Tollerton, Williams serve-up an epic

Williams and Tollerton embrace after their four round war

SELECT the best contests from any of the Rocky movie franchise, blend together the most savage moments from those bloody brawls and you are approaching the thrilling action that unfolded during DJ Tollerton’s epic victory over Danny Williams.

For raw, edge-of-the-seat excitement last night’s Planet Ice, Solihull, war cannot, surely, be beaten this year.

One of four, four rounders that made-up the first stage of Tommy Owens’ Top Boxer lightweight tournament, the pair simple swapped pain. They both wobbled before again wading into the fray.

Tall Tollerton, who emerged a 39-36 winner, will be thankful Tommy Owens’ competition, which carries a £6,000 first prize, was not played out in its entirety last night, as originally planned. Instead, the semi-finals will take place at a later date.

Frankly, the Lincoln 23-year-old, who suffered a gash over his right eye, had emptied the tank. I doubt there was anything left.

The sheer old fashioned “minerals” possessed by Hereford’s Williams was awe-inspiring. The 34-year-old, who lost for the first time in four outings, was dropped, frozen by left hooks on a number of occasions, yet fired back from the very brink of defeat to rock his opponent.

It was a contest best watched through a curtain of fingers.

Tollerton, now unbeaten in four, told me afterwards: “The fans liked it, but my trainer will have hated it. I kept on thinking, ‘he’s going, he’s going’ and then he’d come back.

“It just turned into a tear-up.”

It certainly did.

Williams came out swinging and drove Tollerton to the ropes, where he copped long right hands. The mayhem had begun and, throughout the unrelenting action, DJ’s left hooks to both head and body sent shockwaves through Danny.

My notes for the second state “great round”. Blood flowed down Tollerton’s face, yet he unleashed a left hook to drop Williams on his back.

Danny hauled himself up at eight and slung right hands back.

By the third, Williams looked out on his feet. A succession of rights bounced off his head, yet, just as he seemed set to crumble, Danny banged over a big right of his own.

It was akin to watching a John Wayne bar-room brawl.

In the last, Tollerton kept his fists churning, using his feet and landing light combinations until the final bell sounded. How the two warriors must’ve longed to hear that bell.