Walsh defeats Appleby in thriller

Both fighters showed great heart

LIAM WALSH 12-0 (9 KO’s) retained his Commonwealth super-featherweight title as he defeated Paul Appleby 17-3 (11) in a thrilling contest as Box Nation exploded onto British TV screens.

The pulsating affair saw Walsh fight back, having been sent crashing to the canvas in round seven, to defeat Appleby at the end of round 10 at the iconic York hall.

It was a fitting spectacle for the debut of Frank Warren’s new TV channel, ‘the new home of boxing’ and also the first independent event for Queensberry Promotions managed by George and Francis Warren.

Both fighters showed great heart but Walsh’s held out longer as he showed the true courage of a potential future world champion.

The Cromer fighter had been dropped to the canvas by the battling Appleby as the Scot took control of a momentum-swinging bout. Up until that point both boxers had given as good as they got but Appleby sensed the win despite Walsh returning to his feet. The South Queensferry-born boxer put the pressure on following the knockdown but the champion held out until the bell.

The excitement spilled out of the ring as a small contingent of fans lost their cool in a tense stage of the fight. Walsh showed his spirit in the eighth round as he emerged from his corner a different fighter snatching back the momentum and catching Appleby with a few telling blows, by the end of the round it was Walsh that sensed victory and could have stopped the fight but the bell this time saved the Scot.

Round nine saw Walsh continue in the same vein but towards the end of the round Appleby came out of the blocks attempting to rescue a fight that was beginning to slip away. Appleby caught Walsh with a right hand seconds before the end of the round which saw Walsh fall to the ground but the official ruled it out and signalled he had slipped.

Walsh began to boss the fight in round 10 as Appleby seemingly started to run on empty. A left-right combo wobbled the Scot mid-way through the round, Walsh unleashed a flurry of punches to attempt to put his opponent away. A mighty-left hook finally saw the Commonwealth champion send his Scottish counterpart to the canvas.

Appleby managed to get to his feet and slump to his stool as the bell went to signal the end of the round but his corner which included trainer Billy Nelson retired the plucky challenger.

Walsh paid tribute to Appleby and also his fans after the fight, “It was down to this man, he is a true warrior, if he wants a rematch let’s get it on. He brought the best out of me but my fans were great, they are the best fans in the world.”

The 25-year-old held aloft the belt he had amazingly fought back to successfully defend and even at this time of the season this could be touted as fight of the year.

Undercard round up

Stephen O’Meara 14-2 (3) shocked the crown in east London when he knocked out Ryan Toms 9-1 (4) to win the Southern Area title at the end of the first round.

Liam Shinkwin 3-1 got up from the canvas after 20 seconds to knockdown then defeat journeyman Sid Razak 7-71 (3) on points. Cruiserweight Tony Conquest 7-0 (2) scored a one-sided points victory over Birmingham-boxer Hastings Rasani 23-60 (16). Peter McDonagh 17-21 (2) started the night when he scored a one-sided points victory against light-welterweight opponent Johnny Greaves 3-68 (1).

Greg Grimes at Ringside
@ggrimes10

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