Boxing Tonight: Whittaker vs. Gavazi – Live Results from Birmingham

Ben Whittaker (10-0-1, 7 KOs) obliterated the hapless lower-level fighter Benjamin Gavazi (19-2, 13 KOs) by a first-round blowout to capture the WBC Silver light heavyweight title in a two-knockdown performance on Saturday at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.

Whittaker knocked Gavazi with a right hand to the head. The German fighter climbed off the canvas and looked in bad shape.

When the action resumed, Whittaker stormed after him, hitting him with combinations, then dropping him with a left-right to the head that put him down hard on his back. The referee immediately halted the fight. The time of the stoppage was at 2:15 of round one.

Results

Middleweight Tom Cowling (15-1, 4 KOs) walked through fire to defeat the bigger, stronger Aaron Bowen (7-1, 5 KOs) by a 10-round split decision to capture the vacant BBBofC Midlands Area middleweight title in the chief support bout.

Bowen decked Cowling with a right hand in round five. Cowling came back to get the better of Bowen in the final five rounds, but it was still very close.

The judges’ scores were 96-93 for Bowen, 95-94, and 95-94 for Cowling

Lightweights Cameron Vuong (9-0-1, 4 KOs) and Gavin Gwynne (18-4-2, 5 KOs) fought to a disappointing 10-round majority draw. The 23-year-old Vuong looked like gold early on, pasting Gwynne with uppercuts and hooks to the head. However, after five rounds, Vuong had nothing left in the gastank and held frequently from rounds six through ten.

The judges’ scores were 97-93 for Vuong, 95-95, and 95-95. Gwynne looked like the better fighter at the end.

Super bantamweight Molly McCann (2-0, 1 KOs) used her superior punching form to beat Ebanie Cotton (1-1) by a six-round points decision. Referee Ryan Churchill scored it 58-56. McCann landed hard left hooks to control the action in rounds one through four. Cotton pressure came roaring back in rounds five and six to make it close at the end. At the midpoint of the contest, Cotton suffered a cut on her forehead, which bled constantly for the remainder of the fight.

Super featherweight Ibraheem ‘Spider’ Sulaimaan (10-0, 5 KOs) used his pressure and volume punching to stop the overmatched Nico Ogbeide (6-2-1) in the sixth round to win the vacant BBBofC Midlands Area super featherweight title. The long-armed Sulaimann, 24, controlled most of the fight with his body shots and hooks to the head.

In round six, Ogbeide suddenly stopped throwing back and shelled up against the ropes. Sensing wounded prey, Sulaimann let loose with a storm of punches, prompting referee Chris Dean to stop the fight. The time was 1:52 in round six.