Mahmudov survives fear to defeat Dave Allen in Sheffield

Heavyweight Arslanbek Mahmudov (21-2(19) defeated David “White Rhino” Allen (24-8-2(19)) via a 12-round unanimous decision in a Saturday night war at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

In the first round, Makhmudov came out firing punches until Allen delivered a left hook to his chin, knocking him back a step. In the second round, Allen landed a low blow, giving Mahmudov some time to recover. He came back after a big round on Allin.

In the third round, Makhmudov once again outpointed Allen, who once again finished the stronger of the two. In the fourth round, Allen came back well to take a close round.

In the fifth round, referee Steve Gray twice warned Khamudov not to hold, during which he threw punches, and he did so on several occasions. Good round for Allen. In the sixth round, Makhmudov overtook Allen, who finished strongly in the end. In the seventh round, Khamudov was the round winner, but would catch Allen again when referee Gray took a point from him.

In the eighth round, Allin seemed to have the advantage, always coming forward, while Khamudov could have landed further before catching Allin. In the ninth round, Allen rolled off Makhmudov’s tongue early. At the end of the round, an overhand right followed by six punches from Allen got Mahmudov into trouble. In the 10th round, Allen hurt Makhmudov with one minute left in the bout with an overhand kick to the chin.

In the 11th round, both had their moments with Makhmudov landing moves, but Allen was hurting him on several occasions. In the twelfth and final round, referee Gray obtained another point from Mahmudov because he pushed Allen towards the ropes and did not get off of them. Allen was hurt in the final minute, looking for a knockout, and perhaps trailing on points. Good round for Allen.

The scores were 115-111, 116-110, and 117-109.

Super bantamweight Josh Baddeley (17-1(5)) defeated former British and Commonwealth champion Rhys “Bomber” Belotti (20-7(15)) by 10-round unanimous decision to win the WBA International title in an error-strewn bout.

In the first four rounds, there was a lot of decisiveness. Belotti had a slight advantage. In the fifth round, Belotti hit a right cross to Baddeley’s chin, followed by it straight to Baddeley’s body.

In the seventh and eighth rounds, Baddeley came back with a huge lead. In the ninth round, Belotti drew blood from Baddeley’s nose in a close round, with a lot of clinching. In the tenth and final round, the fight was on the line as both were mixed up when they were undecided. Belotti started fast before slowing down the rest of the way, although the results could have been close.

The judges’ scores were 99-92, 97-93, and 97-93. Bob Williams was the referee.

Before the next fight, they paid tribute to beloved former world champion Ricky “Hitman” Hatton, before the crowd applauded.

In a rematch after the bout ended in a draw in January, Junaid Al Bustan (10-1-1 (8) lost a 10-round majority decision to Bilal “The Machine” Fawaz (10-1-1 (3)) in an action-packed bout for the vacant BBBofC English welterweight title. Interestingly, Fawaz had a shocked look on his face when he heard he was the winner.

In the first round, the attacker, Fawaz, leaves his body open for Al-Bustan to hit him, with his hands raised. Referee Michael Alexander Fawaz warned against hitting behind the head. In the second round, both of them sustained an injury to their right eyebrow due to the collision of their heads. In the final seconds of the third round, Fawaz hit Bustan with his right chin, which led to his injury.

In the fourth round, midway through, Al Bustan hit Fawaz with a blow to the chin. In the fifth round, events continued and Bustan bled from his mouth in the last minute.

In the sixth round, Fawaz performed well before he lost his temper in the last minute. He finished stronger and his hands were no longer raised. In the seventh round, Al Bustan finished strongly to take the round. In the eighth round, Fawaz had the advantage.

In the ninth round, the action went back and forth with Orchard finishing strong. In the tenth and final round, the battle is up for grabs. Good round for both, as Fawaz hugs Bustan from behind who wants nothing to do with him. Another draw between them?

The scores were 96-95, 96-94, and 95-95.

Hamzaddin (6-0(3)) stopped Paul Roberts (7-7-2(2) at 2:14 of the fifth of a scheduled 10-rounder for the vacant English BBBofC and WBA international flyweight titles.

In the first round, Oden got the better of Roberts with a little show at the end. In the second round, Roberts was cut on the right eyebrow early by Uddin’s left hook. On third-and-4, Al-Din’s hand speed was too much for Roberts.

In the fifth round, Odin dropped Roberts to his knee three times with a left hook to the midsection, prompting referee Michael Alexander to stop.

Super featherweight Ibrahim Soliman (9-0(4)) dominated James Shirji (22-7(10), winning by eight points decision.

In the first four rounds, Suleiman gave Sherji a boxing lesson in hand and foot speed, which limited Sherji’s ability to land some punches.

In the first minute of the fifth round, Sherji finally landed a powerful shot on the chin while Suleiman countered it with a combination of strikes. In the seventh round, Suleiman suffered a minor injury to his right eyebrow, despite controlling the round. In the eighth and final round, Suleiman continued to win every round, with little showing in the last two rounds.

Referee Steve Gray scored it 80-72.

Light heavyweight Conner Tudsbury (3-0(2)) knocked out Khalid Graedia (13-16-5(4)) at 0:58 of the fourth of a scheduled six-rounder.

Midway through the second round, Tudsbury landed six unanswered punches. In the first minute of the fourth round, Tudsbury got three rights to the body for Graedia, who was hurt, but threw a punch and moved away, surrendering as referee Michael Alexander waved her off.

Lightweight Joe Howarth, 14-1(4) defeated Carl Sampson (9-60-1(1)) by six points decision.

For the first three rounds, Sampson was a late sub, doing what he does best: making his opponent look good, and his record shows he is a “record maker.”

In rounds four through six, Howarth continues to follow Sampson and often out-jabs him due to Sampson’s defense.

Referee Michael Alexander scored the score 60-54.

Welterweight Joe Hayden (20-0(2)) defeated Angelo Dragone (10-0(1)) by six points decision.

In the first round, Dragon pressured the taller Hayden, sending him into the ropes. In the second round, referee Steve Gray warned Dragone twice for hitting on the break and twice for using his head.

In the third round, Dragone held his own as Hayden had a slight advantage. In the first minute of the fourth round, Hayden dropped Dragon with a left hand to the chin for an eight from referee Gray. In rounds five and six, Hayden looked sharp as he chased down Dragon.

Referee Steve Gray scored it 60-53.

Master of ceremonies was Ben Edwards.