Boxing: Strange turn of events at Doncaster Dome

Three of the region's boxers had early nights on Saturday but Dave Coldwell had a busier one than he could have anticipated.
Josh WaleJosh Wale
Josh Wale

Coldwell had been set for a watching brief at the Doncaster Dome as the manager of light-middleweight Jayce Dixon but with the trainer of the Sheffield novice going AWOL, Coldwell had to take up cornering duties.

Seemingly unaffected by the chaos, Dixon scored a first round knockdown of opponent Paul O’Brien from Hull before eventually settling for a 40-36 win.

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Coldwell was back in the crowd to oversee his man Lee Appleyard score one of three stoppages on the Stefy Bull promotion.

Rotherham’s tall lightweight Appleyard took out Croatian Antonio Horvatic in the second round to claim the International Challenge belt.

Barnsley men Josh Wale and Robbie Barrett also took out opponents inside the distance.

Super-bantamweight Wale walked through the challenge of Latvian Dmitrijs Gutmans – a round quicker than potential Sheffield rival Muheeb Fazeldin could manage.

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The experienced Wale sent Gutmans over in the first 10 seconds with an almighty right hook.

The away man did well to get up from it but two-time British title challenger Wale ended his resilience with a devastating combo to finish the fight at just 2.29.

Lightweight Barrett took longer than Wale but his first ever stoppage will taste just as sweet.

The southpaw, who holds the Central Area belt, decked Newark’s Adam Kettleborough in the opening blows of the sixth round of their scheduled eight.

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Kettleborough was unsteady when he got to his feet and Barrett waded in to force referee Mark Lyson into calling the contest off.

There was a long trip home for duo Lee Gibbons and Nathan Hardy who both lost in Weston-super-Mare.

Barnsley light-welter Gibbons was stopped in the second round of his contest against Bristol’s Kane Stewart for the British Challenge belt.

Middleweight Hardy, from Sheffield, went down 40-36 against Cardiff debutant JJ Evans.