Another hard night for bomber Jones
Jones and iron-man Budera embrace. Picture: Jack Perry
THERE’S no doubt Troy Jones – a fighter who appears to want to render the opposition unconscious with every blow – brings entertainment to the ring. And then some.
The Birmingham bomber hungers to go to war. It’s a part of his boxing DNA and will take some shifting.
The 25-year-old light-heavy is also an immensely likeable character, with a personality as big as the left hooks he delivers.
On BCB’s Friday night bill at Edgbaston’s H Suite, Troy again went to the well five months after his gruelling victory over dangerous Michal Ludwiczak.
This time another rugged East European, the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Budera, withstood what Jones threw – and he threw plenty – and doggedly fought back.
He made the local hope – now unbeaten in nine – graft for every minute of his six round, 59-55 points win on referee Ryan Churchill’s card.
Budera’s modest 18-37-2 record masks a very tough individual who has faced sturdy opposition and pulled off the occasional upset.
Gashed by the corner of the left eye from the second, he withstood clumping shots, particularly to the body, and always looked to hit back.
The assignments are undoubtedly getting tougher for Troy as he closes in on title fights.
“He’s been in with top lads,” Jones said afterwards. “I was a bit fatigued from the second and fought his fight.
“But I got the cobwebs off and kept going to the end. I’m passing test now that fighters don’t usually get at this stage of their career and I’ll benefit from that when I step up.”
You can pick over technical points, but there’s no denying Jones (12st 10lbs 8oz) is exciting. Early doors, he worked Budera’s flank like a tree surgeon hacking at the trunk of a mighty oak.
Budera (12st 10lbs) absorbed the punishment and fought back. Jones, bleeding from the nose, attempted to keep it long in the fourth and my notes state: “Troy looking tired.”
He did drill his opponent with one big right, however, and dug deep to rally at the end of the fifth.
He drove himself forward in the last to seal a hard earned win.
With five inside wins, we’ve known for some time that Jones can bang. Now we know he’s got the bottle needed by champions.