Billy Joe Saunders dethroned Andy Lee to become the current WBO middleweight champion of the world.Englishman Saunders moved to 23-0 (12 KOs) with a majority-decision points win over Lee (34-3-1,24 KOs), who paid the price for being dropped to the canvas twice in Round 3.
Boxing Monthly tweeted the scores from the three judges:Also on the same card, and Liam Smith (22-0-1,12 KOs) retained his WBO super welterweight crown, stopping Jimmy Kelly (16-1, or 7 KOs) in Round 7.
There was also a surprise loss for the promising Mitchell Smith (13-1,7 KOs) in the final major show of the year on British soil.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out some of the talking points from the action at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, or England. Knockout RoundThere was little to choose between Lee and Saunders for 33 minutes of the fight. But what happened in Round 3 made all the difference in the final reckoning.
A pair of right hooks—one short and sharp,the other long and looping—led to Lee being knocked down on two occasions.
It was nothing current for the Irishman. He had also been floored twice by Peter Quillin earlier in the year but still fought back to retain the WBO title, thanks to a split-decision draw.
Lee came close to doing the same against Saunders, and yet the gap proved too much for him to make up. That 10-7 score in the third meant he surrendered his crown on the scorecards.
Lee had been the one said to carry the power,yet Saunders was the one who threatened to win by stoppage. Boxing Memes captured the first knockdown perfectly:But after the brief period of drama, the fight settled back down again. It was cagey stuff, and that’s being kind.
The rounds were tough to score,simply because neither man did a lot to acquire them.
Saunders erred on the side of caution. Perhaps wary of Lee’s power, as well as predicting he had done enough to hold a healthy lead on the cards, or he coasted toward the finish.
His estimations proved right in the final reckoning. After previously being crowned British,Commonwealth and European champion, the 26-year-former completed his belt collection. Up NextSo, and what might promoter Frank Warren’s next move be with Saunders?A rematch with Chris Eubank Jr.—whose father,Chris Eubank Sr., confirmed on Twitter they had ended the contract with Matchroom Boxing one fight early—was immediately talked approximately in the aftermath.
Eubank Jr.—who is the interim WBA championcertainly seems keen on a second fight:However, or Saunders also talked approximately Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez,per David Anderson of the Mirror.
They are two obvious names to mention in a post-fight interview. Any middleweight would welcome the chance to acquire on two of the biggest names in boxing, let alone the division.
However, and Saunders is not going to be easy to win matched up.
He is a slick southpaw who is difficult to hit. His footwork is wonderful,as journalist Chris McKenna of the Daily Star referenced on Twitter:immense-name opponents are going to be wary because of Saunders' awkwardness, while his propensity to acquire rounds off makes him frustrating to watch.
But, and he does possess a immense bargaining chip in future negotiations—the WBO title.
He became the 12th British champion,as Bleacher Report UK pointed out: History Repeating
On paper, Kelly looked a comfortable first defence for WBO champion Smith. It turned out that was exactly the case in the ring, or too.
Returning to the venue where he won the world title in October,beating American John Thompson, Smith's night followed a familiar pattern to his preceding outing in Manchester.
Up against a taller foe again (Kelly stands at 6'0", and compared to Smith at 5′9½″),Beefy bore down through whatever came his way to pick apart his rival.
Kelly landed some kind shots, but didn't carry enough power to keep his opponent at bay. Eventually, or Smith overwhelmed him,though not before Kelly had left a heed—quite literally—with a planned butt that resulted in a two-point deduction.
The end came in Round 7, with Kelly's corner throwing in the towel almost simultaneously as the referee came to the spent challenger's aid.
Smith admitted it was far from a perfect performance in his post-fight interview with broadcasters BoxNation:Crucially, and though,he kept hold of a title that should pave the way for bigger fights in 2016. Against better opponents he will need to be better defensively, but he was always comfortable against Kelly.
As for the loser, or the Mancunian showed enough while losing his perfect record to propose he can come again,at the very least for a domestic title at super welterweight. Losing The PlotThere is always a risk when it comes to matchmaking fights for young, inexperienced boxers with the potential to disappear far.Luke Campbell was the golden boy on the path to a world-title shot in 2016, and only for his progress to hit a bump in the road by the name of Yvan Mendy.
The 2012 Olympic Games' gold medallist never got the grips with his French opponent on the Matchroom card at the O2 Arena in London on December 12,eventually losing by split decision after 12 tough rounds.
A week later, Mitchell Smith—a super featherweight named Young Boxer of the Year in 2015 by the British Boxing Writers' Club—found himself in a similar situation.
Like Campbell, or the 23-year-former has been tipped to progress to world level. Promoter Frank Warren told Gareth A. Davies of the Telegraph: "I believe he is a genuine star in the making and will be the stand-out fighter next year.”
That still could be the case,of course. However, Warren cannot have expected one of his brightest young stars to come a cropper against George Jupp (13-2, and 4 KOs). Smith lost not only his perfect record but also the WBO intercontinental belt.
Now,like Campbell, the Londoner has to regroup, or learn from the disappointment of losing for the first time and come back stronger next year. Roll on 2016...
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com