On Friday night we saw a packed night of boxing action from Italy, here’s my fight night review of all the action.
Andrea Scarpa V Joe Hughes
Joe Hughes put in a punch perfect performance to win a split decision to become the new European champion
Hughes made a bright start in the opening round working well off the jab then following it up and making Scarpa take a step back. In the 2nd Hughes landed some nice shots then going back to his jab, in looks like at the moment Scarpa can’t land a glove on Hughes. At the start of the 3rd Hughes continued to land good shots, but Scarpa is having a better round but was it enough for him to win the round. In the 4th Hughes was having success with the jab then going to the body. At times it looks like Scarpa doesn’t want to be there and Hughes is landing at will. In the 5th Hughes continued to work well off the jab he’s clearly boxing to a game plan, as the fight goes on I can see Hughes getting the stoppage.
Going into the second half of the fight I had Hughes 4 rounds up and boxing really well. In the 6th Hughes continued to land his shots and Scarpa is just walking round the ring. In the 7th round Hughes picked up where he left off, but in this round Scarpa is looking to throw more shots. In the 8th round Hughes was starting to fall short with his shots but there was still not much coming from Scarpa. At the start of the 9th Hughes landed some good shots it looked like he’s trying to up the pace to get the stoppage. In the 10th Hughes continued to box well Hughes landed at will with his jab. In the 11th it was starting to look more like a sparring session then a fight with Hughes able to do whatever he wants
Going into the final round I had Hughes 8 rounds up. In the 12th Hughes just did what he’s done for the whole of the fight landing the jab then landing the hook. This has probably been one of the best performances of Hughes’s career. At the final bell I had Hughes 9 rounds up.
Devis Boschiero V Martin J Ward
Martin J Ward wins a controversial split decision.
In the 1st round Ward came out working off the jab, Boschiero was walking forward but he wasn’t landing anything. Ward started well but he needs to start throwing combinations. In the 2nd Ward continued to work well off the jab, but then Boschiero landed a good shot of his own. Ward needs to stop Boschiero from closing the distance, take a step back then throw a shot. In the 3rd Ward continued to box well but Boschiero is having a good round, Ward needs to get back to his game plan because the more success Boschiero has the more he’s going to grow in confidence. In the 4th Ward was doing a good job of going to the body it looks like Boschiero is starting to feel the pace. It’s starting to look like Ward is taking control of the fight. The start of the 5th was a bit scrappy but still most of the quality was coming from Ward.
Going into the second half of the fight I had Ward 4 rounds up and boxing well it would be nice to see him step it up and go looking for the stoppage. In the 6th Ward continued to work off the jab although Boschiero isn’t taking a backward step he’s not really landing anything clean, but toward the end of the round Boschiero started to let his hands go. In the 7th Ward continued to go to the body but he is starting to get drawn into Boschiero’s type of fight. By the midway point Ward started to take control again. At the start of the 8th Boschiero started to let his hands go again but he’s taking too many shots on the way in. Throughout the round the better work was coming from Ward. Boschiero made a bright start to the 9th but then Ward took control again landing a number of good shots and he’s starting to push Boschiero back. In the 10th round Ward still looked fresh landing good shots to the body, he just has to make sure that he doesn’t get careless. In the 11th Ward just stuck to his boxing working well off the jab but it would be nice to see him let his hands go more. Then Ward had a point taken for using the elbow to me that looked harsh.
Going into the final round I had it very wide to Ward. In the 12th Boschiero continued to come forward but still the better shots were coming from Ward. At the final bell I had Ward winning it by 10 rounds.
Fabio Turchi V Tony Conquest
Fabio Turchi scored a 7th round knockout but Tony Conquest put in a good performance
The 1st round started a bit cagey both men just finding their range there wasn’t much in it but the better work was coming from Turchi. At the start of the 2nd Conquest was working well off the jab but then he was reaching with his right hand, but he definitely seems to be growing in confidence. In the 3rd both were looking to be on the front foot this is another close round I think this one could come down to what you like. In the 4th Conquest looked to continue to land big shots this has been a much better fight than I thought it would be.
Going into the second half of the fight I had Conquest 1 round up. In the 5th Turchi was starting to take control of the fight landing some good shots and bullying Conquest. In the 6th Turchi continued to control the fight on the inside. However Conquest is trying to take a step back to create some distance. At the start of the 7th Conquest hit the canvas off a volume of punches and straight away it was clear he wasn’t going to beat the count.
Hope you enjoyed the fights and please comment below and let me know your thoughts.