THE RESULT: In one more scintillating British title combat in a yr already filled with them, Ashley Lane received the British bantamweight title on the second try by slowing down and stopping Chris Bourke in the sixth spherical tonight (March 22) at Bethnal Green’s York Hall. The combat, which was compelling all through, started with Bourke boxing fairly brilliantly for 2 or three rounds earlier than Lane then got here on robust and gained confidence in rounds 4 and 5. By the sixth, fairly extremely, there appeared just one man in management and just one winner. That man was Lane, who rocked Bourke with a proper hand in the sixth and completed him two minutes and 9 seconds into the spherical. The win delivers Lane each the British title and the Commonwealth title.
KEY MOMENTS: It all began so properly for Bourke, with him touchdown loads of eye-catching left palms – thrown as each a cross and an uppercut – in the primary three rounds and even chopping Lane above the attention in spherical one. This success was to not final, nevertheless, and shortly it was Lane doing all the higher work. A person exhausting to cease, Lane caught to Bourke and stayed there, refusing to both take a backwards step up or give Bourke a second’s peace. In the tip, a giant proper hand in the sixth proved the decisive punch, swinging the combat the way in which of an unrelenting Lane.
RECORDS: Lane, 33, is now 18-10-2 (3), whereas Bourke, 29, falls to 13-2 (8).
TALKING POINT: Not for the primary time, tonight’s British title combat was a tremendous instance of perseverance and by no means giving up. This applies not solely to the actual fact Lane entered the combat with 10 defeats to his title, but additionally the way in which the 33-year-old boxed on the evening. Outclassed early, and seemingly out of his depth, Lane caught to the sport plan and maintained complete perception that he would finally get to Bourke and make him combat his combat. He was, in each respect, spot on.
QUOTABLE: “I left home at 18, I was homeless a few times, I moved to Devon, moved back to Northampton, and then to Bristol to train with Lee Haskins,” mentioned Lane. “My life has been up and down. I’ve been homeless and suicidal. It’s been brutal. But ever since I began boxing at 15 I knew that no person from Northampton had received a British title and I wished to be the primary one. I’ve simply achieved that. If I can aspire different children, that’s the perfect factor I can do.
“The cut didn’t bother me at all. I knew it was between my eyes, not running into my eyes. You can’t stop a fight on a cut that isn’t hindering a fighter. It didn’t bother me at all.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: “The one fight on my mind is Thomas Essomba for the European title,” mentioned Lane. “Let’s put it all on the line: British, Commonwealth and European. He’s a wicked kid. I respect him a lot. He’s a credit to the sport and he’s done it the hard way. Let’s put me and Essomba in there for all the belts.”
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