British boxers give great performance at the O2

On 28th July, the O2 arena saw Dillian Whyte defeat Joseph Parker 113-112, 115-110, 114-111 in a captivating heavyweight clash. The pivotal win puts Whyte next in line to challenge for the heavyweight throne. Former WBO champ Parker lacked the mean streak necessary to give a good account of himself. Throughout, referee Ian John Lewis turned a blind eye to Whyte’s leaning, pulling and holding, failing to penalise him once. A clash of heads fell Parker in the second, and to the horror of the New Zealander’s corner, was ruled a knockdown. Through the body of the fight, Whyte’s more eye-catching work put him narrowly, but indisputably, in the lead. In round nine, a brutal left hook counter dropped Parker. Showing surprising heart, he regained composure for the final chapter.

Finchley’s Derek Chisora absorbed a lot of heavy punishment, sometimes seeming in trouble

Whyte was dangerously fatigued in the last round at the O2. Parker needed a knockout to win and rallied, rocking Whyte badly with a straight right. The home fighter collapsed to the canvas with less than 30 seconds remaining. With a career-changing win perilously close to slipping away, Brixton’s Whyte dragged himself to his feet and held on until the last bell. Had Parker gone for the kill a round earlier, the result would likely have been very different. The drama of the final round created an electric atmosphere.

The Chisora-Takam bout is a sure candidate for fight of the year and the ending for KO of the year. Finchley’s Derek Chisora absorbed a lot of heavy punishment, sometimes seeming in trouble. The home crowd carried the popular English underdog throughout, especially when their man was pinned against the ropes at the O2. Rugged Cameroon-born Frenchman Carlos Takam applied constant pressure at close range. His strong physique won him ground and his powerful hooks landed cleanly. Behind on the scorecards, Chisora found the space to pull an arcing right-hand bomb from nowhere, sending Takam crashing down.

Ireland’s Taylor finished off her worn-out opponent halfway through the third round

Meanwhile, the figurehead of women’s boxing, Katie Taylor, remained unbeaten. The unified lightweight world champion outclassed durable American opponent Kimberly Connor, successfully defending her WBA and IBF belts. Boxing and moving well throughout, Ireland’s Taylor finished off her worn-out opponent halfway through the third round, forcing referee Steve Gray to step in.

Conor Benn redeemed himself with a unanimous decision win at the O2 over Frenchman Cedrick Peynaud. The judges scored the rematch 98-90, 98-91, 97-90, allowing Benn’s career to move forward. The Londoner’s first ten-rounder won him the vacant WBA continental title- his first belt. The opening stanza was dramatic, with both men coming out with intense aggression. In the mid rounds the pace relaxed, allowing Benn to box effectively. He secured two more knockdowns in the seventh and ninth.

Allen started with a sparring partner mentality, as he frustratingly often does

Unfortunately, we didn’t get chance to learn much more about the heavy-handed Joshua Buatsi. He blasted away Latvia’s Andrejs Pokumeiko in 1m56s, bringing his record to 7-0 with a fifth knockout win. From the outset Pokumeiko struggled with Buatsi’s notorious power and went down early on. Though he returned to his feet, Pokumeiko never fully recovered before Buatsi finished the job.

Popular Doncaster heavyweight Dave Allen produced a scintillating one punch KO to leave the 1/5 favourite Nick Webb dangling on the ropes. Allen started with a sparring partner mentality, as he frustratingly often does. Undefeated Nick Webb, who has knocked out ten of his 12 opponents, punished Allen without retaliation. After almost four rounds of one-way traffic, Allen landed a left to the body and bowled an overhand right flush onto Webb’s jaw.

London’s “Wise Guy” punished Barcelona’s Emmanuel Feuzeu with hooks to the body and flashy uppercuts

With a contender for KO of the year, Liverpool’s Anthony Fowler destroyed Dubliner Craig O’Brien with a show-stopping one punch knockout. The only punch of round 6 was an explosive left hook from Fowler, landing clean on the chin and laying O’Brien flat on his back on the O2’s canvas.

Light-heavyweight Frank Buglioni won his comeback fight with little problem. London’s “Wise Guy” punished Barcelona’s Emmanuel Feuzeu with hooks to the body and flashy uppercuts. Feuzeu quit on his stool after the sixth, outclassed and injured. This was Buglioni’s first fight after losing his British strap in a 91 second shock with Callum Johnson.

Londoners Charlie Duffield and Richard Riakporhe both forced their respective opponents to quit on their stools in one-sided battles.