David Haye completed twelve rounds for the first time in his professional career on Friday night, as he scored a points shut out over Ismail Abdoul at the Altrincham Leisure Centre, Manchester, England.
“The Hayemaker” provided a lacklustre performance in which he clearly looked to take the Belgian twelve rounds without breaking sweat. Haye won each round by boxing from the outside, using his rangy left jab to keep Abdoul at bay.
Those who had paid good money in the hope of seeing the current ‘Mr Entertainment’ of British boxing were left disappointed by a lethargic Haye performance. During the post fight interview Haye openly admitted deciding on only throwing a maximum of three right hands per round. One suspects Haye simply wanted to complete 12 rounds without any incident, a ploy which will have moved him one step closer to a fight with WBC champion O’Neil Bell in the not too distant future.
The early rounds saw confused onlookers witnessing a left jab and move tactic, not previously a trait of Haye. Whilst Abdoul set about pressurising Haye, it was clear for all to see that the Belgian based fighter would offer only futile sporadic attacks and a high defensive guard. Haye found jab after jab connecting with the face of Abdoul but rarely followed with any combination work or power shots.
During the fifth round Haye landed possibly the shot of the fight. Naturally a left jab began the combination and a scathing right uppercut ended it. Abdoul took the shot well and again raised his guard and proceeded to plod forward. Following Haye’s adventurous combination another couple of rounds of left jab and move was to be on the cards.
As the fight fell into the latter stages the crowd voiced their displeasure at the performance on show. Haye was again content to frustrate and jab away at Abdoul. Abdoul was happy to ensure his guard remained high taking no chances. The eleventh again saw Haye unload some sporadic combinations, before moving back to the safety first style that had carried him through the first ten rounds. Haye once again clinched the round and had seemingly now built up a wide lead on the scorecards. His pawing jab and somewhat negative fight plan resulted in many of the crowd heading off home early. Punch stats at ringside claimed Haye had landed a total of 66 punches during the first eleven rounds.
Silent optimism fell around the arena as the bell for the final round sounded. Surely if Haye’s plan had been to go 12 rounds he could now explode into action and provide the fans with the sort of performance expected from a heavy hitting knockout artist. Alas, Haye was content to jab and remain out of range for the remaining three minutes. No bombs, no power shots but more importantly for Haye, no risks.
As expected all three scorecards pointed to a total shut out for Haye. Three scores of 120-108 ensured “The Hayemaker” improved his record to 17-1 (16) whilst Abdoul falls to 27-10-1 (10). Haye’s sights are now set on the WBC champion O’Neil Bell. Haye did however predict a less cautious approach should that fight be made.
Whilst not as explosive or entertaining as some of his previous performances, Haye did demonstrate good technical ability and patience whilst sticking to his pre-planned game plan. There is no doubt that Haye has the tools to go all the way to the top, but for me question marks still remain about his stamina. The pace of Friday’’s fight was pedestrian at best and at no point did Abdoul pose any form of threat to Haye. Some tougher evenings work will no doubt be in store for Haye.
Undercard Review
Chief support on the undercard saw the return of Salford’s Jamie Moore, 23-3-0 (17). Moore boxed the durable Belgian Mike Algoet, 25-23-1 (11) in his first contest since January of this year. Moore was looking to shake seven months of ring rust in preparation for the eagerly anticipated British light-middleweight title clash with Mathew Macklin in September.
The first round was a scrappy affair, with most of the work being undertaken on the inside. Moore landed some good body shots and Aloget responded with some hooks and sharp uppercuts. The fight was already developing into a ‘fight in a phonebox’ and as ever with Moore entertainment is almost guaranteed.
In the two rounds that followed Jamie Moore moved through the gears, his pressure and power began to tell on the Russian born Belgian as Moore continuously bullied and harassed his opponent. Aloget was cut in the second but remained content to fight toe-to -toe with Moore, whose hand speed appeared to have carried through to middleweight. Some hooks to the head and body, coupled with some varied headshots put Moore firmly in the driving seat.
As the fight moved into the fourth round the cut above Aloget’s eye worsened and Moore could smell blood and sense victory. Moore’s aggressive nature coupled with neat combinations soon had Aloget on the back foot once again. Aloget bravely attempted to take the fight to Moore, but each time he lifted a notch Moore did so with interest. Some thumping hooks found a way through Aloget’s guarded body, and while boxing from range, Moore found a left jab could set Aloget up for further punishment.
The fifth started very much as the fourth had ended. Relentless yet calculated attacks left referee Phil Edwards with little option but to end the fight due to the ever worsening cut on Aloget’s right eye. Moore had compounded Aloget’s misery by unleashing some thunderous shots whilst working on the inside. The variation in Moore’s work bore signs of a hungry fighter who should now be ready to take the step up to European level, providing of course he can dispatch Mathew Macklin in their September showdown.
Anthony “The Scream” Small continued his march on the domestic light middleweight scene with a points win over Vladimir Borovski. Borovski’s tight defence resulted in much of Small’s work hitting gloves during the early stages. Small’s style and approach to the contest clearly confused Borovski who had previously been stopped by British champion Jamie Moore in 3. By the third round, Small was content to sporadically pick Borovski off whilst ducking and diving away from any offence the Ukrainian could muster.
The second half of the fight began with a spark, Small delighted the crowd with a thirty second burst of quick combination punches and great footwork. Unfortunately the work was extremely ineffective in breaking down the Russian and it appeared to drain Small of energy for the rest of the round. By the start of the fifth a group at ringside had become disillusioned with Small and began chanting for Borovski, much to the Ukranian’s delight. This didn’t spur Small on to further pressure the Russian, instead he was content to duck and dive more than Del Boy on market day. Borovski was tired and despondent by the sixth round, Small appeared content to play out the rest of the fight at a canter, and did so to pick up a healthy 60-54 points victory. The official programme stated “Small is keen to win Moore’s prestigious belt in the near future, Wwhether Moore is the proprietor at the time or not”. On this evening’s performance I suggest Mr Small steers well clear of the likes of Jamie Moore and Mathew Macklin. Small’s record now stands at 12-0 (7).
Bolton’s Alex Matvienko improved his record to 3-0-0 (0 KO’s) with a points victory over the game Simone Lucas. Lucas shaded the first round on my card but once Matvienko took the centre of the ring he took control of the fight. Luca proved a slippery customer, but Matvienko found the answer in the third. A crippling shot to the pit of the Nottingham man’s stomach sent Lucas to the canvas. Lucas beat the eight count and survived the round with Matvienko finishing strongly. The fourth and final round saw Matvienko apply good controlled pressure, mixing up his hooks to the head with some super shots around the side of Lucas’s body guard. Lucas looked tired when the final bell sounded and the referee rightly raised Alex Matvienko’s hand. The referee scored the fight 39-36.
Bret ‘soul man’ Flourney had a debut he won’t forget when he faced off with Llanelli’s Tommy Jones. The fight was barely a minute old when Birkenhead’s Flourney, who looked quick and powerful, landed a straight left to the point of Jones’ chin. Jones fell to the canvas and could not beat the ten count leaving Flourney’s faithful in full voice at ringside.
“Soldier Boy” Chris Pacy provided one of the performances of the evening as he went head to head with the always game Peter Allen, 5-26-1. Allen had recently lasted 9 rounds with Carl Johanneson, but it wasn’t long before Pacy had Allen in trouble. Pacy, a former ABA champion, landed a straight left hand which knocked Allen clean off his feet in the first. Following the knockdown Pacy picked his punches and it wasn’t long before Allen was down for a second time. A super left hook from Pacy’s southpaw stance doing the damage this time. The second round began very much as the first ended. Pacy was controlling the fight, and landing heavy punches on Allen, before referee Keith Garner stepped in to call a halt to the fight with two minutes of the round remaining. Pacy’s record improves to 2-0 (1), another prospect to keep an eye on.
Lightweight prospect John Fewkes moved to 11-0-0 (2), with only his second knockout victory in eleven contests against Kristian Laight. Fewkes proved unorthodox in his approach to the opening two rounds, his movement and style left Laight confused and frustrated, with Fewkes taking the rounds by throwing neat combinations. By the start of the third, Fewkes was planting his feet and throwing heavier looking shots, whilst still befuddling Laight with his defensive movement. Fewkes finally broke through Laight’s resolve in the fourth when he landed a hook to the body of the Nottingham man. Laight beat the count but the writing appeared on the wall. A carbon copy body punch in the fifth ended Laight’s evening and handed Fewkes a rare knockout victory.
25 year old Mark Thompson defeated Ernie Smith in the third round of their middleweight contest. Thompson pressured from the off and sharp combinations were Smith’s downfall. Thompson now improves to 8-0 (5), whilst Journeyman Smith’s record falls to 13-102-5 (1).
Manchester’s Danny Harding out pointed Neil McQuade in a lightweight contest over four rounds. Harding suffered a cut in the first round in what was an untidy fight. McQuade was guilty of rushing in a little too much and Harding produced slightly the better quality work. The referee scored the fight 39-38 to Harding. I had the Manchester man winning 40-38. Harding’s record now stands at 2-0 (0).
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