Prizefighter: A Look Ahead
By Donald Stewart
As an event there is little to challenge Prizefighter.
It is the amateur style with professionals using an eliminator style competition to get through eight fighters with only one winner at the end of it. The latest installment had an ex World Champion, a man once pronounced dead during an operation and enough drama on the night to fill national newspapers the length and breadth of the UK.
The winner was a man called Rocky with the fewest number of fights of any of the eight fighters who ended up in Liverpool on the March 23rd, 2011.
The Olympia in Liverpool is a local hall with a fantastic boxing heritage and it was there that these eight Super Middleweights pitched to fight for the £32,000 prize. The atmosphere was electric is a cliché but the fireworks that came from the sparks in the ring started with the first bout. Carl Dilks’ trainer was furious when his man was out after a split decision against Jahmaine Smyle.
He was clearly seen wandering round the hall mouthing off and complaining at the decision which many though was the wrong one.
Another split decision in the first round gave us the end of Wayne Reed’s involvement as he was elbowed aside by Joe Ainscough.
Ainscough was that man declared dead after he was stabbed on a night out. An innocent victim who had gone to help break up a fight Ainscough found himself the biggest victim of all. Whilst recovering in hospital he vowed to climb back into the ring that had given him so much and in his home town he was there to compete for the crown and no sympathy. That he did and he was in great form in his first bout.
Former World Champion – Robin Reid, now forty and looking fitter than he did when he was in his mid twenties was a casualty of the first round too as he fell to Tobias Webb in a unanimous decision.
Since then and talking to Hatton TV he has said he shall continue fighting – looking for a 7 or 9 rounder against the likes of Carl Dilks. Before the competition he was putting his name up for a fight against the winner of James Chunky DeGale and George Groves. Of all the fighters on show most had come and tuned in to see if Reid was at the beginning of a come back. Unfortunately it was a premature beginning if it is a come back.
Eventual winner Rocky Fielding managed to get through after stopping his opponent Patrick J Maxwell in the second round. It was an auspicious start and one that he would build on towards the title.
In the semi final Rocky was unstoppable and he managed to stop brave Joe Ainscough in the first round. Ainscough was so unlucky as a cut stopped him. This brave Liverpudlian will surely be back out for more action later this year as he captured our hearts with his story and our admiration with his skill.
The other semi final went to a unanimous decision and Tibia Webb – nephew of Enzo Maccarinelli – managed to get past the awkward Jahmaine Smyle.
The final was set up to be the man who had come into the fight in six days against the man who had the pedigree of a family steeped in boxing. It felt like destiny when all it took was one round for Rocky to make his presence felt and Tobias Webb sat on the stool and refused to come out.
Rocky Fielding was champ but the man who doubled his win rate as a professional by taking part in Prizefighter has an awkward future ahead of him. Other winners of Prizefighter have come out of it and immediately been quoted as contenders for belts. This guy has won six professional contests. Which belt can he realistically compete for? British maybe at best but he will be worth the watching. His story, however, has captured the imagination.
That imagination has been given little time to rest with the news that the NEXT Prizefighter will be international. The international Heavyweight Prizefighter will be in London on May 7th.
Confirmed Heavyweights include Martin Rogan – original Heavyweight winner, Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson who lost on points to VItali Klitschko, Mike “The Rebel” Perez – 10 wins in 13 fights, former WBF Champion Richel Hersisia from Holland and equally big hitting German Konstantin Airich – 13 KO’s – 16 fights.
This is the first time fighters outside of the UK have been invited and it will be sensational. But you know where to find out about it when it happens and what happens in the lead up to it – just bookmark our home page…