By Mark Vester
Anthony Mezaache (15-5-3, 3 KOs) came back from a first round knockdown to upset Jonathon Thaxton (34-9, 18 KOs) by winning a close decision to capture the European lightweight title at the Norwich Showground in Norwich, England. The scores were 115-111, 115-112 and 114-113.
Mezaache was decked in the first with a right hand. He was able to hold on and recover, even spitting out his mouthpiece to buy more time after being dropped and losing an additional point for his trouble. Despite losing the first by way of a 10-7 margin, he was able to get himself out of a hole by boxing and growing stronger as the fight went along.
Mezaache grew brave by the fifth when he wobbled Thaxton with a right uppercut. Thaxton tried to make the fight a war but wore himself out in the process. He was dead tired by the ninth round, as Mezaache took over and began to batter him with punches and opened a bad cut on Thaxton's left cheek. Thaxton tried to rally but he was too tired to mount any serious offense.
"I dropped him in the first round and he then spat his gumshield out, and it could have been over in the first," Thaxton told ITV4. But full credit to him, he did his homework on me and was very awkward to fight. I just felt I won, I'm the champion, and I feel he stole the title rather than won it."
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