Ian Napa regaines title under Bizarre Circumstance
By Ian Dolan at ringside (Sept 22, 2007) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Jane Warburton/MMG)  
Local boy Ian Napa regained his British Bantamweight title in bizarre circumstances after Bristol ’s Lee Haskins retired on his stool at the end of the 7th round with a damaged shoulder. Haskins 8st 5¼ lbs started the brighter with a Naseem Hamed style hands down approach occasionally lunging in with big sweeping shots. The much shorter Napa 8st 5½ lbs started more conservatively, looking for an opportunity to get inside. Lee continued in the same vein in the 2nd but Ian frustrated his attempts to land a big one and there was a bit of ill tempered shoving at the end of the round. Both fighters had plenty of fans there and the
shenanigans brought them all to life. Haskins connected with a nice left hook in the 3rd but continued to miss with far more than he landed, despite taking the first couple of rounds. Napa started to make his presence felt into the 4th as he made himself busy on the inside while Haskins continued to swing and miss. The trend carried on into the 5th as Napa sent home some meaty hooks to the head as Lee continued to lunge in with only occasional success bringing Ian right back into the fight.

It looked, at first, to be more of the same in the 6th but Haskins’ low slung right arm was appearing less an less mobile and it became apparent that there was something seriously wrong with it. A doctor was called at the end of the 6th and permitted Haskins to continue, presumably taking into account that Napa had recorded just the single KO in his career. A lot of the Bristol fans were more than disgruntled that Lee’s bravery in wishing to continue could have put his health at risk and tuned on trainer Chris Sanigar. Haskins survived the round but Sanigar insisted that was enough despite the fact that Lee still wanted to fight on with just the one functioning arm. In the end, good sense prevailed and Haskins was withdrawn from the contest. It was a shame, not just because of the injury but because the fight had started to become an intriguing contrast of style. Surely a rematch beckons…..

Gary “Hot Stuff” Woolcombe 11st 1½ lbs continued on the comeback trail with an impressive stoppage win over
Doncaster ’s Jason Rushton 11st 1½ lbs. Fighting out of an upright stance with a high guard Woolcombe pressed from the opening bell, always searching for openings and jabbing well. In response Rushton was warned for two low blows. Gary landed a peach of a left hook in the 2nd and went flying in looking for an early finish but Jason covered up well and avoided being tagged with a finishing shot. In the 3rd and 4th Gary continued to come forward and kept looking for a big right hand to capitalise on his earlier good work. In the 5th Jason showed everybody he wasn’t here just to make up the numbers by planting a right hook onto Woolcombe’s jaw when Gary had eased off just a little. Woolcombe reasserted himself in the 6th with a straight right and right uppercut and then closed the show spectacularly with a beautiful left hook in the 7th that dropped Rushton hard in his corner. Jason beat the count but was on unsteady legs and it was a simple call for the ref to call a halt. Gary was made to work hard for his win but did everything that could have been asked and finished in style.

Doncaster’s well supported Jamie McDonnel 8st 8lbs looked good in earning a wide 80-73 verdict over The Ukraine’s Nikiti Lukin 8st 8½ lbs. McDonnel looks for all the world like an extra from Oliver Twist with his skinny torso and elbows thicker than his biceps, but he can fight. Lukin tried to bully him early on but he stood up to the assault and gradually started to pick his man off with hooks to the head and body along with more rangy shots from distance. Nikiti was briefly wobbled in the 7th but recovered quickly. He couldn’t throw enough to prevent Jamie from taking a comfortable points win however.

Most spectacular KO of the night belonged to Manchester ’s Craig Watson 10st 8 ¾ lbs who crunched Robert Lloyd Taylor 10st 8½ lbs from Hayes in just 37 seconds. A brutal left hook left Lloyd Taylor in a heap and brought back memories of Trevor Berbick as he got up once before stumbling to the canvas a second time. Thankfully Robert walked from the ring unaided a few minutes later. The fight was schedule for 6 rounds.

Elsewhere on the card saw Harrow’s Akaash Bhatia outwork France ’s Frederic Gosset in impressive fasion over 6 rounds to take a 60-54 verdict. There was also another Naseem Hamed tribute in the sahape of Finsbury Park ’s Yassine El Maachi, who sported the same leopard skin print shorts and even landed some similar looking uppercuts on Margate ’s Scott Woolford on his way to a 39-37 decision over four rounds.

It was a good show with plenty of action and, as ever, a lively York Hall crowd. A poignant touch from Promoter Frank Maloney as he remembered the recently murdered James Oyebola in his programme notes. Ex British heavyweight Champ James was shot and killed by some cowardly scumbags he had as asked them to extinguish a cigarette in a nightclub. He was by all accounts, and I mean all accounts, one of the good guys.






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