Alex Farrell looks something special already.
And he seems to be getting better every time we see him and that was the case on Friday evening at Houghton, where he registered his fifth straight victory as a professional with a sixth-round stoppage of Serge Ambomo.
While Ambomo is not out of the top drawer, a fight with him represented a step up in opponent and distance and he emerged from his first six-rounder with the performance of the night.
Old Serge might lose a few but he’s a tough lad who rarely gets a beating, but that’s what he took in the chief support bout to Joe Maphosa’s unsuccessful bid for the vacant English super-flyweight title against Craig Derbyshire.
Alex’s hands were sharp and while the former Olympian did his best to protect his head, the shots from the Greek Geordie got through.
A left hook seemed to wobble Ambomo at the end of the second and the domination continued, prompting chants of “Black Diamond” from his supporters.
The Sheffield boxer had the audacity to ‘put it on’ Farrell at the end of rounds three and four so punch-lines enjoyed the conclusion of the fifth when Farrell, sensing a repeat, decided to let his opponent have it.
It was a prelude to a sustained assault in the final round with teo left-right combinations putting down Ambomo who, while up at the count of four, was soon in bother when thumped with a left hook.
Luckily, referee Ron Kearney caught him before he toppled and helped him back to the red corner, where he soon recovered.
It was timed at one minute, 52 seconds and it was the second stoppage for the David Binns-trained talent and only the third early defeat for Ambomo.
Also winning for the fifth time was Darlington’s Henry Thomas, who was back in the ring for the first time since March 2017.
The unbeaten lightweight, now managed by Phil Jeffries, was a late addition to the promoter’s first event of 2021.
Despite conceding a fair amount of weight to Newark’s Fonz Alexander, ‘Hurricane’ breezed through the four rounds for a 40-36 result from Mr Kearney.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
