By James Slater – Tonight in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, fans were treated to a great little action fight as British super-featherweight champ Gary Sykes retained his belt with an exciting, up from the floor points win over former champ Carl Johanneson.
The younger man by five years at age 27, Sykes prevailed in the battle of attrition via scores of 116-112, 115-112 and 115-113. Now 18-1(4), Sykes seems to have put his shock, 1st-round KO loss to Gary Buckland (in that recent edition of “Prizefighter”) behind him. Johanneson, who is now 30-5(19) gave his all tonight and he may or may not have fought his last fight..
Both guys went at it at bell-one, with Sykes proving to be the faster man of both hands and feet. But it was Johanneson who held the dynamite in his gloves, and both guys pushed each other to the limit all night. The challenger used his left jab to good effect, landing it well. The champion landed a ton of eye-catching, flashy combos. Both guys attacked the body well.
The fight was as close as can be in the early and middle rounds, with neither guy managing to get the upper hand. Johanneson put on relentless pressure, Sykes took turns in boxing and moving and standing and trading with the dangerous banger.
Some additional drama came in the 9th-round, as a big right hand to the head decked Sykes. The champ was up quickly but Johanneson was all over his man after the count. Putting everything he had into an effort at getting the stoppage win, the challenger almost punched himself out. Sykes, to his huge credit, came back well from the knockdown and the subsequent pressure, and he even launched an attack of his own.
Both men were very tired in the final three rounds, but Sykes was doing more work; his hands still fast, his combos still being fired. A right hand noticeably snapped back the head of Johanneson in the 11th, and in the 12th Sykes pumped out a surprising amount of work. The Sky Sports commentators had it close, but Johanneson seemed to know he had lost.
Sykes proved he has a chin tonight, as he wanted to going in, and he also showed a lot of heart. Johanneson, always a fighter to give fans value for money, came close to pulling it off, but his recent inactivity combined with his age aided Sykes.
On the under-card, unbeaten super-middleweight George Groves, the reigning Commonwealth champion, took a keep-busy eight-rounder against Ghana’s Daniel Allotey. 22-year-old Groves eventually managed to figure out the amazingly wild, even clumsy style of the once beaten 26-year-old southpaw, as he scored two knockdowns in the 4th-round. The second right hand that decked Allotey prompted the ref to call the fight off without a count.
Groves is now 12-0(10). Allotey, who tried his best, is now 13-2(6).
Tonight’s fight served as a final tune-up for Groves, ahead of his upcoming grudge-match with James De Gale – the British super-middleweight boss. After his win, both Groves and his manager/trainer Adam Booth spoke about the inevitable showdown that all of Britain wants to see.
“I chose to fight a southpaw because of the DeGale fight coming up,” Groves said. “I know I have his number. Whether I win on points or by stoppage I don’t really care. DeGale will struggle to sleep going into the fight, because he’ll have me on his mind.”
“It’s very close [to happening],” Booth said. “The fight has to happen. We are very close to making an announcement.”
Groves Vs. DeGale promises to be a great fight for the summer of 2011!