Junior welterweight Jimmy Joe Flint fought courageously, and had to, after injuring his right shoulder in the second round to the extent he could only use his left arm for the remainder of his scheduled 10 with Malta’s Haithem Laamouz.
In the end, the scores favoured Laamouz with unanimous scores of 98-93, 98-92 and 96-94 but Flint, by virtue of keeping things competitive when so disadvantaged, can count himself a moral victor at Doncaster, England’s Keepmoat Stadium.
Flint, 15-3-2 (3 KOs), kept pushing forward regardless but found himself outworked through Rounds 3 to 6 by a boxer who had the luxury of two hands to play with. But the Doncaster man refused to be deterred and started to have success in the seventh as he fired left hooks to the head of his rival and doubling the shot to the body. The pattern continued over the next two sessions as Flint, growing in confidence, pumped out his only useful arm both instinctively and accurately. Laamouz, however, continued to have success of his own.
In the final round, Flint seemed to sting Laamouz, 21-2 (9 KOs), with a left hook only to walk into an uppercut himself before the pair exchanged for the last minute. Flint may have lost in the end, but he can be proud of his stirring effort.
Heartbreak on the cards for another fighter hailing from Doncaster featured earlier in the night as well when Reece Mould, 20-4 (6 KOs), was edged out over 10 rounds by Hull’s Lewis Sylvester, 16-1 (4 KOs), via split decision.