14.04.07 – Honours were declared even at the end of a gruelling contest between Chris Edwards and Dale Robinson at Altincham Leisure Centre tonight. The British and Commonwealth title bout was later described by promoter Frank Maloney as one of the best flyweight contests that he had ever witnessed. By the end of the bout both fighters were bleeding profusely from cuts above both eyes and the doctor had been summoned to each of them during hostilities in order to adjudicate whether they could continue. Fortunately for the crowd he determined that both Edwards and Robinson could carry on..
The contest was one of two distinct halves with Robinson, as expected, coming on strong during the early rounds. Despite being forced to retreat for much of the early part of the fight Edwards did however counter effectively during much of this period.
Robinson had clearly learned from the defeat that he had suffered at the hands of Edwards in November and employed his jab much more than he had done during their previous encounter.
Nevertheless, he was clearly looking to get an early night as he threw his trademark hooks with real venom. As he had done in November Edwards either ducked them or walked through them.
By the end of round five it was beginning to dawn on Robinson that Edwards’ victory last year was no fluke after all and that the Potteries man scored highly in the durability stakes. By the end of round six Robinson’s confidence was beginning to wane and he began to tire noticeably.
From the beginning of round seven and thereafter Edwards was in the ascendancy. He didn’t get it all his own way by any means, Robinson remained dangerous throughout but now Edwards was launching consistently more flurries than the Huddersfield man and was connecting with the majority of his shots.
During rounds 8, 9 and 10 Edwards cranked up the pressure and busied himself throughout. Robinson’s jab was now absent as he either hooked or clung on when the opportunity arose. Edwards totally dominated in round 11 and stopped Robinson in his tracks at one point during the session but failed to press home the advantage.
Robinson rallied somewhat during the final stanza but Edwards still edged it by being the busier of the two men. At the final bell both men and their respective corners clearly thought they had done enough to edge it and seize the titles, the judges saw it differently however. Of the three judges one scored it in favour of Robinson, one in favour of Edwards with Mickey Vann scoring it even. The bout was therefore declared a draw and the titles remain vacant.
Although neither man secured the titles that were up for grabs both emerged with an immense amount of credit: a hard fought battle had been contested in a sporting manner with the referee having to intervene rarely during proceedings. Robinson regained his credibility and Edwards established himself as a serious contender in the flyweight division.
For Chris Edwards though it appears that if he’s to emulate the achievement of Tommy Harrison and become the first man from Stoke to win a British title for 85 years he will have to wait a little longer. Dale Robinson will still have a say in the matter however.
Afterwards, both Edwards and Robinson agreed to a further rematch and Frank Maloney confirmed to Sky Sports that he would be happy to make the fight.
Roll on Edwards/Robinson III.