Bellotti Grabs British Title & Richards Successful Ring Return
Junior lightweight Reece “Bomber” Bellotti (18-5, 14KO) fulfilled a dream of becoming the British champion after defeating Liam Dillon (13-1-1, 3KO)
This fight wasted no time getting the fans to their feet as both men went on the attack. Bomber, the better boxer, tried to move around the ring, working behind the jab, and ripping off fast combinations.
Dillon applied effective aggression in landing solid hard shots and found a home for the uppercut. He showed a good chin by taking hard shots, only to return fire after pinning Bellotti against the ropes.
In the middle rounds, Bellotti attacked the body with relentless aggression. He managed to slow the forward progress of Dillon momentarily with thunderous uppercuts and right hands.
Dillon kept coming forward hoping to regain the momentum. However, Bellotti fought beautifully down the stretch, landing several hard shots that buzzed the British champion.
After the final bell sounded, the judges’ scorecards were 117=111, 117-112, 116-112 in favor of Bellotti. In the post-fight interview he called for a shot at the EBU European title.
CRAIG RICHARDS DESTROYS BORIS CRIGHTON IN THE SEVENTH ROUND
After being away from the ring for twenty-one months, one-time light heavyweight title challenger Craig “Spider” Richards (18-3-1, 11KO) stopped Boris “Blade” Crighton (12-6, 7KO).
It was a jab contest that Richards won easily, keeping Crighton off balance before landing a sharp right hand. He worked well off the front foot landing and landed some solid counters as his opponent tried to force the action.
Despite fighting off the back foot, Blade landed the occasional overhand right, taking advantage of Spider’s aggressiveness. As the fight continued, he picked up the pace and matched Richards punch for punch.
The more experienced Richards started digging hard shots to the body, followed by brutal hooks to the head. In the seventh round, he landed a hard three-punch combination that dropped Crighton to the canvas.
Despite his opponent getting back up, Spider landed a barrage of punches, forcing the corner to stop the fight. In the post-fight interview promoter Eddie Hearn called for a future showdown with two-time title challenger Anthony Yarde.
