Anwar Passes Askew Test

By Andrew Wake at ringside: Ever improving Leeds light-welterweight Adil Anwar showed he is now not far from title contention by scoring an impressive win over Workington’s Manchester-based Darren Askew on Thursday night (November 26).

Two weeks ago Askew, who fights out of Joe Pennington’s Northside stable, halted former British title challenger Dean Harrison in three rounds so the win is something of a feather in the cap of the young Yorkshireman.

The early going was cagy as both men looked for angles and tried to figure out each other’s style. But after a minute or so of faints and missed jabs, Anwar got off a straight right hand and began to back the Cumbrian up.

Round two followed a similar pattern. Again Anwar pushed his foe towards the ring strands and looked to rain in the combinations but Askew fired back with a solid right and the following exchanges were often scrappy as legs and arms got tangled in a manner that is common when an orthodox fighter meets a southpaw.

And the problems they were having in close got worse in the third as again their limbs got intertwined and both ended up stumbling to the canvas. However, by this point, Anwar was the one putting the rounds in the bag, his left hook to the head being particularly eye catching.

Askew’s cute counter punching saw him take the fifth round on the card of this observer but Anwar made sure the victory was assured in the sixth and final round as he got off quality jabs and a crunching right hook to the jaw.

Referee Michael Alexander scored the contest to the Yorkshireman by 59 points to 57.

Anwar’s ledger now stands at 7 – 1 (3 KOs) and he will probably look to settle the score with the only man to beat him, Graeme “Dezzie” Higginson, at some point in 2010. Askew’s log now reads 6 – 4 (1 KO).

Prior to his charge’s professional debut Nottingham-based manager Jimmy Gill was predicting fireworks and that’s what Curtis Valentine provided.

Light-middleweight Valentine, who boxed for Benny’s ABC in the unpaid ranks, showed he was not fazed by being in with an unbeaten former ABA finalist early in the first as he detonated a right hook to Luke Robinson’s head.

Robinson, from Castleford, controlled most the second frame behind his jab but just when it seemed that he was about to take the session on Mr Alexander’s card, Valentine turned things back into his favour by unleashing a looping right hand that was quickly followed up with a left hook.

The end came 26 seconds into the third. Valentine got close to his man again and fired off a crunching right hook that dropped Robinson to the canvas awkwardly. The 21-year-old Yorkshireman’s eyes were open as he lay on the canvas staring up at the lights, but it was clear that he was dazed and not able to get up so Mr Alexander did the correct thing by disposing of the count and waiving things off immediately.

Paramedics were called into the ring to attend to Robinson and thankfully, after being given oxygen, he was able to get back to his feet and walk to the dressing room unaided.

There was also debut success for Manchester’s Lee Brewster as he picked up a narrow 57 – 56 win over Leeds’ Rizza Ahmed.

Brewster avoided Ahmed’s spearing jabs in the early going and got off good shots to the body. Ahmed had some success with his left hook in the second but his cross Pennines foe was still the one connecting with the most jarring blows and this resulted in the Yorkshireman going back to the corner with severe swelling over his left eye.

The Mancunian continued to edge the sessions until Ahmed, sensing he needed to pulls some tricks out of his hat, turned up the volume in the fifth and bounced a hard right hook off the side of Brewster’s head - sending him crashing to the canvas.

Brewster was up to take the mandatory eight count, but now the fight had turned on its head and it looked like Ahmed might be the one taking the spoils.

The Leeds man continued his high pressure assault in the sixth and again rocked Brewster with a right hand but it was too late to undo the work the Mancunian had done in the early rounds.

Welterweight prospect Tommy Broadbent moved to 5 – 0 (1 KO) with a solid display against Birmingham’s much travelled Jason Nesbitt.

Broadbent, who has turned his life around since being released from prison in 2008, threw multiple shots from all angles, but most were blocked by the Midlander’s high guard.

Nesbitt came back in spurts but Broadbent, who showboated throughout, always found the space to rain in rapid fire combinations and deserved his 59 – 55 verdict.