Josh Warrington outclassed and stopped former Featherweight world title challenger Patrick Hyland in the 9th round at the First Direct Arena, Leeds, England. Warrington, who extends his unbeaten streak to 24 wins, 5 knockouts, now moves closer to a shot at world glory, while Hyland’s slate takes another hit, falling to 31 wins, 3 defeats, 15 knockouts.
Warrington was simply the better all-round fighter here in this dominant performance. Very polished, very sharp. Warrington may not be known for having troublesome power, but he has a fast-growing reputation for overwhelming foes and breaking wills. And that was tonight’s tale once again.
Warrington is no Fancy Dan, but his high guard, zipping combinations and deft footwork made him a nightmare opponent for Hyland, who, let’s remember, is still considered a tough and capable enough fringe contender. Warrington kept it tight and clinical center ring, and unloaded varied attacks when his man was trapped on the ropes.
Hyland, whose heart seemed to eventually break, was knocked down for the first time late in the 8th round following a barrage of punches, ending with a right hook to the temple. Hyland bravely climbed to his feet and made it to his stool, but, from this writer’s point of view at least, the fight should have probably been stopped there and then.
It wasn’t, and so Hyland rose at the bell only to be chopped down almost instantly. He beat the count once again, somehow found the energy to trade with Warrington in a brutal whirlwind exchange, but was cut down to the canvas for the third time, leaving the referee no choice but to wave off the contest. A good idea.
Greater threats remain out there for Warrington, sure, but this was still a top-notch showing from the Leeds-born 25-year-old who should be knocking on the door of the Featherweight World Top 10 here at BB. Who Warrington targets next, whether it be a domestic showdown with Cardiff’s Lee Selby or not, should be interesting.
Warrington vs Hyland Undercard
Campbell vs Mendez
Rising Lightweight contender Luke Campbell turned in a Unanimous Decision against a schooled, wily Argenis Mendis. The fight, tallied at 116-111, 117-110 and 115-112, was by no means a classic, but fans of cagey chess matches will have found it fairly palatable. Here at Boxing Base we saw it 116-111, Campbell.
This 12-rounder was never in danger of catching fire, but there’s no doubt that Campbell, who at least came to press the action and fight, was the clear victor. Campbell was in with a eye-catchingly slick albeit negative opponent who knows how to manipulate range and keep foes off-balance, so respect where it’s due for Campbell.
Mendez didn’t manage to do a whole lot against Campbell, no, but he did manage to score a knockdown off a peach of a right hand counter in the 2nd, and also make Campbell second guess his every move. But as flash and sneaky as Mendez was, his extremely low punch output was never going to win him this fight. And that was pretty much the story behind the bout’s scores, I’m sure.
Luke Campbell now builds to 14 wins, 1 defeat, 11 knockouts, while Argenis Mendez drops to 23 wins, 5 defeats, 1 draw, 12 knockouts.
Nurse vs Coyle
Tyrone Nurse retained his British Junior Welterweight title against ever-game slugger Tommy Coyle in a fan-friendly battle. Official scorecards came in at 115-113 (twice) and 116-112, which are fair enough, while Boxing Base tallied the fiery encounter closer at 114-113, Nurse.
Coyle brought the thunder in the opening three stanzas, pushing the significantly taller, longer Nurse to the ropes and unleashing some furious combinations to the head and body. Nurse effectively adapted to his charging opponent from that point on, finding his range and accuracy, busting up Coyle’s nose and closing his left eye, and getting a tighter grip on the fight.
There wasn’t much between these two, sure, but I’ve no argument with the victor tonight. Nurse was the slicker, more calculated fighter – and bar suffering a flash knockdown off a jab (while square-footed) in the 7th – he was the better, more dynamic fighter.
Tyrone Nurse now climbs to 34 wins, 2 defeats, 1 draw, 7 knockouts, while Tommy Coyle falls to 22 wins, 4 defeats, 10 knockouts.
Whyte vs Allen
Dillian Whyte made upcoming Heavyweight David Allen look more or less pedestrian in their 10-rounder, winning on wide scores of 100-91 (announced wrongly?), 100-90 and 99-91. This fight was the complete mismatch I predicted it to be beforehand, not because Allen is a bad fighter, but because the guy is just too green for someone like Whyte, a crafty boxer with good time on the Amateur circuit.
Considering Whyte had the experience of hanging tough with Anthony Joshua for 7 rounds last December, and Allen had, well, no notable tests on his 9-0-1 resume, I’m still surprised this bout came to fruition. Plodding forward, upright, and launching telegraphed attacks was never going to be enough to baffle the likes of Whyte who truly capitalized on his inferior toolset.
Whyte didn’t hesitate to let his hands go, tagging Allen with clean combinations all night long. To his credit, Allen, who did at least fire off a decent surge in the final round, absorbed the shots well thanks to his astonishingly solid chin. Dillian White now jumps to 18 wins, 1 defeat, 14 knockouts, while David Allen reduces to 9 wins, 1 defeat, 1 draw, 6 knockouts.
Warrington vs Hyland Early Results
- Gamal Yafai (10-0, 4 KO) beats Josh Wale (20-9-2, 11 KO) via UD 12 – Junior Featherweight
- Ryan Burnett (14-0, 9 KO) beats Cesar Ramirez (12-3, 6 KO) via UD 10 – Bantamweight
Give us your thoughts on Warrington vs Hyland in the comments, plus the rest of the Leeds card.
