Langford Outpoints Rios; Butler Returns With KO Win
Oct 3, 2015 • 4:43 AM ET
By Terence Dooley
Birmingham’s Tommy Langford sent his fans home happy after harrying his way to a 10-round decision win over Argentina’s Cristian Fabian Rios in the night’s main event at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall.
Scores of 100-90, 100-91 and 100-90 ensured that Langford retained his WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title. The belt has earned him a ranking with the organisation and he eased to 14-0 (4) with a minimum of fuss.
Rios falls to 20-7-3 (6); despite some promising moments, the 32-year-old struggled to cope with his 26-year-old’s effervescence and will have been happy to hear the final bell.
Langford has added a notch to his WBO strap. He is easing himself into Britain’s 160lb mix with every victory, he called for more learning fights following his latest win in a bid to ensure that he can eventually mix with the likes of Andy Lee, Billy Joe Saunders, Chris Eubank Junior, Nick Blackwell and Spike Sullivan.
“I got 10 good rounds out there,” he said when analysing the fight. “It’s brilliant knowing the everyone’s turning out to support me, it gives you that extra boost. I love fighting, I enjoy my whole time in the ring.”
In earlier action, Liverpool’s Paul Butler (8st 7lbs 6oz) made short work of Argentina’s Hector Rolando Guzman (8st 3lbs 4oz) in his second fight since losing his IBF Super flyweight title to Zolani Tete in March, a stunning eighth-round KO reverse.
A left to the body sent the 28-year-old visitor over. It was waved off in the first stanza, leaving Guzman with a 14-2 (9) record. Butler (19-1, 10 early) put it into perspective after the fight: “There’s nothing really to talk about,” he said when speaking to BoxNation. “I had to show him who was boss, and I did that.”
“I’ve got to put that behind me and get on with my career, and that’s what I’ll do,” he said when talk turned to the Tete loss.
“It’s a great fight, Jamie’s a top fighter,” added his trainer Anthony Farnell when Belfast's WBO Inter-Continental titlist Jamie Conlan was mentioned as a potential opponent. “Paul was in first gear there.”
“Jamie’s a great kid, we all watched his great fight last time on BoxNation,” said Butler. “He thinks he can beat me, I think I can beat him—let’s get it on.”
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