by James Slater – Last night in Belfast, 25-year-old Sam Sexton once again had too much for gutsy 38-year-old Martin Rogan. Another great all-action fight ensued, as it had done when the two men first met back in May, and once again the younger man won.
Rogan, who had picked up a small cut above his right eye in the 5th-round, was unable to come out for the 7th-round. The official reason was a damaged left arm, but it looked as though the local man had taken too much punishment in the 6th-round, a session Norwich’s Sexton won big. Sexton, who retained the Commonwealth heavyweight title he’d won by TKO’ing Rogan in 8-rounds in their previous meeting, improved to 13-1(6). The always-exciting Rogan fell to 12-2(6)..
With a quite deafening pro-Rogan crowd watching, the two men did not disappoint the paying customers, and the action, if anything, was better in the rematch than it had been in the original. Sexton said pre-fight how he is getting better and better each and every day, while Rogan, at 38, has already seen his best days. Sexton did look the far sharper man last night, and his left jab and right hand leads were quick and accurate when he opted to utilise them.
The early rounds saw Rogan attempting to turn the fight into what he likes best; a brawl. But the younger man was able to handle his crude rushes well enough, Sexton countering sharply in response. “Rogie” would not take no for an answer, though, and eventually he broke through and had some major success.
The 4th-round was a round that saw the older man’s sheer work-rate get to Sexton, and in the 5th-round the 25-year-old – who has only been beaten by fellow heavyweight up-and-comer Derek Chisora – was in real danger of being overwhelmed and stopped. A right hand to the head clearly hurt Sexton in the early part of the round, and he grabbed and held onto Rogan for all he was worth. Badly hurt again, towards the end of a round in which Rogan really gave it all he had, the Commonwealth champ’s legs dipped once more. It was a great round for Rogan, but it came at a cost.
In hindsight, Rogan all but emptied himself in the 5th, and he was visibly fatigued in the next session. Sexton, showing real character, came out well in round-six, snapping his man’s head with good punches. A cracking right hand slammed into the side of Rogan’s head and the tough old man from Belfast was hurt. Still driving himself on despite his tiredness, Rogan was giving us yet another incredible fight. A hard left hand to the head hurt him in the last 30-seconds of the round, however, and the follow-up shots to the head from Sexton had him looking distressed.
His legs looking wobbly and Rogan walking around the ring unsteadily, the 38-year-old had lost the round as big as he had won the previous three minutes. And then came the ending. Rogan could not continue and his corner signalled to the referee that the battle was over.
It’s tough to see where the value for money “Entertainer” goes from here. But as far as Sexton goes, his future looks very bright. A rematch with Chisora, who stopped Sexton in the 6th-round in June of 2008, would be most interesting.