Whoever dubbed tonight’s show No Place to Hide could not have got it more right.
Steve Wraith, celebrating his sixth anniversary as a promoter, marked the occasion with a belter at Dunston alongside Phil Jeffries, who was 200 miles south watching Lewis Ritson winning for the 17th time.
Jaffa missed a cracker at the Lancastrian Suite where a packed audience witnessed Lawrence Osueke’s first stoppage win as a professional, six top bouts including two away wins and a draw.
Osueke, not for the first time, looked a million dollars, as he avoided the wild swings of Kamil Kulczyk before turning it on in the third round to stop the Pole at one minute, 48 seconds for his fifth success on the trot.
It had been scheduled for six rounds.
So too was Kyle Redfearn’s seventh paid win but mercifully it was stopped at one minute, 36 second of round two.
Opponent Jinrich Valecky was knocked about by the Ferryhill Firework before referee Ron Kearney correctly stepped in before the Czech veteran got hurt.
While this overseas visitor was out of his depth, the same could not be said of Russia’s Boris Shikunov.
The Moscow teenager finished his six-rounder with Darren Reay strongly to end the Bedlington Terrier’s 100 per cent record with Mr Kearney scoring it 57-57.
The show opened and closed with derbies and with victories for the away corner.
Kris Pilkington v Jay Hughes set the standard for the event with a storming four rounder.
Both men thought they had won it but referee Darren Sarginson lifted the arm of Hughes, giving him the nod 39-37.
Depending on what you favour, this could have gone either way, Pilkington boxing with aggression while Hughes produced the better quality. A re-match would be welcome.
There could be no dispute about the finale when Kris’s team-mate, Zaki Shirzad, started his debut in a mad rush.
But he soon ran out of steam and Adam Hutchinson (pictured) boxing as a pro for the first time since 2011, did not waste a punch in the final three rounds for a deserved first win, 39-37 from Mr Kearney. Zaki will come again.
Two other home winners did not have matters all their own way.
Joe Hill and Chad Ellis both extended their winning runs, but not without some hassle against vastly more experienced foes.
Redcar prospect Hill edged out Manchester’s Sam Omidi who was competitive throughout while Ellis sent the Spennymoor contingent home happy with a 40-37 decision over Chris Jenkinson, who landed no shortage of clean shots.
There was joy for Manchester-based Dean Laing who was boxing in his home town for the first time, defeating Latvia’s Raimons Sniedze 40-36.
Words: Roy Kelly
