Repeat or revenge was the question punch-lines posed last week ahead of Jordan Ellison’s re-match with Colin Day.
As it was, it turned out to be neither as the pair could not be separated by referee Jamie Kirkpatrick, who scored it 76-76 after eight great rounds in Liverpool.
The pair had fought out a four-rounder belter at Wigan at the back end of 2017 when star referee, Steve Gray, marked Jordan a 39-38 winner.
Ever since, Colin has craved a re-match and on Saturday night he got it, but did not get the result he wanted.
It was the first draw of Ellison’s 33-bout career, which now reads 11-21-1.
The Seaham and Hartlepool lightweight started well and was superb in the middle section but never-day-die Day ended strongly to earn a deserved draw.
“We’ve no complaints, 76-76 is about right,” said Gus Robinson Developments head coach Peter Cope, who had Alan Temple alongside him in the away corner.
“In the last round we both turned to each other and said ‘draw’.
“We were really, really pleased with Jordan, it was a great effort.
“He was in the top of the bill contest and he performed really well.”
Ellison made a quick start at the famous Olympia venue, where he defeated Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd last November, taking the first round though the second to fourth rounds were close sessions.
The road warrior was brilliant in the fifth and when he had the better of the sixth too, he looked on his way to a double over the Skelmersdale fighter.
But Day threw the kitchen sink at Ellison in the last two rounds and deserved his draw.
“To a degree it’s a little bit like the one that got away,” said Cope. “You’d say Jordan had the quality and Colin had the work-rate.
“I said after the sixth to Jordan ‘you’ve got him where you want him’ but Colin came out like a whirlwind in the seventh and eighth, really swinging and sheer determination got him a result.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins/ East Durham Life
