Vassell retains his title but disappoints in doing so

Daz Pearce – ringside in Wigan – Hatton Promotions 26^th March

To an outsider reading of Denton Vassell’s successful first defence of the Commonwealth title (won against Lee Purdy last year), scores of 118-111, 117-112 and 117-113 would suggest a comfortable victory against previously unbeaten Namibian Bethuel Ushona. There is no doubt that in the end that Vassell was a clear and decisive winner (indeed the 117-113 scorecard was a mite generous to Ushona from ringside), but the manner of the victory was somewhat less convincing than the result itself. This was a fight in which Vassell (now 17-0 with 9 early) experienced difficulties with timing and struggled to inject the variety and urgency into his work that will be required at any higher level. In many ways, as the contest unravelled in front of an unwavering crowd, it left more questions than answers.

It is worth offering some points of mitigation in the Commonwealth champion’s favour for much of his struggle was down to the well-executed gameplan of his opponent. Ushona (23-0 with 8 stoppages going in) may never have fought above the level of his WBO African title, but to progress as far as he has in his career undefeated indicates a ring-smartness and durability that was clearly evident here. He had an elusiveness and cagey style not normally associated with African fighters and was at times adept at removing himself from awkward spots in the ring. Offensively, he brought little to the table and so his strategy involved a great deal of circling the ring while looking to tap and run. In short, while beating Ushona was not a tall order for a man of Vassell’s calibre, looking good in doing so was an altogether more taxing equation. He ultimately fell short in this regard, but is far from wholly culpable.

Vassell took a semblance of control in the early rounds as he sought to take control of the centre of the ring then cut off his man towards its corners. Physically, he appeared to dwarf his opponent despite a weight advantage that read only 10st 6lb 12 oz against Ushona, who scaled in at 10st 5lb 8oz. The contest was hardly enthralling at this point, but the champion’s superior strength and power were clear for all to see, and Ushona appeared wary of it at least in the early stages. His elusive methods brought him more success in the fourth however, and although he was not troubling Vassell with what appeared to be arm punches while on the move, it was enough to probably take the challenger’s first round of the evening. After very quiet sessions in five and six, Vassell had a frustrating seventh, showing some encouraging signs when he bustled up his smaller opponent, but equally prone to switching back into second gear.

The eighth, ninth and tenth were the best rounds of the fight for the champion, who was perhaps worried that the scorecards were a little closer than they should ever have been. A strong right hand snapped Ushona’s head back in the eighth before round nine saw the best prolonged spell of intensity from Vassell in the whole fight. The hooks and bodyshots were mixed well, and there was a real sense of urgency that had hitherto appeared to be lacking. Vassell slipped while attempting to land a home run, but such had been the pedestrian nature of events up to that point, it was a moment of over-eagerness that was easy to ignore. The next stanza saw some good hooks as the pace was maintained for most of the round. However, the impressive combination punching of the previous round gave way to the pursuit of hard single punches.

Ushona probably did enough to nick the eleventh as with the clock ticking, he made his first attempts to become the aggressor in the fight, while Vassell edged the last with some good hooks and solid work on the inside. It should be added that at no point did Ushona look in any serious trouble, and that is testament to his use of the ring as well as conditioning. Vassell is a fighter with very good levels of natural ability, and this should not be seen as an attempt to discredit what was shown in flashes on the night. Hopefully the lesson will be learned that any step up in class will involve replicating the high levels of the ninth round for an entire contest. With his size, strength and (when he uses them) good array of punches, there is no reason why he cannot go on to European level and possibly beyond. However, against better and busier opponents the need to put it all together on the night will be much more pressing.

It was just as well that the chief support saw a ‘War of the Roses’ clash between Blackpool-based Matty Askin and Rotherham’s Neil Dawson. Both men had 9-0 records and the vacant Central Area Cruiserweight title represented both an end in itself and a gateway to bigger opportunities. Askin (13st 13lbs 8oz) took the first two with a good mix of sold hooks and good inside work before Dawson (13st 10lb) edged the third with some tidy boxing at range. It was as good as the evening would get for the Yorkshireman, as in the fourth an uncharacteristically wild right hand invited a counter from Askin which shook Dawson while already off balance. Round five saw a quiet start ended by a succession of right hands from Askin which were getting through with more ease than previously while clearly hurting his opponent. By the sixth, Dawson was looking short on ideas and some strong hooks and uppercuts were supplementing the Askin’s excellent work on the inside. A huge straight right saw Dawson’s legs buckle against the ropes and ref Michael Alexander quite rightly waved it off at 2:48.

Askin certainly appeared to have the edge in power in this bout and this is an asset which makes him a potentially dangerous opponent at English or even British level. It is hard to tell whether he is ready for that step up in calibre though and a handful of further fights to test the water would certainly do no harm in this regard. At only 22 and with a 10-0 (6 early) record to his name, he certainly has time on his side. Dawson will no doubt point to the fact that he had boxed only 2 rounsd since a five year lay-off and it would be interesting to see if he could make a future fight with Askin a competitive spectacle from first bell to last. However, of equal significance on the night appeared to be the Yorkshireman’s anxiety in the face of what was a hostile crowd. The ‘Seasider’ football chant in favour of the Blackpool man certainly created a partisan atmosphere and Dawson never appeared totally comfortable in these surroundings. However, both men deserve credit for what was an engaging affair while it lasted.