By Terence Dooley (From Ringside)
Photos by Cliff Manning

Last night in Bradford there was a brief yet absorbing tussle for the British Super-featherweight title in which Femi Fehintola – with his bravery – produced the absorption by gamely battling with the much more experienced Carl Johanneson – whose punching brought about the relative brevity. 

Over six rounds Fehintola, now 14-1 (1), gave Carl, now 25-2 (18), a tougher fight than many had thought possible before being stopped at 1:25 of round six. 

Femi was overmatched in experience yet from the first bell he tried to bravely belie this by mixing some back-foot boxing with work on the front-foot to, as we say in the UK, keep Carl ‘honest’ and wary about being tagged. 

Immediately prior to the bout, a West Yorkshire derby, the fans had been predictably passionate.

Femi – who had weighed 130lbs the day before - started the first well by trying to pop in a few jabs then turned one of those jabs into a quasi-left hook to kick-start his challenge. 

Unfortunately Carl – 129lbs - then brought his jab briefly into the fray and it was a much sturdier battering ram.

Femi boxed well, his finest boxing came when he adopted a low defensive posture; Carl found it hard to get at him when this was the case yet the Champion had patience borne of a big punch.

Femi suffered a cut mouth in the first round and the second followed a similar pattern to that first stanza, nice work by Femi would leave Carl bemused before the Champion steadied himself and backed Femi off with his powerful blows. 

A glimmer of hope flickered for Femi in round two as Carl became uncharacteristically wild with his shots, the wide hooks he threw were easy to see coming, and at times Femi would counter with cute right hands. 

When Carl settled into his punching, plus placed them through the middle, he began to look as dangerous as he had looked when sweeping aside Billy Corcoran to win the title.

Femi was moving in and out well though, his jab was off-setting Carl at times, and this gave Femi a chance to step to the side then fire right hands in.  I felt Femi was boxing on the edge of a razor blade; every step had to be perfect, when it was not Carl would work the body immaculately. 

The danger really hit home in the third round as Carl – out-jabbed and out-boxed for periods of the round – clipped Femi with a left hook cum uppercut that – surprisingly it must be said – sent Femi to the canvas for the first time.  It did not seem a huge shot – indeed the reaction to it was delayed - yet Carl had been sitting on his punches throughout.  He had landed enough punches to soften Femi’s chin for the finishing touches.

Femi fought back, again the right hand was a good shot, and it caught Carl coming in to delay the inevitable finish. 

Shortly afterwards a left hook to the body from Carl, a legitimate one, sent Femi down for the second time in the round and it seemed his Sisyphean task had taken another uphill turn. 

It was a big round for Carl yet ironically it had been a round Femi was winning whilst he was on his feet, if this notion seems strange consider for a moment the Thomas Hearns – Juan Roldan fight. 

In this fight the better boxer (Hearns) had boxed well when at range only to be clubbed down by the wilder, wider puncher (Roldan), Hearns had pulled out a win due to his own natural power yet Femi did not have this remedy.

Johanneson knew he had the power edge and this produced a fourth round that was the best of the fight plus an independently absorbing canto.

Carl came out looking to walk through Femi and was countered with right hands straight through the middle, not to be out-done Carl barged in and shouldered Femi back before getting off his own, heavier, left hook.  Femi was now boxing in the short-range kill-zone. 

A few jabs from Femi sprang Carl’s head back only for Johanneson to push Femi’s whole body back with his own retorts (most of them expert body-shots). 

Both men landed at the bell and although Femi was still being out-gunned he had made a point of sorts, his power was not equal to Carl’s but his heart was beyond reproach.

In the fifth round Carl began to compose himself into his familiar killer automaton mode before underlining the fact the fight was over in all but action by sending Femi down again, this time with the classic one-two (jab and right cross).  Femi again took the eight count and got up for more.

Round six saw a short-lived last stand by Femi before Carl brought those straight shots through with real purpose.  Femi fired a left hook only to see Carl smile and gesture, Carl then got serious - putting Femi down for the fourth time.  Again a right hand did the damage. 

Femi rose only for a right hand to the body to drive the wind, and the fight, from him, the follow-up (a left and right hook) did not land heavily, if at all, yet Femi had taken debilitating shots all night, the intercession of referee Howard Clarke was a welcome relief. 

At this moment in time Carl Johanneson is one of the purest punchers in the British game and you can out-box him all night long but he will hit you, he will hurt you and if you cannot keep him off he will stop you.

Carl is known as a man of few words yet he had a few words of solace for Femi as the defeated challenger sat on his stool.

“Femi Fehintola is a good kid and he came to fight so I put my hand out to him.  Sparring is sparring (alluding to the claims that he was bested in sparring by Femi).  Whoever is out there (at super-featherweight) I’ll take them.”

I saw Femi post-fight; he was subdued yet insistent that he will be back.  He can learn from this fight and if there is criticism to be made it is that he failed to heed his corners advice.  Trainer Richard Poxon was imploring the use of that right hand and it was a wise strategic plan.

Carl had countered the left jab of Femi with hurtful right hand counters of his own, when Femi used his greater hand speed to pop a right lead out - in lieu of a jab - he had great success, he caught Carl clean and there was no gap for Carl to counter. 

Femi’s own jab, usually a tool, was leaving him too open for counter rights.  I felt that this was exhibited when Femi went down in the in the sixth via a right hand that came over his jab. 

For his part Carl needs to keep those punches straight and destructive, not wide and predictable.  He is going to be a tough British Champion to displace as he moves increasingly into his stride.