Landslide points win for Cannock’s Ollie
Ollie Cooper…indulged in a bit of Baltic bomb disposal
TALL Cannock middle Ollie Cooper continued his ring education with overwhelming four rounds points victory over Genadij Krajevski at Wolverhampton’s Hangar venue last night (Friday).
The Lithuanian dubs himself The Baltic Bomber, but has consistently proved something of a damp quib in the pro ranks.
His loss to well supported southpaw Ollie over four rounds on the BCB bill was his 51st on the spin. Krajevski has yet to have his hand raised in victory as a pro.
He spent much of the contest against 22-year-old Cooper – having his first fight in a year - against the ropes. Ollie (12st 4lb 8oz) lined him up with jabs then drove vicious rights and lefts to the body.
It was one-way traffic: Cooper, who has now won all five pro outings, pitching and Krajevski catching.
I felt Cooper, after dominating the first two sessions, eased his foot off the pedal from the third. He seemed to know Krajevski (12st 12lb 4oz) wasn’t going anywhere and adjusted his tactics accordingly.
He walked the Eastern European down and continued to work the body. Krajevski beckoned his opponent on, Cooper ignored the antics and stuck to the job at hand. The 40-36 scoreline was a formality.
Cooper, I sensed, was content to get rounds in the bag.
The 6ft 4ins fighter, trained by Richie Carter, looks a useful newcomer. A step-up to six round level beckons.
In an interview before the contest, he said: “I’ve been back in the gym since January, I can feel the fire in my belly again and I’m training 10 times harder now than I was before.
“It was hard, at first, coming back, particularly when it came to competitive sparring against good lads. I’m moving around fine now, though, and the sharpness is there.
“I’ve only done four-rounders, so I need to pick up another win and get back out, in June, for a six-rounder. I’m aiming to go for the Midlands title, at middleweight, by the end of the year.
“I haven’t lost a round yet in the pro game, and I think that I’ve taken to it pretty well. I just want to keep moving up and see where I can go with it.”
A much busier schedule awaits Ollie. He’s scheduled to fight at the Excelsior Sporting Club, in his home town, on June 22.