Boxing

HARLEM EUBANK will be desperate to make his legendary uncle Chris proud as he is taking on French start Nurali Erdogan RIGHT NOW!Eubank captured public attention during his last fight when he stopped Timo Schwarzkopf in front of a televised audience with over two million viewers.And a win at the top of tonight’s rescheduled bill would stretch his record to 19-0-0, as well as strengthen his chances at a world title shot.But before the main event, there is a blockbuster undercard for boxing lovers to sink their teeth into.Main event ring-walk time: 10:45pm GMTFREE live stream: My5TV channel: Channel 5CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSFollow ALL the action from the Walker Dome with our live blog below…Eubank vs. Erdogan R7The pair take a tumble, their third of the contest early in this seventh… Erdogan complains to the official, but his protests fall under deaf ears as the visitor knows he must press now more than before.Another good left hook buzzes Harlem after some disguised body punching, the Brighton man gets his final warning and dodges a wild haymaker in the corner with 20 seconds remaining on the clock.As they head back to their respective corners, Harlem appears to be cut around his right eye after an accidental head clash. Not a good sight for an ambitious boxer increasingly desperate for activity.Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R6Erdogan gets, what appears to be a final warning (how many is that?) from the referee before Harlem is stung again by the left hook and needs to improve what feels like increasingly intermittent attacks right now, should this go to a decision. Hmmm… perhaps hold that thought! The referee has eventually seen enough and stops them in centre ring, deducts a point from Erdogan gesticulating excessive holding and pushing.If this scrappy-but-competitive fight was close on the scorecards before this round, it isn’t any longer. See how quickly things can change, just like that..Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R5I mean, what do you say about another iffy round like this? Harlem eats a perfectly-placed left hook with 30 seconds left and, having seemingly controlled large periods of this stanza with movement aplenty, probably lost it right there. I’d have it 3-2 either way through five rounds, depending on what you prefer to see when judging.Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R4″Harlem needs to stay smart and stop trying to wrestle,” is the commentary’s analysis through nine minutes and well, they’re not wrong. He’s best at middle distance, with some separation and is able to chain attacks together, rather than trying to outmuscle a naturally bigger man. Erdogan connects on a right, just as we hear a background story about a coach pinpointing the left hook as Harlem’s area of defensive weakness.Eubank lands single shots up close but that’s merely empowering his French opponent to fire back just as fiercely, another close round for judges to score.Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R3Harlem being told again, don’t use the elbow when you’re looking to land in the clinch. Erdogan lectured about using his head, not much in the way of noteworthy work despite both swinging wildly.Eubank pops Erdogan with a deft jab, having dug two body shots moments prior, but in the final half-minute of another exhausting round, the visitor has the last laugh with a shot connecting after the bell.Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R2Erdogan trying to follow Eubank, apply pressure… as viewers are reminded that a point deduction could prove decisive, especially over an eight-round bout. Harlem is lectured again, the referee almost pleading with them both to tidy it up, Eubank connects on a series of body shots which make the Frenchman instinctively adjust his shorts – he certainly felt that – more rough-housing to finish another competitive round. How do you score this?Copy linkCopiedEubank vs. Erdogan R1″Erdogan looks so big compared to Eubank,” is an early observation from Barry Jones on comms. We’ll see how the physical discrepancies between them play out, the longer this goes. “Punch out!” bellows the official after some rather scrappy exchanges … the referee separates them on more than one occasion in centre ring, before reading them the riot act with half-a-minute left.”Keep punching and holding, I’ll take a point off,” Harlem is told. How will that impact his tactics here?Underwhelming stanza, tidy it up is the command as the pair return to their respective corners. Hmmm..Copy linkCopiedRight on cue, here they are!Erdogan wastes no time with his ringwalk, sporting a slick Lyon strip as he strides in… while Harlem is wearing a shirt remembering cousin Sebastian, who died aged just 29 after a heart attack three years ago.England vs. France was the tagline I heard minutes ago and considering Erdogan has been announced as the country’s former welterweight champion across the Channel, it makes sense. Copy linkCopiedA recap of tonight’s fights, so far…Sunderland super-featherweight Eduard Georgiev got us started on this 12-fight card with a R1 KO win over Jack England, while there were a whopping seven decision victories – impressive nods for Niall Brown, Sophie Alisch and Joe Laws’ emotional return after older brother Jason tragically died in a Newcastle explosion last month.J’Hon Ingram was successful on his UK debut, Codie Smith got back to winning ways while Robert Lloyd-Taylor Junior was perhaps a touch fortunate to stay unbeaten. Lee Rogers moved to 2-0 at Yin Caicedo’s expense, while Ben Marksby and Dan Toward’s TKO victories have energised a crowd starting to get a bit restless waiting for ringwalks…Copy linkCopiedMain event klaxon!The PA interrupts a *very* loud musical intermission to urge fans to find their seats again quickly, as the Channel 5 broadcast portion of tonight’s busy card is minutes away from starting now… where Harlem Eubank will box France’s Nurali Erdogan shortly. Ready? Not before some Sweet Caroline, of course.Copy linkCopiedUK light-middleweights, beware…Toward said all the right things after an impressive display and eventual stoppage victory against a relative unknown, even if Nova ultimately showed himself to be a few levels below him. The visitor looked wild and reckless at times, unable to box well off the back foot in other stages while Toward picked his shots nicely.Much like the welterweight division discussed earlier, there’s an opening at 154lbs right now – highly-touted prospects mixing with a more experienced crop domestically but Toward will back himself to keep improving against tougher oppposition going forward.Copy linkCopiedToward drops, stops Nova in six!”There’s no crowd like a Geordie one, I’m looking to bring big-time boxing back to the North East,” Dan Toward tells Dave Farrar ringside before outlining an ambitious goal: fight for a world title at St. James’ Park, where the city’s beloved football club play.Coldwell speaks passionately about his charge shortly afterwards, praising the determined mentality Toward displayed after three knockdowns.The first was heavy as Nova did well to survive danger, second looked ominous and it was merely a matter of time once he found his footing early. Copy linkCopiedToward in total controlThe Dave Coldwell-trained talent has flown out of the blocks to start this, scoring a second-round knockdown with a left hand as the visitor doesn’t only bite on every feint in his direction … he also has failed to establish any respect for his punch power and is being peppered by the same shots, lefts and around the midsection right now. Rough!Copy linkCopiedToward-Nova up next…Whenever there’s a delay between respective ringwalks before a fight like this, there’s usually a reason. Gateshead’s Dan Toward (4-0, 3 KOs) gets a warm welcome ahead of what is a seriously stiff test – at least on paper – up against Colombia’s Johan Nova (9-1, 7 KOs).Toward, a skilled 23-year-old southpaw with an esteemed amateur background and previously part of Team GB, will fancy this. Two fights before the main event, on home soil, not a bad card slot ey?Copy linkCopiedBrown brilliant, wins six-rounderI looked away for a moment and initially, it looked like coach Pat Barrett and team were congratulating their charge on a stoppage win… instead a 60-54 points win will do just nicely for the super-middleweight, who has certainly impressed world champion boxer-turned-analyst Barry Jones on commentary and others besides.He speaks briefly ringside, talking about how pleased he was to showcase the developments he’s made in the gym. Says it’s a complement people don’t know he was an amateur, having built up situational composure in-front of crowds through Muay Thai.So then after an impressive showing like that, what’s next? “It’s up to Wasserman, I’d be interested in titles towards the end of next year,” he says as Barrett hails his pupil’s brilliant boxing IQ and says it’s a throwback to old 1980s fighters, dominating behind the jab.Copy linkCopiedBrown being the bully…Stockport’s Niall Brown is in the ring right now, chaining together combinations and vicious uppercuts against Spain’s Pablo Sosa in a way that makes you feel like he can finish the job anytime he pleases.The 27-year-old super-middleweight is boxing against an opponent with a positive win-loss record for the first time through 13 bouts, mind… can he sustain this tempo over eight rounds? Into the fourth.Copy linkCopiedRogers rockets forward!Another home hopeful has produced a morale-boosting victory to warm the Newcastle crowd at the Walker Activity Dome tonight, this time Lee Rogers earning a 40-37 victory over four rounds against Colombian journeyman Yin Caicedo. The 21-year-old super-bantamweight talent made his debut half-an-hour away in Houghton-le-Spring and will be hoping for more successful nights like these as he builds momentum in future.Copy linkCopiedMarksby’s momentDarlington resident Ben Marksby picked the right night to score his first stoppage win of a three-year pro career, stopping Levi Kinsiona with a startling counter right hand in the second-round of their light-welterweight contest elsewhere on this busy undercard.Still only 25, he and his coaches won’t need telling: the 140lb division is increasingly up for grabs in the UK with the Jack Catterall, Adam Azim and Dalton Smith trio firmly focused on world level opposition.Copy linkCopiedHarlem shakeHarlem Eubank is looking to shake the room once again and dismantle his French opponent Nurali Erdogan.The fans simply cannot wait for this one!Credit: GettyCopy linkCopiedPattinson’s huge returnElsewhere later on tonight to look forward to… Newcastle welterweight Cyrus Pattinson ends a 15-month layoff, one he thought a serious eye injury could spell retirement, against Estonian-born Russian hopeful Andrei Antonov.In an exclusive interview he did on the eve of this return, Pattinson put things into perspective with Sky’s John DennenPattinson said:” Boxing, training and exercise has been a massive thing for me all my life. When that’s taken away… It’s like a car without wheels. A massive part of my identity, this [recovery] has been the hardest fight of my life, it feels like my debut all over again.”Pattinson alternated wins and losses last year against Chris Jenkins and an inspired Conah Walker showing so while this is a relatively light touch on his return, a statement showing could move the needle.Copy linkCopiedIngram’s interesting storyI’ve seen a lot of love for US hopeful J’Hon Ingram in videos and general media this week, an unknown quantity on these shores considering he hasn’t really kicked on since his pro debut in February 2022.That’s in part due to an inactive spell under the Floyd Mayweather Promotions banner that has reached its conclusion as well as a co-promotional deal with Misfits granting him permission to box tonight. Given they’re different disciplines in the same field, surely it’d make sense to stick to one?24 and the latest making their maiden appearance across the pond, he went the six-round distance (60-54) against Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira, another former Barney-Smith opponent. One to monitor, even if the jury’s still out…Copy linkCopiedLaw of attractionAfter a three-round slobberknocker against Stephen McKenna in August, this was an emotional return closer to home comforts for fan-friendly underdog Joe Laws.If you didn’t have the pleasure of witnessing this live, go spend ten minutes doing so! It was the sort of back-and-forth which just reinforces how brutally brilliant our sport is, no matter the level.Anyway I digress, Laws logged a 60-55 victory over Adam Cieslak here and the Benwell Bomber will only hope exposure on a Channel 5 show – even if not featuring on the televised portion – stands him in good stead for more lucrative domestic offers.Copy linkCopiedTaylor madeEaling-born welterweight Robert Lloyd-Taylor Jr snatched a 39-37 win over four rounds against stern opposition in the form of 54-fight pro Robin Zamora.Keeping in theme with Nicaraguan talents, the 26-year-old was good value for an upset victory and that would’ve been the first since this time twelve months ago against Dylan Cheema on a BOXXER show. Wake-up call for the 22-year-old, but will he take heed as tests gradually stiffen?Copy linkCopiedSuper SmithAfter an eye-opening draw over six rounds against Darryl Tapfuma in Bolton last December, where he had to climb off the canvas in round four, super-featherweight talent Codie Smith got the job done with another decision win – His fourth in the pro ranks – at the expense of Nicaraguan journeyman Engel Gomez, who boxed Royston Barney-Smith and Cameron Vuong in the back end of last year.The Yorkshireman is still a way off those two surging super-featherweights at domestic level with rival promotions, but shaking off ring rust before Christmas is never a bad thing.Copy linkCopiedWelcome to Harlem Eubank vs Nural ErdoganThere just is something special about Friday night boxing, isn’t there? Tonight promises to be an intriguing watch across multiple divisions, headlined by Harlem Eubank’s welterweight foray as the Brighton boxer targets a big 2025 at world level.That’s at least three hours away though, and we’ve had a series of undercard boxers in action already tonight.Unbeaten German featherweight Sophie Alisch, rated highly by the Wasserman decision-makers, ended a 20-month layoff with a UD6 victory over Marina Sakharov earlier on.Copy linkCopied More