Ollie comes of age in Midlands title classic

Cooper has O’Hare covering-up. Pic: Manjit Narotra/BCB Promotions

OLLIE Cooper came of age as a fighter last night, his rite of passage sealed by a fabulous, frantic and ferocious Midlands super-middleweight title victory.

Just as it appeared Cooper’s strength and stamina was draining from his long body, the Cannock boxer found the big punches to halt immensely brave champion Liam O’Hare in the sixth.

At the exclusive Excelsior Sporting Club, in Ollie’s hometown, the 24-year-old did what champions do. He found a way to pull the fat out of the fire.

With O’Hare taking a stream of heavy, unanswered punches in a neutral corner, referee Chris Dean waved the epic off at two minutes 16 seconds just as the towel was flung into the ring.

There were worrying moments as Hereford’s O’Hare slumped to the canvas immediately after the stoppage. But he recovered quickly, congratulated the victor and left the ring unaided.

The Excelsior’s annual St Andrew’s Night bill – a tinsel and tartan extravaganza of bagpipes and whisky tasting – began with the traditional “addressing the haggis” ceremony.

In a thrilling battle of unbeatens, Cooper addressed the doubts surrounding his career. At the forefront of those was: had he the old-fashioned bottle to prevail in a dogfight.

O’Hare, beaten for the first time in 11 outings, dragged the new champ into the trenches.

As Cooper said afterwards: “I knew he was going to put the pressure on, but he put it on 10 times more than we expected him to.”

That was 28-year-old O’Hare’s tactic from the start: keep throwing, keep pressing until his opponent melted under the heat.

It came fairly close to reaping rewards. Southpaw Cooper looked fatigued in the fifth and I felt O’Hare was poised to take over.

But to apply the high-intensity, relentless pressure O’Hare banked on, you need better head movement and better footwork than he showed in the scheduled 10 rounder. Cooper’s pot-shotting was also pin-sharp.

As trainer Richard Carter said afterwards: “The precision punching was better than from anyone I’ve ever seen.”

O’Hare expected to wade through flak, but took too many big shots cleanly. Flush punches such as the ones he absorbed take their toll – even on someone as courageous as Liam.

As he chased and harried in the sixth, Cooper connected with a left hand down the pipe to send him careering into the ropes.

After a standing eight count, Ollie unleashed a withering barrage until his opponent could take no more.

Cooper’s manager, Errol Johnson, felt the fight should’ve been stopped sooner. With O’Hare enjoying his best moment, having previously shrugged off big blows and, according to his Eastside team, ahead on points, giving him the opportunity to survive another storm of leather was understandable.

Afterall, Cooper, who stretched his winning run to nine, had bossed the early rounds and he’d come through it – at a price. Ollie connected with right jabs and hooks in the first, stiffened O’Hare’s legs with two straight lefts in the second and landed a sweeping uppercut.

O’Hare, bleeding from the mouth, almost touched down after taking a left in the fourth, yet recovered to force his opponent back.

My notes for the fifth state, “first real successes for O’Hare” as he landed short punches to head and body.

Belters…Carter, Cooper and Andy Owens

Cooper was on the retreat – then found the one punch to dramatically end the war of attrition and provide Richard Carter’s Wolverhampton gym with another memorable night.

Carter’s pre-fight prediction proved spot on. He said Cooper needed an opponent of O’Hare’s quality to bring out the best in him. He was better than I’d seen him before.

“I believe in Ollie and his ability,” Carter said. “You saw last night he landed every shot in the book, they were top notch.

“He is going to be a damn good fighter. The lad just needs pushing and the more we push, the better he will be.

“That kid is a talent, honest to God, he’s a talent. He can go as far as he wants to go. If he wants a British title, I truly believe he can win a British title.

“He caught Liam early and shook him up. The punches you take in those early rounds, the accumulation, they all build up. I’ve been there – as a boxer I know those shots disorientate you, then send you into a sort of auto-pilot.

“They all built up and led to the last big punch.

“Liam has a big heart and full respect to him. He ain’t no mug, his amateur and professional record show that. But what Ollie did last night was just class.”

Yes, Cooper oozed class, but O’Hare displayed courage above and beyond the call of duty.  And without detracting from a magnificent performance by the local lad, last night underlined the fact O’Hare is not a super-middle. The best in that division are big, towering individuals. Last night Liam didn’t even look a big middleweight and to continue to chance his arm at 12st would be foolhardy.

At 6ft 4ins tall, Cooper had the physical advantages. He is a super-middle and destined for greater opportunities in the division.

Both men scaled 11st 13lbs.