Jack Rafferty retained his British and Commonwealth junior-welterweight titles at the conclusion of 12 competitive rounds with Mark Chamberlain at the Planet Ice in Altrincham, England.
The 29-year-old Rafferty had to come from behind following a strong start from his challenger, who had moved up from lightweight and resisted cuts by both eyes to reach the final bell, but one score of 115-114 in Chamberlain’s favour and two others of 114-114 meant a majority draw and that – following so entertaining a contest – a rematch is almost inevitable.
Chamberlain, 26, was continuing to rebuild off the back of his defeat in September by his fellow Englishman Josh Padley, but throughout the opening rounds rarely looked like the naturally smaller of the two fighters.
He hurt the undefeated Rafferty in the first round with a left hand when catching the defending champion while he was square on, and built on that early promise by landing further lefts to both body and head.
Chamberlain appeared to be growing in confidence in the second when Rafferty snapped his head back with a straight right hand, but he responded by continuing to outwork his opponent.
He was first cut in the third, inside of his left eye by Rafferty’s right hand, but he remained composed and, even if Rafferty was also growing and improving, succeeded again to both Rafferty’s body and head.
When he was cut by the right eye in the fourth his ambitions appeared particularly threatened, but it otherwise proved an encouraging round for him against the home fighter on account of him not only again demonstrating the higher work-rate, but also the better quality of punch.
Rafferty’s struggles to impose himself were regardless reduced from the fifth. If initially he remained hesitant in a way that he typically isn’t, he increasingly attempted to move forwards and apply pressure. Even if his intent was punished by Chamberlain, there existed a shift in dynamic that suggested that it was becoming more his favoured nature of fight.
Chamberlain, tiring, was forced to attempt to maintain the same intensity but he was hurt by a left hook thrown by Rafferty towards the end of the seventh round, and they each continued to fight with the desire and aggression that made them difficult to split.
It was perhaps crucial that Chamberlain had such a strong 11th round as he did when arresting some of Rafferty’s momentum by a succession of strong left and right hands.
Had he not done so Rafferty may have been awarded victory for his strong showing during the second half of that fight. As it is, his reward will likely be a rematch that will deserve to attract even more attention than their match-up already had when it was first made.
The promising Jack Turner had by then inflicted the first defeat in the career of Argentina’s Nicolas Agustin Muguruza when he won in the sixth of 10 scheduled rounds at super flyweight.
Turner, 23, represents one of England’s most promising young fighters but, for perhaps the first time as a professional, encountered an opponent who appeared capable of absorbing his considerable power and who had the ambition to attempt to force him back.
Their fight had been consistently competitive until, in the sixth round, Turner threw a strong left hook that heavily dropped his 27-year-old opponent when Muguruza’s nose was already bleeding. Both fighters had walked to the ring with a record of 11-0 and the Argentinian’s relative inexperience then showed when he swiftly returned to his feet instead of taking his time to recover.
It was another left hand that hurt Muguruza again and that sent him back to the canvas. Again he returned to his feet and again he was willing to fight on, but the referee Michael Alexander then intervened to rescue him from further punishment, ensuring the timing of the stoppage came after 90 seconds of the sixth round.
Lewis Richardson, the English middleweight, won his second professional contest when over six rounds he outpointed Estonia’s Artjom Spatar via the referee Mark Lyson’s score of 60-54.
In the evening’s first televised contest, Zak Miller defended his Commonwealth title against his fellow Englishman Leon Woodstock by two scores of 117-112 and another of 117-111.
