Telford International Centre laid host to the semi-finals of The Box Off, a new boxing tournament with aspirations of revolutionising the sport of boxing and fixing the problems that run deep within the industry.
Four regional teams went head-to-head in the ring, with a cash prize up for grabs and a chance at being crowned The Box Off Team Champions in the finals.
The teams are spearheaded by key figures in the industry, or individuals who represent their city on the whole who share desires to revolutionise boxing and give exposure to fighters who provide the same entertainment value as those who are household names in the sport.
Boxing legends Ricky Hatton and Johnny Nelson captained the Manchester and Leeds teams, whilst rapper and personality, Jaykae took charge of the Birmingham force. The group of fighters from the capital had TV personality and TalkSport host, Tom Skinner, at the helm.
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The Outcome
It was 'The Guv'nors' who accumulated the most points on the night, taking a total of 14 points into the finals after Skinner's fighters were successful in three of their four fights.
The Londoners are closely followed by 'The Armoury' from Leeds, who picked up twelve points from the same record. Johnny Nelson's fighters did not manage to collect any bonus points from their bouts, but will be hopeful of catching the leaders.
Coming in at third is Ricky Hatton's Manchester-based 'The Revolution', who amassed nine points after two wins and two losses was tallied up with a singular bonus point.
It was not to be for Jaykae and his Brummie-based boxers, who failed to register a single point after losing all four of their fights. Despite the disappointment, the rapper who has 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify said it was a: "bad boy day", with "bad boy fights".
His enthusiasm and praise for the event was echoed by the other captains, with Johnny Nelson stating: "The matches were all very exciting, I have not enjoyed a night of boxing like that for quite a while."
Former unified light-welterweight world champion, Hatton, admitted it was a: "brilliant night, incredible fights, bang on". The happiest of them all was certainly the victorious Skinner though, who proclaimed: "we are bringing the title back to London, this show was out of this world".
The Box Off semi-finals earned plaudits from not just the captains, as Sky Sports Boxing commentator and pundit, Andy Clarke spectated, and claimed the evening filled with fights was: "the most action-packed show I have covered this year".
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The Results
Rhys Woods secured four points for 'The Revolution' with a stunning second-round victory over Jake Goodwin. His opponent's team threw the towel in after Woods landed several heavy hits on the face of Goodwin after a first round that went the way of the Leeds boxer.
In the final of the super-welterweight class, he will face Michael Likalu of 'The Guv'nors', who defeated Birmingham's Kay Jimenez.
The Londoner who caused a fiery press conference with Saturday's opponent backed up his claims by knocking out his counter-part in the second round.
In the super-featherweight class, Levi Smith progressed to the final after beating Liam Gaynor of Hatton's team of Mancunians. A close encounter went the way of Smith after the referee's scorecard had him as the better fighter with a score of 39 points compared to Gaynor's 37.
He will face Darryl Tapfuma in the final, who got the better of Samuel Pikire after claiming an impressive stoppage time win. The pair made the fight 'one to watch' after a heated build-up, but in the ring it was the fighter from the capital who claimed the spoils.
Darryl Sharp saw off Ben Thomas after the decision went down to the referees scorecard, claiming a huge four points for 'The Armoury'. His clash with Robbie Chapman in the final will be crucial as only two points currently separate Leeds and London, with six points available for the winner of the individual finals.
Chapman himself defeated Jackson Osagie of Birmingham, leaving the fighters from the second city with no points on the board. The bout actually ended in a draw, but the victory was given to the 'Camden Caretaker' due to one fighter having to progress. He was judged to have picked up more points than his opponent, who was devastated with the decision.
The Box Off Team Champions title is still up for grabs and in the sights of team London, team Leeds, and team Manchester, with it all to fight for in the finals, coming soon.
