Mathews, Selby, Ogogo, Woodhouse, Fielding Win

By Alexey Sukachev

Craven Park Stadium, Hull, Yorkshire - Lightweight Derry Mathews (33-8-2, 18 KOs) was able to prevent a loss, as he came from behind with a stunning left hand shot to drill Tommy Coyle (15-2, 6 KOs) in the tenth round to capture the vacant Commonwealth championship.

Matthews, 30, is one of the most active British fighters in game. He fought six times in 2012 and five times both in 2010 and 2011. Against Coyle, 23, he has faced a hungry and potent challenger, whose only loss came in the same Prizefighter (2012), where Matthews was eliminated as well. Coyle boxed better throughout a majority of rounds, throwing more and landing more, using his technique to give trouble to the offensive-minded champion.

However, Matthews was in the game, despite being on the receiving end of a greater share of blows. In rounds eight and nine Coyle was dominant. He looked to get the job done in the tenth round, landing several hard combos, and then moved in... to eat a sudden, breath-taking left hook from Matthews. Down he went and get up he did. However, he was too dazed to be allowed to go on, and the fight was waved off at 2:41 of the tenth.

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Fighting for the third time this year BBBofC British and Commonwealth featherweight champion Lee Selby (16-1, 6 KOs) punched his ticket into the international level by defeating his hardest opponent to date - WBC #4 Romanian Viorel Simion (16-1, 7 KOs) - over twelve rounds for Simion's WBC international title. Final scores were: 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110 - for the new champion. BoxingScene is in agreement with the first score.

IBF #13 and WBO #15 Selby was very fast in his movement in the first half of the fight. He jumped in, then went out with jab, landing fast body punches on the inside. Simion was unable to mount a steady jab to prevent his liquid opponent in-and-out tactics. He was aggressive but Selby was nowhere to be hit, and Simion's fading speed wasn't enough to catch him. As the bout progressed, Simion's experience started to show up. He began to time Selby on his way in, and his lean long right hands began to deliver damage to the Welsh fighter. Simion closed the action well, stalking gatigued Selby over the ring and taking at least three or four rounds of the last five but it wasn't enough to defeat Selby, who still has much to learn but who also has learnt much as well.

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With 2012 London Olympics super heavyweight gold medalist Anthony Joshua chatting ringside with Eddie Hearn, his former teammate Anthony Ogogo moved up to 3-0, with 2 KOs, after the fifth-round stoppage of durable and game Gary Boulden (7-10-2). Ogogo controlled the action from round one but a former BBBofC Southern Area middleweight champion did his best to survive and to offer periods of tough resistance. Ogogo, 24, jabbed his way through these futile attempts and started to hit harder in the third. In the fourth he landed a big right hook to the temple, which immediately forced Boulden to make a little dance in the ring. He subsequently went down but it wasn't ruled a knockdown. Still Boulden was very wobbly both at the end of the fourth and early into the fifth. The referee stepped in at 0:33 of the fifth stanza after another major right-left by Ogogo.

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Undefeated light welterweight Zack Collins (7-0-1, 1 KO) got his first career stoppage victory in the fourth round of his four-rounder versus Ross Payne (3-9). Collins looked dominant in the first three rounds but punching power wasn't enough to put Payne down. In the fourth, however, Zack connected with a major left hook, sending Payne down, well, in pain. Ross got himself upright but the action was halted at 1:23 of the fourth following another barrage of punches, thrown by Collins.

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Rising super middleweight Rocky Fielding (15-0, 8 KOs) was boxing about 30-40 percents of his potential against professional trialhorse Darren McKenna (2-9-1, 2 KOs) but easily got a win with a four-round decision with a methodical, workmanlike performance. The sole score by referee Michael Alexander was 40-36 - for Fielding.

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Notorious welterweight Curtis Woodhouse (19-5, 13 KOs), now competing as a lightweight and known mostly for his unique stories (a former member of U-21 English national soccer team - 1; and then a hunter for I-net trolls and bitards - 2), looked impressive in a three-round annihilation of hapless Joe Elfidh (7-4). Elfidh was down once in the first (after a very short left hook), in the second (following a straight right hand) and in the third (with another left hook) rounds. The fight was stopped midst into the third stanza.

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In preparation for his much-awaited domestic showdown with 17-0 former Olympian and reigning BBBofC British middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, scheduled for September 21, fellow unbeaten John "Gorilla" Ryder (15-0, 9 KOs) easily blew out French journeyman Yoann Bloyer (16-21-2, 2 KOs) in two. The end came at 45 seconds of the stanza, following a massive four-punch combination by the English southpaw, crowned by a huge left cross to the chin of Bloyer.

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