BIRMINGHAM, England – Cameron Vuong and Gavin Gwynne were held to a draw in a rematch of their controversial first encounter last November.
Vuong, now 9-0-1 (4 KOs), was the man who walked out with his hand raised then, but many felt it should have been Wales’ Gwynne who headed home the victor. On Saturday the rematch took place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Center and the contest followed a similar pattern to their first battle. Vuong started well with his speed and skills, but the experience and size of Gwynne, now 18-4-2 (5 KOs), wore him down as the fight went on. The judges couldn’t split them, and ruled the contest a majority draw by scores of 97-93 to Vuong, and 95-95 even, twice.
Just like in their first contest, Vuong, 23, started well by countering Gwynne with relative ease as he marched forwards. Vuong’s feet were faster than the flat-footed Gwynne and he looked a level above the Welshman early doors. That all changed, however, when the third session began, and Gwynne became more physical. Vuong just couldn't deal with Gwynne’s strength on the inside and had to settle for lying on the ropes to gain any respite. Gwynne, 35, took full advantage of this and hammered away at young Vuong. The fourth was tough for Vuong, who ate a hard left to the body and took another upstairs. As the 23-year-old returned to his stool, the fight was turning in Gwynne’s favor, much like in the first outing.
The fifth was a little closer, but Gwynne was starting to break down Vuong, who just couldn’t handle the physicality of the contest. Gwynne bashed away at Vuong’s skull with three repetitive left hands as Vuong lay on the ropes, and at the halfway point it looked as though the contest was only heading one way. The sixth session was Gwynne’s best of the contest, as he pinned Vuong in the corner and hammered away at Vuong’s body, then snapped Vuong’s head back with a right hand. Vuong was holding on to protect his midsection from the Welshman’s relentless attacks and was warned by referee Marcus McDonnell.
Vuong needed to find something from somewhere to turn the tide of the contest and he did just that. He came out for the seventh with more intent and spitefully planted his jab into Gwynne’s face before pivoting away. Vuong fired in a right uppercut as Gwynne came marching in and the pair exchanged jabs before the round’s end. Gwynne retaliated in the eighth with a hard jab that knocked Vuong’s head back into the ropes behind him. Vuong was looking more and more weary, and like he was feeling the pace. The youngster took full advantage of a rogue shot from Gwynne that clipped the back of his head and was given precious time by referee McDonnell to suck in some oxygen.
Vuong surely needed the last two rounds to be in with a shout of protecting his undefeated record. It looked unlikely after the previous session, but the youngster gritted his teeth, bit down on his gumshield, and took the fight to Gwynne. Vuong was now the aggressor and played Gwynne at his own game, hammering away at the Welshman with shots on the inside. He was getting the better of the sessions too, and landed a well placed left hook on the inside that certainly caught the judges’ eye. The pair were full of respect for each other at the end of a competitive and entertaining 10 rounds, and neither were outraged by the decision. Yes, they both thought they’d done enough, but a close fight it was, and a draw was the fairest result.
Former UFC fighter Molly McCann opened the televised fights with a competitive bout against Australian Ebonie Cotton. McCann was competing at junior bantamweight and in her second bout after making the switch back to boxing, having previously competed as an amateur in her youth (winning a national title for her club Golden Gloves ABC in Toxteth, Liverpool). Cotton, now 1-1, was no pushover for McCann and tried her best, but fell short – a nasty cut to the forehead in the fourth didn't help either. In the end McCann's experience as an amateur and in the octagon shone through, earning her a 58-56 victory on referee Ryan Churchill’s card and an improved record of 2-0 (1 KO).
Rising local fighter Ibraheem Sulaimaan was fighting in the so-called ‘Before The Bell’ fights in his home city for the first time since his debut and seemed to take it out on his opponent Nico Ogbeide. Sulaimaan hit Ogbeide with spite to the head and body – with a few landing below the belt too – and it seemed only a matter of time before he secured a first knockout in three fights. That came in the sixth when Sulaimaan stung Ogbeide, now 6-2-1, with a body shot and unleashed a flurry on his opponent that forced referee Chris Dean to jump in at 1:52. Sulaimaan rose to 10-0 (5 KOs) and picked up the Midlands Area junior lightweight title with the victory.
Former junior lightweight world title challenger was given an eight-round runout early doors against former British 130lb champion Liam Dillon. The contest was Barrett’s third since moving up to lightweight, and although Dillon took the first two sessions, Barrett dealt with Dillon rather convincingly. The referee Ryan Churchill scored the contest 78-74 in favor of Barrett who rose to 34-3 (18 KOs) with the win and will now look for one of the big names at 135lbs. Dillon fell to 15-5-1 (3 KOs) with his third successive defeat after previously losing to Pierce O’Leary and Ahmed Hatim.
Finally, Jamie Moore’s featherweight prodigy Alfie Middlemiss opened the show with a win against Mexican Engel Gomez, now 9-54-3 (9 KOs), over six rounds. Middlemiss, now 5-0, may have won the contest by a score of 60-54, but the fight was competitive throughout, with Gomez giving him real trouble in the early rounds.
