By Jake Donovan
Second verse, same as the first – a little more violent, and a little bit worse.
So went the night for Belfast heavyweight prospect Martin Rogan, who was suffered a technical stoppage for the second time in as many tries against Sam Sexton.
There was no controversy this time around, other than a bum arm forcing Rogan to quit on his stool after the sixth round of a see saw battle, Friday night in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The highly anticipated rematch aired live on Sky Sports from the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which also played host to their controversial first bout five months ago.
Sexton, 241 ¾ lb, Norwich, landed the first telling blow of the contest, a left hook upstairs. Both fighters were overzealous in taking the fight to another in the opening frame, resulting in Rogan, 234, Belfast, tripping over Sexton’s feet and onto his bum.
An attempted rally along the ropes by the Belfast cab driver was met with a warning from referee Howard John Foster for rabbit punching. Rogan kept it clean in the second, landing enough head shots to force Sexton into clinching mode, opting to sacrifice his midsection as Rogan landed whenever the two were tangled up on the inside.
Rogan and the partisan crowd surrounding him encountered anxious moments in the third, when he was twice momentarily shook by straight right hands. Sexton tried to carry the momentum over in the fourth, but Rogan regained control in the moments that weren’t marred by frequent clinching.
The crowd was brought to its feet when Rogan came out swinging early in the fifth, only to once again receive a tongue lashing for illegal blows from the third man. Sexton wasn’t completely innocent, also drawing a warning for excessive holding.
Drama also came about in the frame. It was Rogan’s swollen shut left eye that brought a sudden ending to their first encounter. This time, the Irishman was cut over his right eye, though the sight of his own blood only pumped him up, taking the fight to Sexton in what was easily his best round of the fight to that point.
Both fighters appeared winded and unsteady in the sixth, though Sexton dug deep and reestablished his right hand in a much needed bounce back round. Rogan never stopped stalking, but only enjoyed success when the two were at close quarters.
It was the last bit of success he would taste. The rest of his dinner plate was loaded with right hands from Sexton, who poured it on late in the round as Rogan appeared out of sorts. The round ended with the Irishman staggering along the ropes before being assisted to his corner.
Not another punch would be thrown in the fight, as Rogan’s corner informed the official of their fighter suffering an injury to his left arm, hindering his ability to continue.
The official time was 3:00 of round six.
A measure of respect now graces Sexton’s career as the Norwich heavyweight improves to 13-1 (6KO). The pair of wins over Rogan easily serves as the biggest of his career, though the rematch coming free of controversy and therefore confirming his status as a solid prospect at just 25 years of age.
Not quite as glowing is the status of Rogan, who dips to 12-2 (6KO). The 38-year old began the year with high hopes, riding in on the momentum of an upset win over Audley Harrison and following up with an 11th round stoppage over former title challenger Matt Skelton.
He appeared to be well on his way to stopping Sexton in their first fight this past May, but could never land the final telling blow before being forced to bow out due to compromised vision. The bitter taste left in everyone’s mouth is what drove this promotion, though the far more conclusive ending leaves his camp seriously pondering the next move.
The opening leg of the split site doubleheader saw yet another impressive performance turned in by Paul McCloskey in front of his rabid Northern Ireland countrymen. The undefeated southpaw had his way in scoring over Daniel Rasilla in the main event at the Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland.
Action was slow getting out of the gate, with McCloskey, 139 ¼, content to box in the early going. The Londonderry native was putting rounds in the bank, but imposed his will for the first time in the fifth round, which saw Rasilla, 139, rocked early and late.
It was brutal, one-sided rout that point onward, as McCloskey frequently landed with straight lefts upstairs and right hooks to the body. Rasilla was game early on, but reached a point in the fight where he merely hoped to survive the distance.
McCloskey nearly ended matters in the eighth, landing a left hand to the temple that had Rasilla on unsteady legs. The Spaniard survived the round, but was lit up in the following round and sent to the canvas courtesy of a sweeping right hook.
Rasilla beat the count, but was a punching bag from that point onward. McCloskey landed right hooks at will, but it was a counter left that ended the fight, landing over Rasilla’s right hand and crashing on his chin, at which point the referee immediately waved off the bout.
The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
McCloskey improves to 20-0 (10KO), picking up the European Boxing Union 140 lb. belt in the process, becoming the first Derry fighter in 30 years to win the title.
Rasilla, whose last ring appearance came just four weeks ago, sees a three-fight win streak come to an end as he falls to 15-5 (4KO).
The dual site broadcast was presented by Frank Warren and Barry Hearn.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.