Against a short-notice challenger, Sam Gilley retained Commonwealth light-middleweight honours with a fourth-round stoppage win over Jack McGann in their York Hall headliner to cap a night featuring contrasting displays from Royston Barney-Smith and Tommy Fletcher on an eventful undercard.
Gilley goes through the gears at McGann’s expense
R4, 0:58 — Sam Gilley bt. Jack McGann via TKO, retains British and Commonwealth light-middleweight titles… improves to 18-1, 9 KOs
IT wasn’t the Louis Greene rematch as expected but Sam Gilley made sure this fight camp didn’t go to waste, making no mistake during a decisive fourth-round finish on his Queensberry debut in the first defence of the light-middleweight titles he won after a gruelling 12-round affair at this venue last year.
Greene’s deceptively heavy hands and purposeful start combined to inflict McGann’s first pro defeat rather abruptly on Saudi shores back in March and while the 31-year-old hadn’t exactly earned this surprise shot, showed a willingness to step in against a calibre of boxer he hasn’t yet matched.
The difference between them was clear early, Gilley’s speed and counterpunching body work proving too much to handle as he landed a double jab, right hand combo which sent the Liverpudlian to the canvas in the second stanza.
McGann recovered enough to finish the frame, but was hurt again before the round’s conclusion and that prompted a fiery response in round three.
He wouldn’t know it at the time, but that proved a rather defiant sequence emboldening Gilley to go for the jugular in the subsequent round. Trying to turn the tide is one thing, managing it while staying defensively sound is another.
Body punching persisted for the defending champion, countering well from the ropes and on the backfoot before switching to head shots as McGann had now been sufficiently softened. The end was near, that much clear to see.
An unanswered barrage of punches proved the final action, referee Darren Sarginson jumping in to wave off the contest as a right uppercut – not the first – saw this brave challenger about to fall once more.
Super-featherweight prospect Royston Barney-Smith passed another test earlier and scored a second stoppage win of 2024 (R2, 1:25) in the evening’s slate of action, this time against Colombia’s 13-1 pro Carlos Rayo as the opposition gradually increases and his seasoning in the paid ranks continues to rise.
The 20-year-old, one of many training in the Ben Davison gym, showcased his superior technical advantages – utilising a piercing southpaw jab and left-handed body punching to continually dictate matters against an opponent on the move.
Body work was the definitive method of attack for the Southampton starlet, crumbling Rayo to his knees just before the halfway mark in round two.
Full card results
Sam Gilley bt. Jack McGann via R4 TKO to retain Commonwealth light-middleweight title
Nick Webb bt. Courtney Bennett via R8 TKO (corner retirement, 0:44) to win Southern Area heavyweight title vacated by Johnny Fisher
Cruiserweight: Milans Volkovs bt. 8-0 prospect Tommy Fletcher on points, 79-73
Super-feather: Royston Barney-Smith bt. Carlos Rayo via R2 KO (1:25)
Middle: Sam King bt. Dmitri Protkunas on points, 39-37
Light-heavyweight: Elliot Elimasi bt. Jairo Nustes via R2 KO (1:44) on his pro debut
Super-middleweight: Lloyd Farrington bt. Jesus Lobeto via R2 TKO (2:52)
Middleweight: Ishtvan Herzheni bt. Ryan Maycock on points, 39-37
Picture source: boxingnewsonline.net
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