Kaisee well below best at Excelsior
Kaisee Benjamin…points win, but below par
FORMER British title challenger Kaisee Benjamin was subdued and sombre in the dressing room following last night’s main event at the Excelsior Sporting Club, Cannock.
The mood and mannerisms were that of a loser. The few words were self critical. Back-slapping had been put on the back-burner.
And rightly so. Birmingham’s Benjamin may have won, but he laboured against Bulgarian Petar Alexandrov, a regular, rugged visitor to West Midlands venues.
The 28-year-old won his main event on Scott Murray’s St Andrew’s Night show at The Premier Suite handily enough.
But it was a tepid, one paced and, at times, a messy display. Alexandrov even took a session on referee Pete McCormack’s 59-55 card after six rounds that were one paced. I had Kaisee winning them all, but that’s immaterial.
The fight was dull, to be frank.
Kaisee (10st 7lbs 7oz), a contender who carries ferocious fire-power and has lost only three of 21, is much, much better than that performance. He knows it, those around him know it.
Benjamin waits for the ref to raise his hand
In the ring after the decision was announced, TV pundit Steve Bunce spoke about the importance of getting rounds in and Alexandrov’s toughness, but that doesn’t wash with this writer.
I don’t believe it washes with Benjamin, either.
Alexandrov (10st 9lbs 8oz) has fallen short against such novice pros as Jake Melvin, Liam Gould, Danny Costello and Connor Goodchild. Zach Evans even forced him to retire after two rounds.
Benjamin could’ve dazzled against the east European, he could’ve scored a spectacular stoppage.
Instead he, at times, appeared to be going through the motions – and that gave Alexandrov ambition.
“That wasn’t the way I wanted it to be,” Benjamin admitted afterwards. “I need to be more active and I need to keep my weight down. I was at my best when I signed for Hennessy Sports and was fighting regularly on TV.”
Last night, Benjamin looked a shadow of that dangerous, marauding fighter.
In the dressing room. trainer Paul “Soggy” Counihan was – despite Christmas approaching – in no mood to dispense comfort and joy.
“He didn’t do the weight properly,” he said. “You want the truth, you want honesty? He did the weight terribly, that’s the reason.”
That goes some way to explaining a bad day at the office.
Benjamin, switch-hitting, stalked in the first and landed two rights to the body in the second. He appeared poised to glide through the gears, yet became drawn into a messy third – and Alexandrov was having some success with cuffing punches.
Alexandrov fired back in the fourth, was forced to the ropes in the fifth and took an eye-catching double right hook to head and body. Benjamin kept his opponent on the end of his jab in the last.
Benjamin failed to shine. That is not a disaster.
But last night was among a number of performances I’ve witnessed where Kaisee has appeared to coast, where he’s failed to show the urgency fans want to see.
He has KO power, a rock solid chin, good engine and lightning reflexes, yet that laid-back approach in the ring may haunt him.