What is the old saying ‘there’s no show without punch’?
There is always plenty of punch wherever Joe Laws is and no lack of noise thanks to the ‘Bomb Squad’.
The undefeated ‘Benwell Bomber’ was backed by his army of fans at the New Kidz on the Block show in Houghton.
Laws won his second pro fight at the Rainton Meadows Arena last summer and on Saturday night he clinched his fourth ‘W’ there, beating Leicestershire’s Michael Williams over four entertaining rounds.
The 24-year-old had told punch-lines in the build up to the Phil Jeffries-Steve Wraith show that he wanted some tough lads to build his ring minutes.
He got his wish as ‘Duck Boy’ took him the distance for the first time with Laws winning 40-37 on the card of referee, Ron Kearney.
The ‘Bomb Squad’ and the huge crowd at the arena saw a different sort of display from the Graeme Rutherford-trained Geordie.
There was a lot of movement and plenty of jabs from the Jaffa entertainer, who was having his first bout since a hand op.
Laws upped the punch ratio in round two, but Williams covered up nicely and took much of Joe’s shots on his arms and gloves.
However, Laws switched his attacks better in the third and in the last let plenty of punches go to the body of Williams.
Michael gave it a go in the final three minutes and earned a share of that session.
Newcastle neighbour Terence Wilkinson is one up on Laws by virtue of victory number five.
The Walker fighter, with Davy Ritson and Neil Fannan in his corner, was positive from the start against serial Lancashire loser, Naheem Chaudhry.
Chaudhry stuck out his tongue more than his fists in the first three one-sided rounds but he finally realised what he was there for by throwing some punches in the last.
Unlucky Terry ended up with a nasty cut to his left eye after a clash of heads but did not let that affect him as he triumphed 40-36, Mr Kearney doing the reffing.
Talking of being unlucky, Dean Laing was the only home fighter to lose and he was unfortunate to say the least to drop a 58-56 defeat to Harry Matthews.
In the other six-rounder of the event (Joe Maphosa beat Louis Norman the top of the bill contest), Laing boxed confidently from the off.
Matthews, known as the ‘Pocklington Rocket’ upped his game in the third when he delivered the more telling shits, but Laing regained his authority in rounds four and five.
Harry took the last when he troubled Dean a couple of times, but it only looked a consolation.
Your punch-lines author scored it 58-56 to the light-heavy, who is trained in O’Tooles by Owen Reay, but the only view that counted was that pf the ‘third man’.
Mr Kirkpatrick, who has forgotten more about boxing than I will know, gave the Yorkshireman victory by a point.
There should have been a fourth Tyneside on the bill, but Jone Volau’s heavyweight date fell through after his opponent pulled out on the morning of the show.
Words: Roy Kelly
