Commonwealth light welterweight champion Jack Rafferty (26-0-1, 17 KOs) battled to a 12-round majority draw against Mark Chamberlain (17-1-1, 12 KOs) in their headliner contest on Saturday night at Planet Ice, Altrincham, Cheshire, UK.
(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
The scores
- 114-114
- 115-114: Chamberlain
- 114-114
Rafferty controlled the first 10 rounds, using a jab, right hand, and constant pressure to dominate Chamberlain. In the 11th and 12th rounds, Chamberlain became aggressive for the first time in the fight and got the better of Rafferty.
At the end of the fight, Rafferty appeared to have done more than enough to be given the victory. The judges didn’t feel that way and turned in a set of questionable scores.
Rafferty staggered Chamberlain in the round. It was after this that Chamberlain became skittish, choosing to move constantly and not engaging the way he needed to. That round changed the complexion of the fight, taking the fight out of the 26-year-old southpaw Chamberlain.
Chamberlain’s Bloody Cuts
In the third round, Rafferty landed a long right hand to the head of Chamberlain, cutting him above his left eye. That was the first of two cuts that he sustained in the fight.
The situation got worse for Chamberlain in the fourth, when Rafferty tagged him with a hard shot that opened a cut over his right eye. This one was worse than the cut he’d sustained in the previous round.
By the seventh round, Chamberlain looked mentally defeated, as he wasn’t throwing many shots, and the ones that he did throw were weak. Most of the time, he was on his bike, trying to get away from the nonstop pressure from the 29-year-old Rafferty.
Chamberlain’s face looked like a bloody mess by the ninth round, and there were concerns about whether his corner should think about stopping the fight. He wasn’t competitive and was getting beaten up by the older, yet younger-looking Rafferty.
Chamberlain’s Late Surge
In the 10th round, Chamberlain came alive, going on the attack, landing stiff jabs, right hands, and left hooks to get the better of Rafferty. It was like an entirely different person inside the ring. Chamberlain looked like gold in there, showing energy and aggression that had been missing in the nine previous rounds.
In the 12th, Chamberlain stunned Rafferty with a left hand to the head. He dominated the action against the tired-looking Rafferty.