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Fight Report: Essex Eruption - Conquest Cruises, McAleese Supreme But Jupp Robbed

By Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro
Sunday, March 20
On Saturday night Steve Goodwin undertook his first big event outside of London with his superb Essex Eruption, sponsored by Revolver Entertainment’s new to DVD action drama Fists of Rage, at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham.

The event was due to be quadruple headlined, but due to an injury to Yassine El Maachi and the BBBofC realising at the last minute that Leon ‘Solid’ Williams’ suspension, due to his being stopped on the 5th February, didn’t expire until the day after the event, it became a double header instead.

It wasn’t just the loss of two of the headline bouts, there were various other last minute injuries that reduced the event to eight bouts instead of the proposed fourteen. Either way those that were lucky enough to attend the off-TV show were treated to a fantastic evening of top class boxing.

With El Maachi and Williams out Romford’s unbeaten Tony ‘The Conqueror’ Conquest bout against current Ghanaian Cruiserweight Champion Prince George Akrong was elevated to main feature.

Right from the opening bell Conquest hunted down Akrong, whose ringname is the Hungry Lion, with a clear intention to get the African challenger out of there early. About two minutes in Conquest let rip with a huge right which missed Akrong’s chin but caught him on the shoulder and send him crashing unceremoniously onto his backside.

Throughout the second round Conquest pushed forward utilising every punch in his packed arsenal, but Akrong’s strength, and determination to shine in front of the British crowd, see him weather the constant onslaught as well as occasionally test the taller and bigger Conquest ‘s chin with massive overhand rights.

Much of the same in the third, that was until mid way through the last minute of the round when Conquest shook the big African to the core with a massive right. In a flash Conquest let rip with heavy lefts and rights as Akrong, with his back against the ropes, covered up in an effort to survive until the end of the round, which he did.

The fourth was all action, with Conquest determined to start of where he finished in the previous round. However Akrong showed his mettle by going forward and taking the fight to Conquest, at times going toe-to-toe exchanging bomb after bomb.

The fifth was almost a replay of the third, with Conquest pushing hard. Eventually the pressure paid off, Conquest backed Akrong onto the ropes and let rip with huge left to the body followed with a big right to the head. Akrong wobbled badly, but even though his legs had clearly gone he managed to stay on his feet. Conquest, who had stepped back expecting the African to drop, went back on the attack letting big lefts and rights go until the final bell.

Round six see Conquest step things up and hurt Akrong with a big right hand within seconds of the start. Conquest followed the African warrior around the ring letting off bomb after bomb. After about thirty seconds Conquest landed a peach of right to send Akrong to the deck again. The African got to his feet but looked severely shaken. The referee accepted Akrong’s pleas to allow him to continue but in an instant Conquest was on him letting rip with more big lefts and rights, Akrong didn’t respond or even seem to have any defense and the referee jumped in to call a halt to the proceedings after just one minute of the round.

Co-headline to the Conquest-Akrong bout see the welcome return of Newmarket Light Middleweight prospect ‘Phat’ Pat McAleese, against Spain’s Fran Gonzalez.

There was no feeling out period, both protagonists went to work right from the opening bell. The action was nonstop and produced some of the best pure boxing of the show. For the full three minutes they matched each other punch for punch, it was that close throughout.

Round two see McAleese step things up to try and wrestle control of the round from the gutsy Spaniard. However Gonzalez had no intention to allow him to do so and countered every attack.

Round three see more of the same at first, but the tide was beginning to turn in McAleese’s favour around the two minute mark. McAleese added more venom to his attacks, in doing so forcing Gonzalez to go on the defensive.

Round four see McAleese continue in the same vein, often backing Gonzalez onto the ropes before letting rip with heavy flurries of left and rights to body and head. During one of the later attacks McAleese caught the Spaniard with a heavy left to the ribs, Gonzalez was clearly hurting and covered up. This encouraged McAleese to turn the pressure up another notch. McAleese was relentless playing Gonzalez’s ribs like a xylophone with wickedly fast ten-twelve punch salvos.

Round five was a cracking round for McAleese, who constantly backed up the tiring Gonzalez before letting rip with ten punch plus flurries. As the round progressed Gonzalez occasionally responded with the odd counter attack, but was often thwarted by the fast hands of the Newmarket man.

A sure fire stoppage finish looked on the cards in the final round, as again McAleese caught Gonzalez with a massive left to the ribs. However the durable Gonzalez survived the follow up salvos and went defensive to see out the final couple of minutes. The referee scored the bout 60-54 in favour of a delighted McAleese.

The sixth bout of the evening see unbeaten in four Light Middleweight Michael ‘The Zambezi Hitman’ Norgrove against the super tough Jan Balog from the Czech Republic.

Right from the off Balog went on the attack, forcing Norgrove to go defensive. Throughout the round Balog pressured and Norgrove could only respond with a good stiff jab.

Round two see Norgrove initially readjust his fight plan, choosing instead to go toe to toe with Balog. The only problem is the gutsy Czech only had one form of defense - attack. Norgrove was taking some big punches and by about midway through the round had a noticeable swelling over his left eye. Saying that Norgrove had responded really well and was out boxing his Czech opponent.

Balog pushed hard in the third, but had started to get a bit wild in his attacks, allowing Norgrove to pick him off with some good stiff jabs.

Round four was a lively affair. Norgrove was boxing beautifully and seemed to have neutralised Balog, that is until the second minute when Balog caught Norgrove with a heavy overhand right. Norgrove’s legs buckled and was on his way to the canvas. However thinking quickly Norgrove threw his arms around Balog but instead of it keeping him on his feet he just pulled Balog down with him. For some strange reason the referee decided not to give the count even though Norgrove had clearly been floored by a punch.

The tide turned in the fifth Norgrove used his superior boxing skills to dominate the round. Balog occasionally responded with a wild counter but there was little he could do to stop the constant hard and fast attacks.

Any chance of Balog causing an upset evaporated in the final round. Norgove stepped up the pressure against the rapidly tiring Czech and was controlling things beautifully. Norgrove had been using his jab and straight rights to good effect, however this changed early in the sixth when Norgrove started to go for the body. After the third attack to the ribs Balog took to one knee for an eight count.

When the bout resumed Norgrove went back on the attack in search of his first stoppage finish. It looked like he may just get it, following another cracking shot to the body that forced Balog to one knee for a second time. However Balog did get to his feet to see out the final seconds of the round.

After six scintillating rounds Michael Norgrove was declared victorious by a 60-54 points margin.

I have to add that I’ve watched every one of Michael Norgrove’s fights and I have had my doubts about him, I felt that he would come up short if actually tested. Well on Saturday night he was tested, and tested hard, but came through with flying colours and boxed the best I have seen to date. Also he showed resilience and an ability to mix it up when needed.

Next up was Carshalton Lightweight ‘Pretty’ Ricky Boylan against tall, tough and awkward southpaw Kristian Laight. Fireworks had been predicted and sure enough that’s just what we got.

Right from the opening bell both fighters made it clear they wanted centre ring, yet neither were willing to concede ground. Some great boxing from both protagonists ensued. It was a very close fought round but Boylan probably edged tit with the cleaner more meaningful shots.

Round two was more of the same, except the tide was flowing Boylan’s way more. Boylan had settled the fastest and concentrated on pure boxing to counter Laight’s attempts to force things by brute force.

Round three continued in the same vein, with Boylan out boxing his older opponent. About midway through the round Boylan landed a beautiful right to the body, Laight instantly winced and grabbed hold of Boylan to get his breath back. As the referee broke them apart Boylan went on the attack letting some cracking left and rights go in quick succession. Laight went on the back foot to try and see out the round, which he did.

Round four was all Boylan, he boxed superbly throughout to earn a tidy 39-37 points victory.

Less than a month after winning on his debut Kris Agyei-Dua was back in action on Saturday against Louis Byrne.

It is hard to think that Agyei-Dua has only had the single bout, he fought like a seasoned pro. From start to finish Agyei-Dua dominated the proceedings with some beautiful boxing. He never put a foot wrong, he jabbed with confidence and was happy to stand and trade when needed.

Byrne is a tough opponent at the best of times but didn’t seem to trouble Agyei-Dua at any time. Unsurprisingly Agyei-Dua secured his second win by a shutout 40-36 points margin.

The third bout of the night see the very welcome return of Luton’s Michael ‘The Real Chunky’ Devine, after a long layoff following a bad stoppage against Mark Alexander last year, against Sid Razak.

Devine was divine, he plain out boxed the resilient Razak throughout. Razak is no walk over at the best of times but Devine outclassed him from start to finish to earn a shutout 40-36 points victory.

Belvedere’s unbeaten Featherweight ‘Saint’ George Jupp was next up against Raffi Khan from Harrow.

Right from the opening bell Khan went on the attack, Jupp kept his cool and kept the aggressive Khan at bay with some solid jabs. Whenever Khan came rushing forward Jupp would use superior footwork, to move out of range, or solid jabbing to stop him in his tracks. Khan was getting some success but usually his shots were wide of the mark.

Whilst it was hard to call the first round, the second and third were clearly young Jupp’s, who had used his Jab to good effect throughout the two rounds. It wasn’t just his jabbing though, in the middle rounds Jupp showed that he is willing to mix it up when needs be.

Khan began to rush his attacks, backing Jupp towards the ropes, and letting rip with wild shots. Most times Jupp would just step around, leaving Khan punching at fresh air, but on a couple occasions Jupp countered with both hands and about mid way through the round Jupp landed a peach of a right which opened up a cut above Khan’s eye.

Clearly aware he was behind on points Khan became even more forceful with his attacks in the final round, often letting rip with multi-punch flurries. Jupp would counter with solid jabs as before but instead of backing off Khan kept coming forward. Khan kept the pressure up to the final bell.

When the referee’s score card was read out - 39-38 in favour of Khan - the crowd jeered, Jupp’s manager/coach Johnny Eames remonstrated with the referee and the assembled photo corps, of which I was one, all agreed that Jupp had won clearly won the middle rounds and probably had done enough to claim the first also.

I feel I should comment at this point that on Friday at York Hall Erick Ochieng suffered the same fate as Jupp, he clearly won two rounds and probably did enough to get a third but the decision went against him.

I bring this up because it seems that some referees and judges are often judging by aggression level mainly.

A prime example of this was Ian ‘Dappa’ Napa’s British and Commonwealth title loss to Jamie McDonnell last year. Napa clearly won the bout, having landed the most meaningful shots, as was proved when Sky televised highlights.

Sky were unable to find a single bit of footage where McDonnell had even landed a punch. McDonnell had been the more aggressive but had failed to make any impact due to Napa’s superior defense and countering.

The same goes for both Ochieng and Jupp in their bouts. in both cases they had exceptional defenses. In almost every attack their opponents made they failed to land a single punch and were easily caught by controlled counter punching.

I know that part of judging process includes aggression but surely ineffective aggression shouldn’t count for more than actual punches landed.

Anyway enough of my griping, the opening bout of the night see Danny Brown take on Iain Jackson in a Middleweight bout.

This was a cracking opening bout and really set the tone for the rest of the show. Both went to war from the opening bell, trading toe-to-toe for virtually the whole bout. Brown landed the most meaningful punches and rightly earned the victory by a 39-37 points margin.

As usual Steve Goodwin put on an exceptional show, one that deserved a much wider audience. It’s about time Sky started looking at some of the excellent small hall promoters, like Steve Goodwin, who constantly put on top class shows, instead of concentrating on the big three who parade out the same old names show after show.

Steve Goodwin’s next event will be at the York Hall on June 4th, miss it and you’ll miss one helluva show featuring some of the Capital’s most talented rising stars.

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Muaythai or Thai boxing as it is referred to by many is a style of boxing that most possibly evolved over the centuries by the migrating tribes from the steppes of China moving south and was essentially developed as a form of close-combat that used the entire body as a weapon on the battle fields.

In war Muay Thai used the body to mimic the weapons of war. The hands become the sword and dagger; the shins and forearms were hardened in training to act as armor against blows, and the elbow to fell opponents like a heavy mace or hammer; the legs and knees became the axe and staff. The body operated as one unit. The knees and elbows constantly searching and testing for an opening while grappling and trying to spin an enemy to the ground for the kill.

It is unfortunate that our knowledge of Muay Thai history, which is deeply entwined with the history of Thailand itself, is limited, there are few written records pertaining to pre-twentieth century Muay Thai history. Knowledge has been passed down by oral tradition, which makes it difficult to be sure of the facts. The history of Muay Thai was lost when the Burmese army sacked and razed Ayuddhaya to the ground the capital city of Siam, Thailand in 1767. Much of the early Muay Thai history was destroyed. The little we do know about Muay Thai comes from the writings of the Burmese, Cambodian, early European visitors and some of the chronicles of the Lanna Kingdom - Chiangmai.

What is known is that the history of Muay Thai was an essential part of Thai culture right from its dawn. And in Thailand, it is the sport of kings.

The first great upsurge of interest in Muaythai as a sport, as well as a battlefield skill, was under King Naresuan in 1584, a time known as the Ayuddhaya period. During this period, every soldier trained in Muaythai and could use it, as the King himself did. Slowly Muaythai moved away from its root in the ‘Chupasart’ and new fighting techniques were evolving.

The change in the art was to continue under another fighting King – Prachao Sua – the Tiger King. He loved Muaythai so much that he often fought incognito in village contests, beating the local champions. During the reign of the Tiger King the nation was at peace. The King, to keep the army busy, ordered it to train in Muaythai. The interest in the sport was already high but now it took off yet again.

Thai Boxing became the favourite sport and pastime of the people, the army and the King. Historical sources show that people from all walks of life flocked to training camps. Rich, poor, young and old all wanted some of the action. Every village staged its prize fights and had its champions. Every bout became a betting contest as well as a contest of local pride.

The most popular folklore regarding muay boran is that of Nai Khanomtom.

At the time of the fall of the ancient Siam capital of Ayutthaya in 1767, the invading Burmese troops rounded up thousands of Thais and took them to Burma as prisoners. Among them were a large number of Thai kickboxers, who were taken to the city of Ava.

In 1774, in the Burmese city of Rangoon, the Burmese King Hsinbyushin (known in Thai as “King Mangra”) decided to organize a seven-day, seven-night religious festival in honor of Buddha’s relics. The festivities included many forms of entertainment, such as the costume plays called likay, comedies and farces, and sword-fighting matches. At one point, King Hsinbyushin wanted to see how muay boran would compare to the Burmese art Lethwei. Nai Khanomtom was selected to fight against the Burmese champion. The boxing ring was set up in front of the throne and Nai Khanomtom did a traditional Wai Kru pre-fight dance, to pay his respects to his teachers and ancestors, as well as the spectators, dancing around his opponent. This amazed and perplexed the Burmese people, who thought it was black magic. When the fight began, Nai Khanomtom charged out, using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees to pummel his opponent until he collapsed.

However the Burmese referee said the Burmese champion was too distracted by the dance, and declared the knockout invalid. The King then asked if Nai Khanomtom would fight nine other Burmese champions to prove himself. He agreed and fought them all, one after the other with no rest periods in between. His last opponent was a great kickboxing teacher from Rakhine. Nai Khanomtom mangled him by his kicks and no one else dared to challenge him.

King Mangra was so impressed that he allegedly remarked, “Every part of the Thai is blessed with venom. Even with his bare hands, he can fell nine or ten opponents. But his Lord was incompetent and lost the country to the enemy. If he would have been any good, there was no way the City of Ayutthaya would ever have fallen.”

King Mangra granted Nai Khanomtom freedom along with either riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Khanomtom chose the wives as he said that money was easier to find. He then departed with his wives for Siam. Because the legend of Nai Khanom Tom is so well-known, he is called the “father of Muay Thai.” Muay Thai day is celebrated on March 16 in his honor.

Ascension of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868 ushered in a golden age not only for muay but for the whole country of Thailand. Muay progressed greatly during the reign of Rama V as a direct result of the king’s personal interest in the art. The country was at peace and muay functioned as a means of physical exercise, self-defense, recreation, and personal advancement.[citation needed] Masters of the art began teaching muay in training camps where students were provided with food and shelter. Trainees would be treated as one family and it was customary for students to adopt the camp’s name as their own surname. Scouts would be sent by the royal family to organise matches between different camps. King Rama the VII pushed for codified rules for Muay Thai, and they were put into place. Thailand’s first boxing ring was built in 1921 at Suan Kularp. Referees were introduced and rounds were now timed by kick. Fighters at the Lumpinee Kickboxing Stadium began wearing modern gloves during training and in boxing matches against foreigners. Rope-binding was still used in fights between Thais but after the occurrence of a death in the ring, it was decided that fighters should wear gloves and cotton coverlets over the feet and ankles. It was also around this time that the term Muay Thai became commonly used while the older form of the style was referred to as muay boran.

Muay Thai began to garner international exposure and recognition.In World War II, Thai soldiers were stationed overseas, and foreigners recieved their first good look at Muay Thai firsthand. Muay Thai was named by foreigners as Siam Boxing, as Thailand was formerly Siam. During WW II, the French labeled Muay Thai as “Le Sport Orient” or the fighting style of the orient. The Thai soldiers participating in the war would practice Muay Thai among themselves as soldiers from Europe and America watched with great interest. Until that time, Muay Thai was a cultural gem, hidden within this strange and wonderful culture of this country called Thailand.

Soldiers from abroad were so impressed of the Muay Thai fighting style that they asked the Thai soldiers to teach them the basics and traditions of Muay Thai. As Muay Thai became more popular, especially with an international interest, the rules began to change to become more inline with other governed sports like boxing.

After the end of WW II, the first formal rules were introduced into the sport. Fights were divided into 5 rounds, and time limits were imposed on each round. Time was counted on a clock rather than the old style of a coconut shell with holes sinking completely in a barrel of water. Major stadiums for Muay Thai were constructed after the war in large cities [Bangkok, Sukothai, Chiang Mai] throughout the country as the popularity of Muay Thai grew. Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok is now almost considered “holy ground” to the multitudes of Thai fighters, and now many foreigners, trying to win a place on a fight card. A system of weight-classes, defined rules, and championships was devised in the years ahead as Muay Thai began to resemble boxing in style and organization.

Nowadays the Muay Thai ring is the same size as that used for Western boxing, 24 foot square. The floor of the ring is wooden with canvas-covered matting. Traditionally the four sides of the ring are aligned with the points of a compass. The red corner points NW, the blue SE. The other two corners are white. These colours are derived from Western boxing and were introduced in the 1920s. The red corner is usually assigned to the defending champion or the contestant thought to have the advantage.

The Wai Kru (respects to the teacher) also known as Ram Muay (boxing dance) is an important part of any evening watching Thai Boxing. These are ceremonies that are performed before each Muay Thai bout. Sometimes the Wai Kru are brief and basic, but other times they may be eloquent performances that draw praise and applause from the crowd. It is said that those who see well can determine who will win the fight by watching two fighters perform their Wai Kru.

Teachers are highly respected in Thai society, and many artistic disciplines, not just Muay Thai, perform Wai Kru or “respects to the teacher”. Foreigners viewing these rituals should take care to be polite and not act disrespectfully regarding the Wai Kru. The Thais take seriously any insult to the Wai Kru, just as you would if somebody insulted your spiritual beliefs.

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Mong Kon - type of headgear worn by Muay Thai athletes. The Mong Kon was given to the students who the teachers thought had learned many of the skills and techniques. They were given at ceremonies. They were to be worn in the rings during fights, but they must never fall on, be close to or held near the ground as the Mong Kon would lose its magic. The student is never allowed to touch or handle the Mong Kon, only his Kru or Ajarn may handle it. He will take care of the headgear and will present and remove the band to the student when he competes within the ring.

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Gudel Too Good for Kaczor at Polish Nationals

By AIBA

March 18 - 2011

20-year-old flyweight boxer Piotr Gudel broke veteran Olympian Rafal Kaczor’s huge series at the 82nd Polish Men’s Elite National Championships, which was held in the city of Konin earlier this month, where altogether 83 boxers from each region of Poland entered the competition.

Piotr Gudel of Bialystok had a hard route to the final because he had to fight against a more than strong and experienced opponent, Beijing Olympian and multiple National Champion 29-year-old Rafal Kaczor. Their semifinal contest finished before the final gong when the referee stopped the bout in the final round, putting Gudel through to the gold medal fight.

Former Youth National Champion Piotr Gudel walked over to the gold at the final because his youth rival Grzegorz Brynda could not fight against him. The two top favourites Rafal Kaczor and Rajnchold Bromboszcz secured only bronze in Konin.

At the lowest weight class, in the absence of Beijing Olympian Lukasz Maszczyk, Youth National Champion 18-year-old Dawid Jagodzinski of Bydgoszcz won his first national elite title after beating Wojciech Peryt by 4:1.

AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medalist 17-year-old Dawid Michelus made his debut at elite level in Konin and claimed his first national title after beating Mateusz Mazik in the bantamweight class. Michelus is one of the biggest gold medal contenders at the upcoming European Youth Championships, the venue of which has yet to be decided by the EUBC.

Multiple National Champion 25-year-old Michal Chudecki defended his lightweight throne in Konin as well but also had a tough route to the top of the podium, having to fight veteran Andrzej Liczik.

In the light welterweight class Bocskai Memorial Tournament silver medalist 22-year-old Michal Syrowatka of Byalistok had a hard fight against 17-year-old Patryk Szymanski who is one of the biggest Polish hopes and has medal expectations at the European Youth Championships.

Veteran Marcin Legowski of Chojnice has been fighting for Poland since 2000 and used his experience to beat narrowly European Youth Championships bronze medalist 19-year-old Kamil Gardzielik in the welterweight class.

PKB Poznan’s Youth National Champion Igor Jakubowski is part of a new wave of Polish boxers and a great career is expected from him in the future. But nobody thought that he would beat the more experienced Feliks Stamm Tournament winner Kamil Szeremeta in a hectic middleweight final which finished 3:2 to the young hope.

Poland do not have any high-ranked boxers in the lightheavy weight class since AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Aleksy Kuziemski finished his amateur boxing career. Wlodzimierz Letr of PKB Poznan defended his throne in this division and could step up to demonstrate his skills at international level.

Michal Olas from the capital city of Poland is the country’s rising star but needs gain more experience in the world of boxing after a successful kick-boxing career. Olas claimed his first national title in Konin after beating Michal Gerlecki by points in the heavyweight final.

PKB Poznan claimed its fourth national title in the last final of the day in the super heavyweight division where their boxer Marcin Rekowski-Jerzyk, who represented Poland at the last European Championships in Moscow, defeated former Youth Champion talented Patryk Brzeski of Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki.

Photo: Piotr Gudel (Photo Credit: Leszek Dabrowski / www.mpboks.pl)

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