Morris shows venom in quick-fire victory
Lewis Morris celebrates last night’s success with Carter (left)
WOLVERHAMPTON trainer Richard Carter deserves applause for re-styling, re-invigorating and re-galvanising Lewis Morris following his first pro defeat.
I’ll shy away from “re-inventing”, but at The Hangar, Wolverhampton, last night (Friday) Morris looked a very different beast from the one outpointed by Tatenda Mangombe in June.
The punch picking and patience that cost Morris over the four round distance last time out was replaced by a marauding approach.
Opponent Ricky Starkey protested, but was simply blown away in three. The Liverpool feather, who ended with blood streaming from his nose, could not cope with the speed, firepower and fury of the Walsall 21-year-old. While it lasted, he hit the deck four times.
Morris, tall and lean, is an ambitious young boxer with forthright views. Articulate, he interviews well.
“I needed that,” he told me immediately after the carnage. “The last one was, I was trying to be too clever. I landed the cleaner shots, he won it on workrate.”
Morris still believes he should’ve been declared winner over Mangombe: he and I will have to agree to differ. Yes, he landed the better punches and, over a longer distance, would’ve probably broken down the African. In my book, he simply didn’t throw enough of them.
He now craves a contest on a major televised show and I believe, though there’s been no official confirmation, negotiations are taking place to match Morris with undefeated Welshman Brandon Scott.
He shares local rivalry with big-punching Nyall Berry and has been accused by the Birmingham boxer of swerving a mouth-watering meeting between the pair.
“I know you’ve written about Nyall Berry,” said Morris. “That fight will happen, but it will happen when I’m ready, when I want it to happen. He’s a good, strong fighter, but I’m not scared of him.”
Against Starkey, who sports a 2-29-2 record, Lewis bristled bad intent from the get go, stalking his opponent and unleashing whiplash punches.
A right downstairs dropped Starkey (9st 1lb 6oz) in the second and he scrambled to his feet claiming the blow was low. It wasn’t.
Outworked and outgunned, the writing was on the wall for the visitor. He was down three times in the third, two rapid-fire right hands dropping Ricky before Morris (9st 3lbs) closed the show with a left hook, referee Peter McCormack ending the slaughter at two minutes three seconds.
Coach Carter told me afterwards: “Lewis is so much more powerful when he’s on the front foot.”
Morris is back in business and hungry for a bigger stage.