Jamie McDonell vs. Nick Otieno & Nigel Wright vs. Nicki Smedley RBR

This is your Saturday boxing. :!:

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Smedley in his preliminary interview basically promised to do everything in his power to make this unexciting.

His 3 knockouts in 14 tries would confirm that he's not apt to go for the big finish.

 

Round 1

Wright keeps his right jab flying out in succession at Smedley uses some tricky footwork and a rubber neck to stay off its path while trying to counter with sporadic flurries on the turn. Wright can't find his left cross but diligently works the right jab anyway trying to set it up. A couple of body shots by Wright. Smedley's defense is sound but he simply isn't throwing enough back to preserve the round. More blows to the sides and back by Wright as he swarms in on a ducking Smedley. Clinch. Wright ducks a hooking shot by Smedley and digs his own to the body.

10-9 Wright

 

Round 2

Wright keeps the right jab working but reels it back responsibly to block Smedley's side-winding shots. Good sequence by Wright, backing Smedley to the ropes with a doubled up 1-2 - but the Sheffield man was able to roll with the lefts without taking too much damage. More eel imitation by Smedley as he clings to the ropes and plays keepaway. Wright keeps pressuring, throwing twos and threes and getting clinched up as his momentum drags him into the coiled and waiting challenger. More slick upper body movement by Smedley on the outside now. Clinch again when Wright begins to mount an attack. Wright lands a pair of lunging jabs as Smedley is leaning back.

20-18 Wright

 

Round 3

Wild flurries from around the side from Smedley, who is alternating between orthodox and southpaw but not really changing his tactics much either way. Wright now stands in and tries to fix straight right jabs and chopping lefts on the elusive younger man. Smedley is able to bang him with a few stray knuckles from odd angles off the slips. Wright not scoring much now, either missing or hitting bicep. Smedley is still not putting many punches together but his few are now outnumbering Wright's. Ooh, cracking right-left to the face by Wright up close as Smedley is pulling himself outside. Smedley lands a couple more of his own awkward bombs from around side.

29-28 NW

 

Round 4

Wright is jabbing straight and true, keeping his gaze squarely on the bouncing ball of Smedley's head. Smedley catches him coming in with a couple of high looping rights hooking in from around the side as Wright comes in straight on. Wright has a cut on the bridge of his nose, probably from one of those hooking rights. Wright is chopping his way in behind the right jab persistently and is able to drop some left straights and uppercuts to the body.

39-37 NW

 

Round 5

Wright is advancing just enough to get Smedley to throw lead rights at him, spotting them and moving aside, and then launching his own straight shots as Smedley resets. Smedley has just enough reflexive speed to not get caught flush but Wright is glancing him and making better contact than Smedley is with anything he's offering. Wright doubles the jab as swiftly as he's able and keeps Smedley backing up, often very nearly into the path of one of his follow-up left crosses.

49-46 NW

 

Round 6

Smedley begins as a lefty and is able to launch some solid lefts out of the sling-at-the-side stance as Wright comes straight at him. Smedley dances around on his toes on the outside as Wright pursues relentlessly. Wright is pumping his way in but getting grabbed as Smedley dips his knees and flings his low-held arms about the waist. Solid right jab to the face by Wright. Overhand left and right hook to the body by Wright before clinched again. Wright is the only one landing between the clinches. Another solid right jab to the face as Smedley tries to slip but is lacking some of his earlier speed and lithe fluidity. Awful lot of clinching.

10-9 Wright, and 59-55

 

Round 7

Wright is unyielding with the jab, taking some flush left uppercuts without blinking as he keeps his fists tethered to the skull of Smedley despite all the evasive maneuvers and spoiling. He's typically landing a jab, missing the left cross or having it rolled away from as it tickles Smedley, and then landing another jab behind it as Smedley is pulling up blind from a duck. Smedley catches him with a very solid right and doesn't slow him down. Again Smedley shimmies past a Wright 1-2 and lands hard on his jaw but without effect.

10-9 Smedley

68-65 Wright

 

Round 8

Smedley is getting jabbed in the face and ducking in with open arms to clinch. Chopping left to the face by Wright, now some body shots. Smedley responds after breaking out of his own clinch with a hard right uppercut to the chest. More wrestling. Wright lands his typical "combo", the sudden jab catching Smedley in the face and surprising him but the left sailing over his head as the younger man adjusts and reacts. Wright has a jab sidestepped and takes a crunching 1-2 bang on the nose. More wrestling. Smedley counters with a left hook over a Wright jab.

77-75

 

Round 9

Wright thrusts his jab and takes the right shoulder of Smedley on the lip as he's enveloped by the long arms of the challenger. Smedley is keeping him tangled. Wright misses a jab but lands his left as an uppercut once they come together. Smedley throwing very little now. Smedley is slipping shots with his hands down, and throws a big lead uppercut as he yo-yos in. Wright seems to have accepted the fact that infighting will be ugly by necessity and is barging in, using his strength to keep Smedley from completely tying up both arms at once and hitting with whichever is free.

10-9 Wright

87-84 Wright

 

Round 10

Wright walks into a couple of big bombs from the hip. He was momentarily stunned but grins...no loss of firmness in his legs. Hard right jabs to the face by Wright. He carries himself forward with a left cross and is countered hard with a looping right that turns his head, but is landing the jab regularly as in the earlier rounds. Smedley has landed well a few times this round but is mostly tying up or shrinking away to the ropes while Wright pours on jabs to the face and body shots. Wright jabs in and accidentally deflects a poorly timed left by Smedley. Big right uppercut by Smedley just before the bell.

4-5 good punches didn't win him the round - even if they had, it wasn't enough to win him the decision on my card.

10-9 Wright

97-93

 

Official cards:

Howard Foster 97-93
Steve Gray 97-94
Mark Green 99-92

...and STILL the English light welterweight champion, Nigel Wright

 

Wright says he felt sharp, and wants Anthony Crolla next.

 

Otieno is in the ring wearing his Kenyan flag as a cloak.

Here comes McDonnell to The Killers and a venue-wide light show.