Sajid Abid of Derby moved into title contention in style on Saturday night, beating Tom Ansell in a barn-storming 10-round eliminator for the English super-lightweight Title. Both men will be proud of their efforts and Ansell’s stock may rise even in defeat, as the pair entertained the York Hall (London) crowd in a highly competitive bout.
Abid got off to a fast start, showing laser focus and sharp reflexes in the opening rounds. Any forward movement from Ansell saw him accurately picked off by Abid’s jab and unable to close the distance.
There was no caginess to the opener either, with combinations exchanged and Abid coming off best.
This was the trend for the first three rounds, as Ansell tried to close the distance and fight in mid and close range, Abid fired off jabs and combinations to keep him at bay. The Derby man was accurate and repeatedly found his mark, crashing the jab home and finding success with a right uppercut, left hook combination.
Abid put so much into the opening three rounds that something had to give. In the fourth, Ansell finally started to have some success. An exchange on the ropes finished with the Hertfordshire man landing a crunching right hook. Later in the round, as the pair exited a clinch, Ansell again made a home for his right hand, looping an overhand right onto Abid’s temple.
This gave Ansell confidence and he came on strong in the fifth and sixth rounds. Marching forward throughout, he closed the distance more effectively before winging in hooks to head and body.
After six sessions, Ansell had shown he could have success in close, while Abid consistently came out on top in long-range exchanges. The pattern was set for a highly watchable final four rounds.
As both men fatigued, Abid started to look a little ragged at times. However, ultimately it was his higher quality offensive work that won out.
A hard right hook in the seventh unsettled Ansell and left him dabbing at his left eye – a clear sign of discomfort. Abid took the cue and threw three more hard, accurate right hooks.
Ansell had plenty of answers throughout the remaining rounds, consistently rolling forwards and forcing Abid to the ropes at times, before letting loose with barrages of hooks. However Abid all too often had the last say in each exchange and Ansell’s left eye appeared increasingly swollen and agitated.
It was all action in the final round, with fighters and crowd whipped into a storm. Ansell forced the issue in the final round, but Abid registered some crisp accurate work at the start of the session, making things hard for the judges.
The York Hall crowd had thoroughly enjoyed the contest and came to its feet on the final bell.
Abid took a 97-94 decision win, having shown more consistent quality going forward. His long, accurate jab dictated the pace in the early going and the marks on Ansell’s face bore testament to clipping combinations and hard right hooks. However, plenty of Ansell fans felt their man had done enough to win and – given his work in the middle rounds and the tightness of the closing sessions – we wouldn’t have been shocked to see the fight ruled a draw.
That said, Abid seems the better prepared of the pair to contest the title and looks an improved fighter. He’s now set to contest the English belt later this year.
