On 21st December, 2013, Stuart Hall (16-2-1, 7 KO) delivered one of his finest performances when capturing the vacant IBF Bantamweight title in Leeds, England. The County Durham fighter was declared the winner by all three judges ringside, beating Malinga (21-5-1, 12 KO) with scores of 116-111, 117-110, 117-110.
The opening round was too close to call as both measured each other up, finding their distance. Hall suddenly hit the accelerator in the 2nd, demonstrating his power as he went on the attack, landing thudding blows not long after leaving his stool. After trapping Malinga on the ropes, he landed a clean, hard left-hook. The punch lifted the partisan crowd off their feet as they cheered in approval.
In the 3rd, Hall continued as the aggressor, his straight-right finding Malinga’s chin and knocking him to the canvas. Malinga, who was no stranger to the fight game having gone the distance 18 times, managed to survive the round and regain his senses shortly thereafter.
Despite the setback, Malinga appeared the stronger man throughout the middle act. He relied on his awkward, unorthodox stance to pepper Hall with a series of effective jabs.
Hall’s left eye clocked up damage, was rapidly closing and bleeding, and would continue to do so into the later rounds. Malinga, aware of the damage he had inflicted, knew he had found a target to aim for going forward.
Hall wasn’t about to let his opportunity slip away, however. Even in the 11th round, he fought on and landed a hard combination which further fueled the crowd. The 12th round saw both men heavily wilting, and despite Hall receiving a heavy leg-buckling shot mid-round, he managed to find his feet and box to the final bell.
Post fight, in addition to praising Malinga’s courage and class, Hall astoundingly revealed that he entered both rounds 11 and 12 with only the vision of one eye. To add to the victory, Hall also set a new world record: at 33, he had become the oldest British fighter to capture a world title in his first attempt. This is a boxing result Hall won’t forget.
He now joins other British fighters who currently boast world titles, such as IBF Super Middleweight holder, Carl Froch, WBA Junior Featherweight holder, Scott Quigg, and WBO Lightweight holder, Ricky Burns.
On the undercard, Welterweight prospect Frankie Gavin (18-0, 12 KO) extended his unbeaten streak by outworking the tough-as-nails Bradley Price. The points decision was scored 99-92. Despite being drafted in as a replacement opponent just 10 hours before the fight, the former Commonwealth titlist Price proved his mettle and durability before the Leeds crowd.
What did you think of Hall vs Malinga and the night’s action? Share your thoughts!
The BoxingBase.com writing staff provide worldwide boxing news, coverage and analysis – they can be contacted via email and social media.
