Controversy Reigns

TWO thrilling, but widely different fights for vacant Welsh titles ended in controversy – one justified, the other less so – in front of a vocal crowd at the LC2.

- Gareth Jones

The first, for the super-feather throne, brought Carmarthen’s Angelo Dragone, with five straight wins, up against popular local Kristian Touze, also unbeaten, but with two draws on his ledger.

A hot favourite, the bearded Dragone began to pressure “2ZEE” from the off, a firm right at the end of the opener damaging his nose. A clash of heads in the second saw Krystian cut near the left eye and generally looking uncomfortable.

The fourth saw Touze, usually able to dictate the pace against compliant journeymen, finally establish his southpaw jab, but it was a brief period of supremacy. From then on the Swansea boxer’s preferred tactic seemed to involve sporadic combinations followed by a step inside to claim his man.

Perhaps the fact that referee Reece Carter never warned him for the holding offered a hint as to his thinking. It made for an untidy, if always compelling bout with Angelo, despite damage near both eyes, doing most of the effective work.