Peter Cope today spoke of his pride in Jordan Ellison after the get-stuck-in Hartlepool boxer gave it his all in Belfast against Irish Olympian David Joyce.
The Gus Robinson Developments boxer was stopped, prematurely, in round six of an engaging lightweight battle at the SSE Arena.
Ellison had performed well against the undefeated Irish fighter, who went into this eight rounder having won five of his six bouts inside the distance.
But the 23-year-old, from Seaham, went hard at the home fighter and the first half of the contest was certainly competitive.
Joyce did begin to exert his strength but when the end came it was harsh on the away corner.
“It shouldn’t have been stopped,” said Cope. “I’m not saying we were winning, we were getting beaten but it was far too early.
“After it was stopped I looked across at Frank Warren and he just raised his eyebrows.
“Jordan did really well, that would have to go down as one of his best performances.
“I could not have asked for any more.
“He was great against a kid who was just relentless. Jordan was well in it for the first three rounds but then Joyce’s strength took over.
“I am a bit disappointed because the stoppage was premature, but performance-wise he was absolutely fantastic.”
Regulations mean Ellison can’t box now for a month though Cope says his break will be a quick one.
“Jordan can put his feet up for a week then he’ll be back in the gym,” said the Gus Robinson Developments head coach.
“He deserved a breather anyway, he’d done eight rounds the weekend before with a very recent British champion, Robbie Barrett.
“Jordan did great against Joyce so we’ll look to build on this form.”
In the main event, Carl Frampton clinched a notable unanimous points victory over Nonito Donaire in their WBO interim featherweight title fight. All three judges scored it 117-111 to ‘The Jackal’ whose new promoter, Frank Warren, is promising a stadium super fight in August at Windsor Park.
Words: Roy Kelly
