Caroline Dubois pummels Jessica Camara over two rounds, but is held to a technical draw after an accidental headbutt | Boxing news
Jessica Camara was brutally dismantled by Caroline Dubois but held to a technical draw when a fortuitous clash of heads ruled out the Canadian challenger.
Dubois retained the WBC world lightweight championship and will likely consider it a victory in all but name.
After being promoted from Inter to world champion, it was the first defense of the belt for Dubois. But she looked like a flawless champion from the first bell.
The southpaw from London attacked her challenger with ruthless efficiency. Dubois landed a hard and solid jab, then dropped Camaro with a vicious straight one-two early in the fight.
She finished with vicious left hooks and landed further punches as she hunted for an early finish.
Camara had to be high and firm on guard. But Dubois still broke her backhand with a left.
During the second round, Dubois kept Camara under pressure. The challenger was badly marked, her nose was damaged and a bad cut opened up.
Before the start of the third round, referee Kieran McCann ordered a time-out so the doctor could examine Camara. The Canadian was unable to continue, but after the referee ruled that the injury was caused by an accidental clash of heads, the fight ended in a technical draw.
Dubois dominated the contest for as long as it lasted and although she would not win, she retained the WBC world title.
“I don’t think she wanted it. I hit her with a straight right and knocked her down in the first round,” Dubois said afterward.
“I saw how her right eye was swollen and it was from the punch. With the cut, the blood wasn’t coming into her face, it was coming around the side of her face. I’m hitting her and maybe it’s splattering her face.
“She didn’t want to, man. The doctor was stopping her, or I was.”
Londoner Deevorn Miller began his planned eight-round s Scott Forrest brightly. He continued to pound frantically, pushing his way forward.
But Scotsman Forrest believed in his power and knocked Miller out for the first time in the first round with a counter right.
He rocked Miller again with a wide right hook, but the Londoner still fought back.
Forrest then had a devastating finish in the second round. Just as it looked like Forrest was getting some support against the ropes, he stopped Miller in his tracks with a flat left hook and then blasted him with a right.
Miller hit the canvas hard. He tried to right himself but crashed again and had to be stopped at 1-49 of the second round.
Sam Hickey he was in what should have been a tough contest for only his second pro fight. But the Scot made it look easy.
Feinting, he took a few moments to study Lewis Howellsan ambitious professional from Wales. He then attacked with electric speed.
The Dundee midfielder dropped Howells with a shaky right uppercut that landed brutally hard on the chin.
A brave Howells tried to fight back, but Hickey sent him back to the canvas twice more, while left hooks to the body knocked him out. Howells fought upright to beat those numbers, but had to be taken out with another left in the first round.
Billy Deniz came through an all-action eight-round waste with Mickey Ellisonwinning a points decision 77-76.
In the fourth round, Deniz dropped his hands, but landed heavy punches, heavy left hooks among the punches that landed on Ellison. He got the crowd to boo him and hit Ellison on. But Ellison was brave throughout, fighting back to make the fight exciting and going the distance.
Mario Silva spoil Emmanuel Zion shots and started shooting far, backhand shots. With the crowd warming to his efforts as he worked Zion on the ropes, Silva dominated proceedings.
But the Londoner put up some resistance in the later rounds as he began to land his own hooks into Silva, leaving the Mancunian for a moment to think.
Silva was still the convincing winner, after six rounds with a 59-56 decision.
Leeds’ Ellis Price dominated Liam Fitzmauricea homegrown man making his professional boxing debut. Massazan with a left hook to the head started the first knockdown. Price dropped him a second time before further hard shots prompted the referee to retire Fitzmaurice in the first round.
Watch Callum Simpson vs Steed Woodall live for the British and Commonwealth Championship Sky Sports’ main event or Sky Sports+.
