BBBofC British lightweight champion Louie O’Doherty improved to 12-0 (3 KOs) with a unanimous decision win over Ahmed ‘No Mercy’ Hatim to retain his British title and add the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title.
Hatim had moments early, rocking O’Doherty with a right hand in the second round, but O’Doherty gradually took over with sharper combinations and a higher work rate. The fight became increasingly physical as the rounds went on, with O’Doherty landing consistently while Hatim struggled to keep pace. O’Doherty closed strongly over the final rounds, including a dominant tenth and a busy twelfth round in which Hatim was forced to hold repeatedly. Scores were 119-109 twice and 118-110.
In the co-feature, Michael Gomez Jr. improved to 23-2 (8 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage win over Lee McGregor in a hard-fought lightweight contest.
The fight was action-packed from the opening round, with both fighters trading aggressively. Gomez hurt McGregor several times during the fight and dropped him late in the third round with a right hand. McGregor battled on despite swelling around his eye and blood from his nose, but Gomez’s pressure eventually became too much. In round six, McGregor’s corner threw in the towel after another sustained attack.
Welterweight Joe Hayden moved to 23-0 (3 KOs) with a fifth-round stoppage win over Ryan Frost in a scheduled six-round fight. Hayden controlled the action throughout and scored body-shot knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds before referee Michael Alexander halted the contest.
2024 Olympic gold medalist Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev improved to 2-0 (1 KO) with a six-round decision win over late replacement Alexis Torres. Muydinkhujaev controlled the fight with his jab and left hand, hurting Torres several times while comfortably winning on the scorecards.
Ted Jackson stopped Mike Byles in the opening round after scoring an early knockdown and forcing referee Michael Alexander to intervene. Jackson improved to 7-0 (2 KOs).
Brad Casey also remained unbeaten, improving to 5-0 (2 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Renars Rusin. Casey hurt Rusin with a right hand before referee Howard Foster stepped in to stop the fight.
Leighton Birchall remained unbeaten after going four rounds with Leonardo Baez in a featherweight contest.
Kian Hamilton improved to 2-0 with a four-round decision win over Les Urry. Hamilton landed several strong body shots during the fight and closed well as Urry spent much of the final round in survival mode.
John Tom Varey improved to 2-0 with a four-round decision over veteran journeyman Stephen Jackson. Varey controlled the action throughout, switching stances and repeatedly forcing Jackson onto the ropes while searching for a stoppage late in the fight.
Carl Fail improved to 12-0 (4 KOs) with an eight-round decision win over Luis Montelongo. Fail controlled the bout with his jab and body work, hurting Montelongo several times during the fight while cruising to an 80-72 scorecard.
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