THE RESULT: Rarely do British title fights disappoint, and tonight’s (March 16) British middleweight title fight between Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls in Birmingham actually didn’t. It ended all sq. after 12 rounds – by scores of 116-113, 115-114 and 114-114 – however the disappointment of there being no winner is assuaged considerably by the thrilling spectacle each middleweights managed to produce. In a 12-round conflict, neither man took a backwards step, lulls have been few and far between, and each have been trying to win the ultimate spherical, understanding it might all come down to that. It was, in different phrases, a classic British title fight.
KEY MOMENTS: Heaney began the fight the higher of the 2, touchdown a massive proper hand in the second spherical and utilizing his probing jab to good impact in the early going. Boxing, at occasions, like an elongated Johnny Tapia, lengthy black socks and all, he would peck at Pauls from afar earlier than then stunning him with a surprisingly fast and heavy proper cross. Pauls, in the meantime, regardless of a sluggish first half of the fight, got here alive in spherical eight when he rocked Heaney along with his personal proper hand, inflicting Heaney to lose his gum protect and use the next timeout, in addition to some clinches, to see him by to the bell. He was then damage much more in the eleventh spherical, a spherical in which Pauls actually received on high and appeared on the point of stopping Heaney on a couple of event solely to in the end punch himself out.
RECORDS: With the draw Heaney, 34, now has a professional document of 18-0-1 (6), whereas Pauls’, 30, now has a professional document of 18-1-1 (10).
TALKING POINT: One wonders how Pauls will really feel concerning the second in spherical eight when he staggered Heaney with a large proper hand just for Heaney to lose his gum protect and purchase himself time. A turning level, maybe, Pauls was little doubt robbed of additional momentum, and perhaps even a end, by the timeout known as by the referee. With a minute nonetheless to go in the spherical, Heaney would have felt a relieved man when requested to resume preventing.
QUOTABLE: “I’m gutted, absolutely gutted,” stated Heaney. “I wanted to win. I thought I did enough to win but I also let him into it as well. He caught me a few times. Fair play to him, he was excellent.”
Pauls, in the meantime, stated: “Mixed emotions, to be honest. I think the crowd enjoyed it, so I’m happy about that. I always want to entertain. But I wanted that belt. Respect to Nathan. He has done it the way I have; small hall, worked his way up. I just wanted his belt. It’s nothing personal.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: Earlier in the night Heaney’s promoter, Frank Warren, stated that if Heaney beat Paul “he will get a shot at a world title”. Whether that finally ends up being true or not stays to be seen, however there may be clearly curiosity in shifting Heaney in direction of larger honours in the long run. It is sensible, too. He has a nice story, an entertaining fashion, a giant Stoke fan base, and additionally the potential to fight in larger arenas – particularly at house. As properly as all that, he’s 34 years of age, so will concentrate on the necessity to maximise this chance. First, although, given how tonight’s fight ended, why not have Heaney and Pauls fight once more? “We’ll see what Frank wants,” stated Heaney. “But I’m more than happy to do what he wants me to do.”
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