Doing it the first time was pretty good but bettering it was nothing short of sensational.
Ellis Corrie needed only 174 seconds to retain his Northern Area welterweight title with a first-round stoppage of Chad Ellis at a packed Newcastle Eagles Community Arena.
The 22-year-old’s huge right with just 20 seconds of the round to go was landed with such force that his challenger was put into the ropes, which just about kept him upright.
Referee Ron Kearney gave him a standing eight count and allowed the Darlington v Spennymoor derby to continue but three further rights to the head prompted MTK coach Gary Barr to throw in the towel, Mr Kearney waving it off at two minutes, 54 seconds.
It was almost a carbon copy of Corrie’s first championship success against Tom Hill – but quicker, the Steve Wraith/ Pete Shepperson boxer having stopped the Redcar fighter in ruthless fashion in four rounds at Houghton in December.
“I was over the moon,” Corrie told punch-lines. “We’ve been working hard in the gym for God knows how long and that work is starting to show now.
“Everything we do in the gym is going well and that’s now being proved in the ring.”
To put away two very good (and unbeaten} opponents inside five rounds is proof enough of what the former Muay Thai fighter is all about.
Now his sights are set on a possible English title eliminator, something which could be feasible for the Matchroom event at the Utilita Arena on April 4.
It could come further down the line but one thing is for sure the ambition is there for bigger nights.
“I’ve loved winning the Northern Area title,” he explained. “But we don’t want to stick at this level, we want to move forward.
“This is a stepping stone for better things – we’ve got April 4th booked in for Newcastle and I’m hoping for a good turn out of support from the people of Darlington and the North-East.”
It was a tough night for Chad Ellis, who had approached the contest with quiet confidence after a nine-bout winning run.
The strides made in the last year demonstrate he is going in the right direction and there is nothing stopping that journey continuing under the tutelage of Gary Barr and the backing of MTK.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
