Rise Up - A Ringside Review.

By Paul Hampton.

Anthony Crolla (28-4, 11kos) came out of the Battle Of Manchester victorious on Saturday night at the Phones 4 U Arena, stopping John Murray (33-3, 2kos) in the tenth round.

Murray was fired up for the fight, even before he entered the ring he could be seen prowling like a caged animal at the start of the ring walk, he was a man with a point to prove to the fans, and to former trainer Joe Gallagher. This fight was guaranteed fireworks, both fighters enjoy a toe-to-toe fight, and the outcome of this fight would all depend on whether Crolla could stick to his game plan, or get drawn in to a war.

The opening round was quite in comparison to the rest of the fight, both guys look for openings and trying to get a feel for what their opponent was trying to do, however in the second round Murray appeared to take control and force the pace, Murray wanted the stoppage and kept the pace high and hurt Crolla on a few occasions. The turning point in this fight was round eight, Murray didn’t appear to have the same work rate, and the power in his punches had gone, it had been slowing for a few rounds but this was the first time he had looked ragged.

It became clear that he had emptied his tank in the previous rounds and this handed the initiative to Crolla who began to land his punches at will. One thing we can’t say about John Murray is that he doesn’t give it his all, he kept marching forwards trying to pin his opponent down but every time he got close enough to land, he got caught by two or three punches and Crolla was gone.

Crolla dropped Murray in the tenth, the effect of the punches, and the number, he was taking had become to much, but as ever the brace Manchester fight rose to his feet and attempted to continue but it was the beginning of the end as Crolla pinned him against the ropes forcing referee Howard Foster to step in and end the action.

"It was even tougher than I expected," Crolla told Sky Sports. "No matter how tough that looked, me and John were the luckiest men in this arena. I prepared for this fight like no other; John put the fear of god into me. I remember how tough those sparring sessions were and I knew I had to keep a cool head in a hot kitchen."

John Murray had no excuses for the defeat either and gave full credit to Anthony Crolla. "I gave it my all, I was the best I've been in training and he's beaten me at my best," he said. "I want to take my hat off to Anthony because he was bang on. I don't want to make any excuses, as the rounds went on maybe I began to feel the inactivity but full respect to Anthony, I had a full camp and felt great."

Earlier in the night WBA Super Bantamweight World Champion Scott Quigg (28-0-2, 21kos) defended his title in style, stopping the late stand in Tshifhiwa Munyai (24-3-1, 12kos). Munyai who had never been stopped before was unable to deal with the power of Quigg early on as he was knocked down heavily in the opening round. He beat the count and fought on, although appeared to be saved by the bell in the opening round as Quigg had him pinned to the ropes.

The bell just served to delay the inevitable as the champion came out looking for the stoppage in the second round, and landed a big left hand that sent Munyai to the canvas once more. Munyai again rose to his feet but with much more time left in the round Quigg forced the pace and landed more hurtful shots forcing referee Howard Foster to step in and halt the action.

"He took the fight at late notice but I demolished him," Quigg told Sky Sports. "I wanted to make a statement and I said you were going see the best of Scott Quigg," he added. "No-one has ever done that to Munyai."

Josh Warrington (17-0, 2kos) successfully defended his Commonwealth title against experienced campaigner Rendall Munroe (28-5-1, 11kos). The fight began evenly, both fighters trying to work the body but as it went on Warringtons speed became the defining factor. Munroe who was coming off the back of a stoppage defeat to Welshman Lee Selby, was forced to lunge with his punches, often throwing off balance and leaving himself open for any counter shots.

As the fight went on it became clear that Munroe was unable to keep up with the younger man, and his long time trainer Jason Shinfield pulled his fighter out. Warrington who didn’t have a stoppage in his first 15 fights, now has two in his last two fights.

Munroe was tearful at the end of the fight, and it appeared to all who watched that he had come to the end of a successful career. "I love the sport and the training, but there comes a time when the sharpness isn't there," a tearful Munroe told Sky Sports. "My trainer and manager were telling me it's not there and I always said when they tell me it's time to call it a day, it's time.

"At the end of the day I went to Japan, fought the best in the world, I never reached my goal but I love the sport and my fans and a big thank you to them."

Callum Smith (10-0, 8kos) returned to action after six months out of the ring with an impressive third round stoppage win over Frenchman Francios Bastient (43-11-1, 18kos). The fight was a warm up fight for Smith who fights Tobias Webb in Cardiff next month, and while Bastient was a game challenger, he was always overmatched. Smith controlled the fight well with his jab and worked the body superbly, and it was a body shot that brought a stop to the action.

As Bastient moved forward, Smith landed an uppercut to the chest which crumbled his opponent, he rose to his feet but his corner brought an end to the stoppage shortly after.

Tyrone Nurse (28-1, 5kos) claimed the English Light Welterweight title with a unanimous points victory over Tyler Goodjohn (10-3, 4kos). Goodjohn gave it his best effort and tried to force the pace, but landed very little clean for the duration of the action. Nurse was able to role the punches or evade them completely while landed several shots of his own in reply. By the end of the fight Goodjohn was bloodied and bruised but can hold his head high, he showed fantastic effort against a slick boxer and is young enough to come again.

One of the fights of the night wasn’t even a televised bout. Danny Fleary (1-2-1) took on Jack Massey (4-0, 2kos) in a brutal war in the Cruiserweight division. Massey was cautious in the opening round, not letting his punches go with any conviction and Fleary was able to get on the inside and work to the body with ease, although Fleary was wobbled early on, but it was the second round in which this fight really exploded in to life.

Massey appeared to be throwing his jab with more conviction, and bloodied the nose of Fleary, but he was undeterred as he kept marching forward and working in bursts. The last two rounds ended up being a toe-to-toe scrap, both fighters hurt at points but it was Flearly who touched down in the final round it and it proved costly for the older man as the referee awarded the fight to Massey 38-37.

Sam Hyde (2-0, 1kos) continued is unbeaten start in the professional game with a first round stoppage of Tommy Gifford (1-3-1, 1ko). Hyde wasted no time in feeling out his opponent, instead marched straight up and landed bombs from the start, and it wasn’t long before the referee waived the action off after Gifford had been down twice. Sam Eggington (10-2, 4kos) was back in action following the Prizefighter tournament against William Warburton (12-61-3, 2kos) taking a 60-54 points victory after six rounds.

A great night of action in Manchester, the talk is now for Scott Quigg to chase Leo Santa Cruz or Kiko Martinez. That would be a big step up for the man from Bury and one that I would love to see, I believe he has what it takes to beat Martinez and run Santa Cruz very close. The other question for the night is what next for John Murray, he always takes a lot of punishment but has the heart of a warrior and I am sure we’ll see him back in the right later this year.

http://www.v2journal.com/29/post/2014/04/rise-up-a-ringside-review.html

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH At Scott Quigg!!! Is that guy for Frak real?! The guy is a joke to the division.

His comments are bloody laughable

What a man sausage.

Would love to see Kiko vs Scott. Would be a complete war

I was chatting with one of the guys from live fight who went to the press conference afterwards, they're targeting Kiko of LSC for Quigg and Mares for Crolla.

Kiko Martinez would be a good fight and the first real fighter Quigg has faced. Should be funny. Both have decent power....quigg more so....but Kiko has the better chin.

LSC would just beat him up handily to be fair. Completely different level.

Surely not Abner Mares, Hampo?

Apparently so.

Sorry ignore me, just rechecked is tweet, Abril not Mares.

The Hearn/Gallagher/Smith/Sky love in has become really grating. And Nick Halling needs replacing - he actually ruins the fights for me. Hopeless.

hazharrison wrote:The Hearn/Gallagher/Smith/Sky love in has become really grating. And Nick Halling needs replacing - he actually ruins the fights for me. Hopeless.

Did you see the iFilm London interview with Quigg after the fight when Barry jumped in with his 1970's sales technique? Even Eddie was embarrassed. Barry might have had a couple.

Didn't catch it but sounds like one to track down!

Abril would box Crollas ears clean off IMO.

Why is Quigg even mentioning LSC when Frampton is up next for him, being mandatory and all that.

Think the Kiko would be the best option.

Quigg really needs a world class fighter on his ledger. Last minute step ins and unproven fighters who have never fought at world level just don't cut it when he is claiming to be the WBA champion.

Its time for Scott to take the bull by the horns and show what he can do to Martinez.

If he blasts out Martinez in better fashion than Frampton did then he not only throws his name into the big leagues but also becomes a proper world champion holding the IBF.

Really good fight for the fans that is. Quigg doesn't fight on the back foot in case a jab sends him down so will easily meet Kiko head on. Fireworks all round.

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:Abril would box Crollas ears clean off IMO.

Why is Quigg even mentioning LSC when Frampton is up next for him, being mandatory and all that.

Think the Kiko would be the best option.

Quigg really needs a world class fighter on his ledger. Last minute step ins and unproven fighters who have never fought at world level just don't cut it when he is claiming to be the WBA champion.

Its time for Scott to take the bull by the horns and show what he can do to Martinez.

If he blasts out Martinez in better fashion than Frampton did then he not only throws his name into the big leagues but also becomes a proper world champion holding the IBF.

Really good fight for the fans that is. Quigg doesn't fight on the back foot in case a jab sends him down so will easily meet Kiko head on. Fireworks all round.

It was ridiculous how they spoke of "unification" bouts afterwards without mentioning Rigo - the actual world champion. Even Frampton acknowledges Rigo is the champ. Hearn claimed last night that Rigo wasn't a commercial option and, on that basis, wasn't on Quigg's radar.

hazharrison wrote:

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:Abril would box Crollas ears clean off IMO.

Why is Quigg even mentioning LSC when Frampton is up next for him, being mandatory and all that.

Think the Kiko would be the best option.

Quigg really needs a world class fighter on his ledger. Last minute step ins and unproven fighters who have never fought at world level just don't cut it when he is claiming to be the WBA champion.

Its time for Scott to take the bull by the horns and show what he can do to Martinez.

If he blasts out Martinez in better fashion than Frampton did then he not only throws his name into the big leagues but also becomes a proper world champion holding the IBF.

Really good fight for the fans that is. Quigg doesn't fight on the back foot in case a jab sends him down so will easily meet Kiko head on. Fireworks all round.

It was ridiculous how they spoke of "unification" bouts afterwards without mentioning Rigo - the actual world champion. Even Frampton acknowledges Rigo is the champ. Hearn claimed last night that Rigo wasn't a commercial option and, on that basis, wasn't on Quigg's radar.

Reading from the "Carl Froch doesn't need Andre Ward" script. I thought Quigg was supposed to fight Rigo within 6 months of winning the regular belt. Would absolutely love it if Gary Hyde forced the WBA to make the fight. Hearn would have a mild stroke.

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:

hazharrison wrote:

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:Abril would box Crollas ears clean off IMO.

Why is Quigg even mentioning LSC when Frampton is up next for him, being mandatory and all that.

Think the Kiko would be the best option.

Quigg really needs a world class fighter on his ledger. Last minute step ins and unproven fighters who have never fought at world level just don't cut it when he is claiming to be the WBA champion.

Its time for Scott to take the bull by the horns and show what he can do to Martinez.

If he blasts out Martinez in better fashion than Frampton did then he not only throws his name into the big leagues but also becomes a proper world champion holding the IBF.

Really good fight for the fans that is. Quigg doesn't fight on the back foot in case a jab sends him down so will easily meet Kiko head on. Fireworks all round.

It was ridiculous how they spoke of "unification" bouts afterwards without mentioning Rigo - the actual world champion. Even Frampton acknowledges Rigo is the champ. Hearn claimed last night that Rigo wasn't a commercial option and, on that basis, wasn't on Quigg's radar.

Reading from the "Carl Froch doesn't need Andre Ward" script. I thought Quigg was supposed to fight Rigo within 6 months of winning the regular belt. Would absolutely love it if Gary Hyde forced the WBA to make the fight. Hearn would have a mild stroke.

They'd vacate and buy another.

Great for both kids to make some dough but let's hold the "world champion" talk until they fight Rigo. Both would have a chance with him (in my view).

Eddie said on iFilm London that Santa Cruz won't fight Frampton any time soon as LSC is due a non-mandatory fight next and he won't be picking Frampton for that.

The fight would be pushed out until the end of the year at the latest.

Matchroom are pushing for Quigg v Frampton. It's a ticket seller and another domestic rivalry that could end up being a trilogy.

Hearn reckons they're trying to make Quigg vs LSC in July.

I doubt Quigg/LSC happens next.

hazharrison wrote:

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:

hazharrison wrote:

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:Abril would box Crollas ears clean off IMO.

Why is Quigg even mentioning LSC when Frampton is up next for him, being mandatory and all that.

Think the Kiko would be the best option.

Quigg really needs a world class fighter on his ledger. Last minute step ins and unproven fighters who have never fought at world level just don't cut it when he is claiming to be the WBA champion.

Its time for Scott to take the bull by the horns and show what he can do to Martinez.

If he blasts out Martinez in better fashion than Frampton did then he not only throws his name into the big leagues but also becomes a proper world champion holding the IBF.

Really good fight for the fans that is. Quigg doesn't fight on the back foot in case a jab sends him down so will easily meet Kiko head on. Fireworks all round.

It was ridiculous how they spoke of "unification" bouts afterwards without mentioning Rigo - the actual world champion. Even Frampton acknowledges Rigo is the champ. Hearn claimed last night that Rigo wasn't a commercial option and, on that basis, wasn't on Quigg's radar.

Reading from the "Carl Froch doesn't need Andre Ward" script. I thought Quigg was supposed to fight Rigo within 6 months of winning the regular belt. Would absolutely love it if Gary Hyde forced the WBA to make the fight. Hearn would have a mild stroke.

They'd vacate and buy another.

Great for both kids to make some dough but let's hold the "world champion" talk until they fight Rigo. Both would have a chance with him (in my view).

Interesting haz. I guess it depends if we look at the rigo who toyed with donaire or the guy who got careless in previous fights. Frampton I can see having an outside shot. Not sure I see quigg laying a glove on rigo though.

Quigg's a very strong SBW and would try to get close and bully his way in, the only fighter rigo has faced that is in any way similar to Quigg was Cordoba and he only won a split decision as he was outworked in a lot of rounds. If Quigg starts how he fought against Salinas in the last 6, you just never know. Probably gets schooled though.

Frampton has a monster left hook, but i can imagine that he would fight Rigondeaux in a similar kind of way that Donaire fought him in, which may not end too well. Most certainly has a punchers chance and will go into the fight with a couple of different gameplans and a bit more adventure than Donaire had I feel. Probably gets schooled though.