Fabio Wardley stopped American campaigner Michael Polite Coffie in four rounds on the Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin undercard. The WBA Continental title clash served as the co-main event at the O2 Arena in London.
Wardley, who also holds the British heavyweight championship, was in complete control throughout. A looping right hand in the first minute had Coffie backing up, and he never really recuperated. The second round featured a lot of swinging and missing from Coffie and some precise work from Wardley.
READ MORE:
The visitor piled on the pressure in the third, but Wardley worked behind a jab and a potent straight right hand to maintain control. The end came in the fourth, when the Brit poured it on along the ropes before referee Howard Foster waved off the contest. The decision drew derision in the arena, with many feeling it came too early. Maybe so, but Wardley, now 16-0 with 15 knockouts, was well on his way to a knockout regardless.
Campbell Hatton’s first scheduled eight-rounder was supposed to help move him through the levels in his 11th pro fight. But some things are natural, ingrained almost. Certainly, the instinctive left hook to the body that ended this fight in less than 90 seconds felt genetic rather than gym-honed. We’ll let you fill in the blanks there. This young super lightweight has the names of his kin invoked enough. Tonight’s dramatic stoppage is a chance to give Campbell Hatton a deserved turn in the limelight.
Another trademark body shot ™️
#HattonFielding #JoshuaFranklin
The main card kicked off with Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams grinding down former English middleweight champion River Wilson-Bent in eight rounds. The American extended his record to 14-0 and is well thought of in the industry.
Wilson-Bent was canny though and showed ‘Ammo’ that he has a lot to learn yet. Boxing well at distance, the Coventry native switched from body to heat and confounded Williams. A clash of heads in the fourth led to a cut for the Brit and he never quite looked the same. A peach of an ‘Ammo’ left dumped him on the floor in the seventh before an eighth-round flurry saw the towel thrown in.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Galal Yafai continued his impressive formative steps as a professional with a fourth round TKO of Moises Calleros. The brother of Gamal and Kal is being moved quickly, having been vocal about wanting to be matched tough from the moment he turned over.
This was a tough match on paper, with Calleros having a respectable 36-10-1 record going in. But Yafai was levels above him, catching his primitive attacks on his gloves before launching educated shots in return. The right hook-straight left combination found paydirt time and again until that right hook knocked the resistance out of the Mexican. A follow-up flurry sent him to the canvas and the referee wasn’t taking any chances, waving off the contest.
Picture: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
