighth, his resistance fell. A right hand and left hook started the process and after sensing some give in his man, Cleverly laid into him with both hands, Fry eventually falling and taking referee Victor Loughlin, who’d tried to embrace him to save him from taking any more punishment, down to the mat with him. As the ‘wonderland’ irritation started to reverberate again (which didn’t work when inserting Clev’s name, too many syllables, come on people), both men received excellent applause from a crowd who knew their onions and appreciated that there hadn’t been any losers in this one.
Cleverly moves to 18-0 (8) and will now look to target a European light heavy title, perhaps on the Khan-Salita bill in December. Fry falls to 13-3 (5) but will probably have guaranteed future fight offers on the domestic scene with the tenacity he showed here. As stated in my preview, Cleverly needs to distance himself from the Calzaghe comparisons, his defence needs work before he even begins to think about trying to make the leap into world class.
As I left the venue I was glad of a few things. Firstly, that I could no longer hear that infernal song nor the woman screaming ‘push him off Courtney and be first’ incessantly.
Secondly and more importantly, the ambulance parked out front had not been required.
6 comments on “Cleverly-Fry report (warning, mathematical pun free zone)”
Leave a Reply
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Duotone by Automattic.
Thought the ambulance might have been needed for the poor bloke who Micheal Walsh bashed up. What the hell was the referee waiting for? The post-mortem?
I nearly threw that in but I’m trying to blank out the memory. That could have been horrendous, where the hell they pluck some of these boys from is baffling enough but we can certainly do without seeing them taking such a ridiculous pasting.
I think FW will use the brothers as his ticket bankers, bit like Arum does with JCC jr. Look for them to feast on overmatched oppo for the foreseeable, if they don’t all win, he loses his gimmick.
Off on a tangent, was strange to see the reverence Warren holds at ringside, folk greeting him with a kiss on the cheek as though he was Don Corleone…..very odd!!
Yeah, they certainly have a following. I agree about Michael’s opponent. Where do they find some of these guys? Simply deplorable. Shame we can’t find more like Alex Spitko, who ALWAYS gives it a go and doesn’t fall over from a gust of wind, as B.J. Saunders will attest to.
Btw, are you sure those Warren fans weren’t slipped a fiver?
Maybe it’s a cockney thing, tough old boys with mullets showing their love for Franky boy.
Spitko was amazingly tough, Saunders looked very average I thought despite using Alex for a punching bag.
Chisora was uninspiring, a fight between him and Audley will have to carry a Government health warning…**likely to cause drowsiness**…..
LOL, yeah I don’t think much of Del Boy either. I bet he’s kicking himself though that he blew his scheduled fight with Williams, especially after seeing how shot he really is.
That’s about all he’s got going for him, that nickname and his Only Fools and Horses entrance music!!