Taylor Bevan, fighting out of Southampton, England, has the look of a good professional fighter about him.
A fifth-round left hook spelled the end of Slovakia’s game Lukas Ferneza on the undercard of the British and Commonwealth middleweight title fight between champion Kieron Conway and undefeated challenger George Liddard.
Super middleweight Bevan is trained by former world title challenger Colin Jones who, in his 30-fight career, boxed Donald Curry, Milton McCrory, and Kirkland Laing.
Ferneza was tough and would not be steamrolled. When Bevan attacked, the visitor was content to cover up and fire back. There was more quality from Bevan, such as a right uppercut which slammed into Ferneza’s face in the third round.
Swelling started to develop beneath Ferneza’s right eye in the fourth yet he caught the young Matchroom prospect with some sharp right hands. Still, the favorite lashed home a right to the body and left hook that dropped the Slovakian hard and although Ferneza rose in time, the official Sean McAvoy called it off. Rather than protesting, Fernaza dropped back to a knee and clutched his jaw in pain.
It was the first time Bevan had been beyond four rounds.
Time of the stoppage was 1:17 seconds of the round. Bevan is now 6-0 (6 KOs) and Fernaza is 6-4 (3 KOs), and he earned his money.
It had been scheduled for eight.
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Buttigeg landed a warning right hand in the opening moments of the first round
The ungainly Schembri was caught to the body by a left hand near the end of the session and the veteran didn’t look comfortable going back to his corner after the first round.
Although Buttigeg picked up a cut on his scalp, from a clash of heads, he hurt Schembri again with a left to the body and despite the blood covering his face, Buttigeg remained in control and was landing plenty of shots.
Trainer Alan Smith urged Buttigeg to start his attacks downstairs before moving to the head and although Schembri was courageous and game, he was taking plenty of leather. The blood still flowed on Buttigeg’s head in the fourth and Schembri was warned for firing off a left hook on the break.
In Buttigeg’s corner, Eddie Lam did his best to stem the flow of blood and Schembri was forced to hold after taking more shots to the body in the fifth but the Maltese fighter kept coming and was throwing big shots in the sixth.
Buttigeg had to work the rest of the way but the 20-year-old would have learned plenty on the process, winning 79-73 on the cards.
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Adam Maca was too fast and too busy for Juan Batista, winning via fourth-round stoppage at York Hall’s Bethnal Green.
Maca, from Brighton, England, experienced some tough moments in round three, but reasserted himself and calmed down in the fourth and applied the finishing touches.
Maca came out for the first, busy behind his right hand, looking to land hooks up and down stairs.
In the second, Macca tried switching the angles of his attacks, moving left and right, and he scored with both some crisp left hands and occasional left hooks. He started looking for a right uppercut with a minute left in the session and there were signs that Batista could be over-run.
However, Maca was punished for losing his concentration, dropping his hands and trying too hard to impress, in the third and wound up being cracked on at least three occasions by Batista right hands, and he momentarily looked concerned.
In the fourth, thought, Macca got on top and managed to press his advantage, overwhelming the visitor who had all-but stopped throwing and was taking too many shots at the end.
The Argentine falls to 1-22 and was stopped for the fifth time.
Time of the stoppage was 1:42 of the fourth round.
“He walked onto a couple and it was a bit more exciting that we wanted,” said promoter Eddie Hearn of Maca, who is now 3-0 (3 KOs) and headed to six-round fights.
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Jermaine Dhliwayo moved to 7-0 (3 KOs) with a fourth-round bodyshot stoppage of Mario Victorino Vera, who is from Mexico.
Junior lightweight Dhliwayo, a southpaw, was in control of the action and just when it seemed as though Vera might go the distance, Dhilwayo unlocked the stoppage by feinting a right hook lead but then burying a left deep into Vera’s midsection. Vera winced in pain as he sat on his haunches, and although he tried to rise he was clearly in agony and the fight was waved off.
Vera drops to 8-10 (3 KOs).
