Champ Troy baffled by Chapman draw
Mr Churchill declares draw. Pic: Steve Webb
IT was honours even for Troy Coleman and Robbie Chapman on BCB Promotions “No Backing Down” bill at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, writes PAUL WEBB.
Referee Ryan Churchill was unable to split the pair at the end of four rounds, scoring 38-38. That decision surprised the crowd and media at ringside. Whilst the fight lacked any standout moments, the result came as a complete shock to Coleman's corner.
They thought the Midlands middleweight champ had won every one of the non title battle. After a steady opener, the Burntwood man boxed patiently, flicking out the jab and landing single shots against the defensive-minded Chapman.
The pace of the fight slowed in the third, arguably Chapman's best round, but he wasn't landing anything of serious note. At the final bell, Coleman's corner looked confident of victory but instead had to settle for the draw, much to his frustration. There are plenty of big fights available for Troy, who notched up his first draw in 17 bouts (three losses), and he will have to bounce back from this disappointment.
Chalk Farm’s Chapman is now 13-45-9.
Headlining for the first time in his home city, Nico Ogbeide (5-0-1) remained unbeaten with a clinical four rounder against Liam Fitzmaurice, 40-36. The “Alchemist” has been mandated for the Midlands Area Title and now believes he is ready to make the step up. The Birmingham-born talent kept the fight at range throughout and showed a maturity in not allowing it to become scrappy on the inside.
Jamie Edwards (2-0-1) looked sensational, blowing away the normally durable Simas Volosinas inside two rounds. A series of sickening body shots did the damage in round two, with the Lithuanian touching the canvas three times before the referee rightly waved the fight off. Edwards has been out of the ring for over a year but showed zero signs of ring rust and has well and truly got his young career back on track.
Hamza Azeem…showed improvement
Hamza Azeem (8-0) put in a determined performance against the game Shane Smith, taking a shutout 60-54 points decision. The “King” had been battling an illness that almost saw him pull out of the fight, but he showed little signs of frailty, dominating the action from start to finish. A rematch of their clash in 2024, the improvements were clear to see as the rangy southpaw boxed smartly throughout, deservedly taking the one-sided win.
Northampton's Yahya Abdullah (3-0) got off to a lightning-fast start, dropping Juan Alberto Batista twice in the first round of the night's opening bout. Now unbeaten in three, Abdullah continues to impress with his punch variety and hand speed, troubling Batista numerous times with the overhand right. The tough Argentinian did well to compose himself and managed to see the remaining three rounds out, with Abdullah taking a 40-34 points decision.