They all
want a piece
of the
champ
Woodhouse is a naturally bigger man
than his local rival and he has more
professional experience. Twelve and ten
round battles with the likes of
Frankie Gavin, Dave Ryan, Shayne
Singleton and the aforementioned Darren
Hamilton would arguably give him the
edge.
Willie Limond is another option, as he is
the holder of the Commonwealth title at
light welterweight.
With his professional record standing at;
37(10)-4(3), and at the ripe old age of
35, the veteran Glaswegian might not
get too many more opportunities to unify
the domestic crown - as is the case for
Woodhouse.
Limond is a capable boxer at the domestic level and he has won numerous titles
during his career. He is a two weight
Commonwealth champion, a former WBU
lightweight champion, a former
European super featherweight champion
and he has challenged for the British belt
on two occasions. He has also shared
a ring with some brilliant fighters, such
as; Alex Arthur, Amir Khan, Erik Morales
and Anthony Crolla. Sadly for him, he
lost against all of those guys and was
knocked out by all but Crolla.
‘The Troll Hunter’ has admitted that he
would like to add the Commonwealth
strap to his trophy cabinet, but the fight
could be a tricky one to make
They all
16
want a piece
of the
champ
STEVIE ADAMS JNR
. Reports have suggested that Tommy
Gilmour (Limond’s manager) demands
too much money for his client’s
services, therefore making the fight an
unlikely thing to happen anytime in the
near future.
Lest we forget the former champion,
Darren Hamilton, from whom
‘The Driffield Destroyer’ snatched the
belt.
The 35-year-old Bristol man was once
homeless, but he found solace in the
gym and dedicated his life to his craft.
Under the watchful eye of the colourful
Spencer Fearon, ‘Ammo’ shocked the
public time and time again by beating
the favoured home fighter. He would
take fights at short notice and win them
comfortably.
His awkward style and physical
presence in the ring has accounted
for renowned domestic fighters such as
John Watson and Ashley
Theophane (the man who Hamilton
defeated to become British champion
in 2012), and his pre-fight rap videos
have made him popular with the casual
fans.
The first encounter between the two
men was a hard-fought war of attrition,
a battle that Woodhouse deservedly
won. Hamilton simply didn’t fight the
right fight. He should’ve dominated the
challenger and won comfortably. But the
Yorkshire man surprised him by sticking
to a clever game plan and out boxing
him for extended periods of the bout.
BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM
Woodhouse’s accurate jab and hard
hooks to the body seemed to
bewilder Hamilton throughout. He
appeared shocked by the technical
ability of the former footballer, and he
was shaken up a couple of times in the
championship rounds. Although he did
have
success during those 36 minutes, it was
the challenger’s work that was the most
eye-catching and memorable.
There are also a number of other contenders who deserve a crack at the title.
Fighters like Dave Ryan, Bradley Saunders and Tyrone Nurse could all be in the
running.
Nurse is long overdue a serious test and
he will challenge for the vacant English
title on April 19th in Manchester against
Tyler Goodjohn. A win would put him in
the mix for a fight against Woodhouse.
The Huddersfield stylist has an
impressive record of 27 wins with just
one defeat, and he is a skilled boxer
with good speed and variety. Sparring
sessions with Ricky Burns have boosted
his self-confidence, but he is in
desperate need of a big win against a
ranked fighter.
Ryan (15-8) recently bested a former
world title challenger and former
European champion in Paul
McCloskey. Despite suffering a
knockdown in the fourth round, the
Derby man stuck to the game plan and
got the nod after eight rounds. He also
has history with Woodhouse. The two
shared ten rounds in September of 2012,
with the former Birmingham City star
claiming a majority decision to lift the
English title.
Undefeated in eight fights
(six knockouts), Saunders is a serious
talent at 140lbs. and he has breezed
past all of his professional opponents
to date. His comfortable points win over
Peter McDonagh was impressive, as very
few people have an easy night with the
lovable Irishman.
BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM
STEVIE ADAMS JNR
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