At the Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Eggington vs Evans did exactly what it didn’t say on the tin: entertain. The Welterweight affair, which saw the British and Commonwealth titles on the line, far exceeded expectations, with Frankie Gavin’s stand-in opponent putting in a career-best performance against Sam Eggington.
Official scorecards came in at 117-111 (twice) and 116-110. These were fair scores, not far off Boxing Base’s own 116-111.
That stand-in was Dale Evans, and though he wasn’t the man on the receiving end of a 12-round Unanimous Decision, he deserved a ton of credit for what it did in the ring tonight. The 10-day-notice challenger not only went the distance and proved a handful for the heavy favorite, he also knocked Eggington down with an absolute peach counter-right in the 2nd.
Eggington picked himself up off the canvas, recovered well, and so the back-and-forth battle commenced. Eggington was the clear winner in the contest, getting off his straight combinations and heavy bombs in the championship rounds. But even he must have wondered what was fueling Evans, a former foe who had decisioned him way back in 2012.
As Sky Sports commentators kept repeating, imagine what could’ve happened if Evans had trained for the full 12 weeks? It does certainly get you thinking.
Sam Eggington now rises to 17-2, 9 knockouts, while Evans falls to 10-3-2, 3 knockouts.
Eggington vs Evans Undercard
Kal Yafai vs Jason Cunningham
Kal Yafai captured the British Junior Bantamweight title after going 12 rounds with a brave but ultimately outclassed Jason Cunningham. This was a one-way affair if ever there was one. But the bigger question on everyone’s minds must now be: how on earth did this encounter go the distance?
Yafai looks like a decent, skilled fighter, but should’ve been capable of going through some higher gears to take this kid out. Yafai was dominant throughout, winning every round on Boxing Base’s card, which was mirrored on the official variety of 120-107, 120-107, 119-108. Yafai now builds to 16-0, 11 knockouts, while Cunningham slips to 17-2, 6 knockouts.
Matthew Macklin vs Jason Welborn
Matthew Macklin captured the WBC International Junior Middleweight strap following a back-and-forth war with Jason Welborn. From the opening bell, both men were throwing with venom, which of course fuelled the crowd into a frenzy. No knockdowns, no knockout, but Macklin did take a knee on two occasions – following low blows, that is.
Welborn suffered a point dediction in the 5th, but it made no telling difference to the cards after 10 hard-fought rounds. Official scorecards came in at 96-94, 96-94 and 97-93. Here at Boxing Base we had it even at 94-94, but there were some seriously close rounds in this one. Did Macklin deserve to win? Let’s put it this way: a Draw or close decision for Welborn would’ve been acceptable.
Forgetting the result, this was a real fan-friendly affair. Which, you know, is great considering this Matchroom Boxing card hasn’t really been making headlines recently. Following the victory, Macklin moves to 34-6, 22 KO, while Welborn falls to 17-4, 6 KO.
Macklin isn’t back, and didn’t look exceptional at 154 pounds. But he did fight his Irish heart out. And for now, that’s enough.
Gamal Yafai vs Nasibu Ramadhani
Finally, Gamal Yafai beat Nasibu Ramadhani via a score of 99-91 to capture the vacant Commonwealth Junior Featherweight title. Yafai, who improves to 8-0, 3 knockouts, easily outpointed the capable Ramadhani, but was unable to look good in doing it. Partly because the fight came too early in his short pro career, and partly because he was unable to ward off Ramadhani after injuring his left hand at the mid-point of the fight.
Anyway, a win’s a win. Stylistically, the styles just didn’t gel at all tonight. Nasibu now returns home to Tanzania with an 18-8-1, 9 KO record.
Give us your thoughts on the Eggington vs Evans card, fight fans.
