Boxing probe after Enzo controversy
Controversy is still being felt in the boxing world today after Shane McPhilbin had the British cruiserweight title ripped from him by Enzo Maccarinelli at Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
Controversy is still being felt in the boxing world today after Shane McPhilbin had the British cruiserweight title ripped from him by Enzo Maccarinelli at Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
McPhilbin, a 150-1 outsider to win in the first round last night, looked to have caused an upset when a right hand set up a thumping left hook, leaving Maccarinelli head first on the bottom rope.
Maccarinelli answered the count on unsteady legs and, after being cleared to continue, timekeeper Martin Fallon called for the bell to end the first round – with 47 SECONDS of the session left to run.
The British Boxing Board of Control today launched an investigation, steward David Roden declaring "we can't walk away from what has happened here."
The rest of the fight continued as scheduled but Maccarinelli again visited the canvas in the third round.
The Swansea man scored his own knockdown when put down McPhilbin in the 10th round. And he was the worthy winner, round to round, taking decisions of 115-111, 116-111 and 115-110 from the judges.
But no-one will ever know if the ex-WBO world and European title holder would have survived the onslaught if the first round had gone the right distance, on route to him lifting the British crown.
In the other title fight on the night, power beat skill and Dudley's Jason Welborn is still the Midlands welterweight champion after a career-best fifth round stoppage over Coventry's James Flinn.
Flinn relied on the boxing skills that had took him to Wales international honours and a national ABA senior semi-final as an amateur, but Welborn's strength told when the going got tough at the last.
A right hand from Welborn reduced to Flinn to his knees although the under-pressure fighter managed to dodge the ensuing onslaught before getting caught again with the same shot.
It was a blow the former English title challenger couldn't recover from and his hopes of making it big lie in tatters today, after the decisive moment two minutes and 13 seconds into round five.
Fighters put it all on the line all night long as there were also stoppage wins for Walsall's Martin Gethin, Birmingham's Thomas Costello, Dudley's Dean Anderson and Stourbridge's Steven Pearce.
Walsall's Christopher Keane, Stafford's Grant Cunningham, Brierley Hill's Kyle Spencer and Halesowen's Zak the Ripper – real name Saquib Amir – all scored points wins.
