EBU middleweight champion Tyler Denny (20-2-3, 1 KO) retained his title with a fifth-round technical decision victory over Felix Cash (16-1, 10 KOs) in a fight that had a disappointing ending on Saturday night at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
The contest was halted in the fifth from the advice of the ringside doctor due to Cash’s cut right eye. The judges scored it 49-46, 49-47, and 49-47.
Cash had been hurt the previous round in the fourth from a left hook by Denny, and he looked in bad shape in the fifth.
It was a good thing for Cash that the fight was stopped because he wasn’t going to make it the full 12 round distance with his cut, and the fatigue level that he was showing. Cash was coming off a two-year layoff, and it was too soon for him to be fighting this level of opponent.
Cash had his moments in the fight, landing some big shots in the first three rounds, but Denny’s speed and activity level were a lot for him to deal with in this fight.
By the third, Cash looked tired, not the fresh fighter who had started the fight. In contrast, Denny was just getting warmed up, looking energized and putting a hurt on his ring-rusty opponent. Denny was landing clean shots to the head and body of Cash, wearing him down like a battery.
“As expected, 18 months out of the ring was going to be difficult to come back to. Felix looked very rusty early in the fight. His feet didn’t look like their normal selves. He lacked a little sharpness with the jab,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, discussing Felix Cash’s performance after the fight with Denny tonight.
“I thought as the fight unfolded a little bit, I thought Felix was having a little more success. His movement was improving. At that stage of the fight, I thought Tyler Denny was the big favorite because you know he’s lived the life, you know he’s super fit, you know his engine is going to have no problem, and Felix started to look a little bit ruffled. Obviously, the cut was bad,” said Hearn, explaining what went wrong for Cash.
