Rhodes Returns With A Win/Woodhouse Defeats McArthur

By Andrew Wake at ringside: A late change of opponent didn’t put Driffield light-welterweight Curtis Woodhouse off his stride as he recorded his 16th pro win at the Magna in Rotherham.

The ex-footballer was supposed to engage in a mouth-watering clash with Maesteg’s former European lightweight champion Jason Cook but unfortunately the big-hitting Welshman failed a medical on Thursday morning.

Decent Scottish southpaw Gary McArthur answered the eleventh hour call, but did little to threaten Woodhouse’s dominance before a hand injury in the fourth round forced him to retire in his corner.

Woodhouse boxed smartly to trainer Glyn Rhodes’ game plan. He used his jab to close the space between him and the Scotsman before whipping in hooks to the head and body.

By round two the Yorkshireman was adding flush uppercuts into the mix and McArthur, increasingly forced on to the back foot, could do little to stem the tide.

McArthur got off little in return but one of the few shots he did manage to connect with proved his own undoing as it caused him to suffer the injury which brought about his withdrawal.

Afterwards, Woodhouse revealed that 2012 could see him engaging in a tilt for either the British or Commonwealth strap at 140 lbs.

“Dave Coldwell told me if I came though this fight he’ll try and line up a British or Commonwealth title fight in February so hopefully he can make that happen,” he said.

“Anybody or anything that weighs 10 stone I can knock out, whether it be a British champion or a farm yard animal. If I can hit it, I can knock it out.

“It would be great to bring a title fight to Rotherham because these fans have followed me and supported me all my career so lets get it on the Magna. I love it.”

Another fight that has been mooted is a return with former world amateur champion Frankie Gavin.

Woodhouse lost a disputable split decision to the silky Birmingham southpaw during the summer and despite building up a good relationship with him since, says he would welcome a rematch.

“Everybody wants me to fight Frankie Gavin again and if he can make 140 lbs then I’ll happily fight him again. It was a great fight last time so if he wants to come to the Magna then let’s do it,” he stated.

“Since the fight me and Frankie have become good friends but if we could meet again with a British title on the line then that would be brilliant.

“If my grandma was British champion I’d knock on her door and as soon as she answered it I’d chin her. I’ve got no problems fighting my friends.”

Recent world light-middleweight challenger Ryan Rhodes ensured that no cobwebs were allowed to grow over his career by systematically outboxing tough Belarusian Siarhei Khomitski.

Rhodes bamboozled Khomitski, who famously defeated Jamie Moore last year, by continually switching stances and getting home shots with both fists.

A hefty left in the second session rocked Khomitski’s head back and it looked like the end may have been drawing nearer but by the third the eastern European had begun to clip Rhodes as he backed off following his own attacks.

However, Rhodes raised his game up another level in the fifth and a session later sent his foe to the canvas with a solid jab. Referee Michael Alexander, though, ruled it a slip.

But things were rectified a session later when Khomitski was given a count despite this time genuinely appearing to stumble over without taking a heavy blow.

After eight rounds were completed Mr Alexander rewarded Rhodes with a 79 -74 victory.

And Rhodes revealed to the sell out crowd that he intends to be back in the title picture next year.

“I’ve been told by Hatton Promotions that I’m going to be looking at March or April for the European title,” he stated.

“I never lost the title in the ring, it got took off me, so I’ll win that back, become the best in European and who is to say that I won’t fight for a world title again? There’s life in the old dog yet.”

Another boxer looking to regain his titles of old is Manchester southpaw David Barnes.

The 30-year-old has won the British title at both light-welter and welterweight but is rebuilding after a ring hiatus of almost two years.

If he should have looked rusty after that period on the sidelines then it didn’t show. The slippery Mancunian picked his shots well against Ghana’s Isaac Quartey and even scored a knockdown in the second.

Barnes continued to be in charge of the action until the final bell tolled and he was rewarded with a deserved 60 – 54 shut out by referee Howard Foster.

York’s Lee Stewart moved to 3 – 0 (0 KOs) by outworking East Ham journeyman Johnny Greaves over four-threes.

Early on Stewart, 21, struggled to close the space as Greaves, in typical fashion, clowned and showboated.

However, the young prospect’s persistence began to pay dividends in the second half of the contest as he finally pinned the visiting boxer down and got off some decent two fisted attacks.

Mr Alexander had it 40 – 36.

Iraqi boxer Najah Ali made the headlines in 2004 when he represented his country at the Olympic Games in Athens, but his 38 – 38 draw with Middlesbrough’s Chris Riley isn’t something that will live long in the memory.

It could argued that the Asian fighter, who is now based in Cardiff, did enough to take the spoils as he slipped in several right hands behind a tight guard but Riley kept pressing and was more than pleased with the result.

Sheffield’s Jerome “Wipeout” Wilson took his tally to 6 – 1 (2 KOs) with a points win over Kenyan veteran Geoffrey Munika.

Wilson rolled his shoulders well and found the target continually with his jab before stepping in with hooks. However, Munika grew in confidence in the middle rounds and landed a few licks of his own.

But Wilson kept on his game and earned his 58 – 56 mark on the card of Mr Foster. This reporter had it a round wider.

British boxing should welcome any new addition to the heavyweight scene and Rotherham debutant Kash Ali ticked all the boxes a young prospect needs to.

At just 19 years of age he already has the look of an experienced fighter and with the backing of legendary trainer Brendan Ingle behind him, plus hours of sparring with Richard Towers, he could go far.

He got off to great start by defeating fellow first-timer James Oliphant 40 – 36 after four rounds.

Oliphant plodded forwards with his head down throughout but this tactic only caused him to walk on to Ali’s crisp punching. Heavy right hands in the second and fourth stanza’s stung Oliphant but time run out before Ali could add to his assaults.

Good heavyweight called Ali? Haven’t we had one of them before?

Things didn’t go as well for another South Yorkshire debutant as Louis Rutherford went down 38 – 39 to Navenby journeyman Ryan Clark.

Rutherford came out looking to lay it on Clark but it was the trial horse who detonated the harder blows.

Indeed, Clark appeared as though he couldn’t miss as he fired right hands into the side of Rutherford’s head in the opening two rounds.

A massive hook early in the second session had the Sheffield man tottering on shaky legs but Clark was unable to get home the blow that would send him to the ring apron.

Clark, for some reason, allowed his work rate to drop in the final two rounds but had done enough to get a 39 – 38 mark from Michael Alexander.