River serves up real thriller in home city

Wilson-Bent and Smith have their hands raised after a war

RIVER Wilson-Bent encountered choppy waters at Coventry’s Skydome, getting drawn into a draining slugging match against novice Sam Smith.

It was the best fight by a sea mile on GBM’s Saturday show and at the end of a free swinging eight-rounder, referee Ryan Churchill couldn’t separate the pair, scoring 76-76.

That seemed harsh on Coventry’s River who I had two rounds up at the end. To a degree, the 30-year-old former Midlands champ made it far more difficult than it needed to be. His left jab at times snapped Smith’s head back spectacularly, yet River became embroiled in Smith’s fight.

And after such a gritty stand, it seems harsh to deprive the Cornish fighter of his best result to date. Both landed big blows, both were rocked, both showed the marks of a breath-taking battle.

Billed out of Bodmin Moor, Smith was a beast, tough as boot leather. Tall and sinewy, he was no Cornish pasty.

Smith fought with a rawness that suggested someone had trudged on the moors, located its hardest inhabitant and asked: “Fancy a fight in Coventry tonight – we’ll pay?”

With only two bouts to his name (both wins), facing Wilson-Bent – a fighter who has tussled with such top operators as Hamzah Sheeraz, Ryan Kelly and Ammo Williams in a 21 bout career – seemed a very tall order.

Yet he fought like a man who simply refused to lose, who didn’t know how to lose.

Smith would be rocked and appear on the brink of being overwhelmed, then deliver his own clubbing right hand.

River, both brows swollen, said afterwards: “I didn’t expect that from him.” No one did.

For long periods, it was a battle of right hands and Smith was momentarily frozen by one in the fourth.

It seemed River was finally softening up his stubborn opponent in the fifth, only to have his advance stalled by a left hook.

Tellingly, Wilson-Bent showed what was needed in the seventh when thudding left leads sent Smith’s head back on his shoulders.

Still the visitor refused to be subdued and in the final round, with an ugly, purple welt under his left eye, Smith uncorked a left hook that, for a split second, scrambled River. The pair then slugged it out until the final bell.

As a bout, it was short on sweet science, but the pure savagery made it a Midlands fight of the year contender.