Ben Vaughan feels ready to move on to title fights, and he showed his class Saturday night with a dominant six-round display against Dale Arrowsmith.
Fighting back in his hometown of Northampton, the twenty-four-year-old looked a level above his experienced opponent, landing at will but showing increased accuracy and better shot selection than in his four-round shootout with Jimmy Cooper last October.
The southpaw was relentless, ripping in right hands to the body and consistently manoeuvring Arrowsmith against the ropes, putting on constant pressure and landing at will. Despite being forced into survival mode, Arrowsmith showed the durability that has seen him rack up over one hundred bouts, and he is rarely dropped or hurt.
Vaughan pushed the pace to the end and was throwing punches right up until the final bell, but couldn’t quite force the stoppage. Referee Ryan Churchill’s scored the fight a shutout 60-54 and
“It was a good performance, said Vaughan. I have been working on my angles in the gym and my set shots, and I felt I showed that tonight. This year I want to step up; the better the opponent, the better you will see from me. I don’t box at home as much as I would like, so I enjoyed tonight. The gym is doing great, and everyone is showing their skills. My career is on the line; I can’t afford to lose it. I’m dedicated, I’m focused, and I’m ready for the next step.”.
Nico Michael made it back-to-back wins over Steven Maguire and improved his unbeaten record to 5-0. The 28-year-old bantamweight has dropped at least one round in his previous four contests, but this time he earned his first shutout win and showed his improved fitness and ability to box at range. It was Maguire’s fiftieth bout, and he did his best to make it competitive, but Michael wasn’t to be denied, as he took the win 40-36.
Highly touted Yousuf Ibrahim put on an entertaining scrap with Nabil Ahmed as both men traded shots and kidology throughout their four-rounder. The 22-year-old’s corner may have preferred a more cautious approach, but Ibrahim knows how to put on a show, and despite dropping a round on the scorecard, he was a comfortable winner and moves on to 5-0.
Debutant Klinton Baptiste landed the most eye-catching punch of the night when he dropped Gennadij Krajevskij in the third with a crunching left hand. The super middleweight is from Luton but trains in Northampton. His debut was delayed by a few months, and he looked keen to make up for lost time. His Lithuanian opponent did his best to keep the action slow and on the inside, but Baptiste was landing some clean shots throughout as he took a 40-35 points win.
Doina Costin put in an assured performance on her professional debut in the show’s opening bout, outpointing Sherriee Barnes 40-36. The 30-year-old was a good amateur, and the technical advantages she had were clear, as her hand and foot speed advantage prevented Barnes from landing anything of note and she looks like a great addition to the flourishing woman’s game.
