Boxing

Harrison Outpoints McCullough, Arthur TKO´s Malinga

Photos: Tom Casino/Showtime

The Fights Will Be Replayed In Their Entirety On SHO2 On Tuesday, March 25, At 11 PM ET/PT

23.03 - Spurred on by a wildly enthusiastic hometown crowd, local favorite Scott Harrison successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight championship with a one-sided 12-round decision over former World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight titleholder and current WBO No. 8 featherweight contender, Wayne McCullough, Saturday on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF)/WBO International and British Commonwealth 130-pound champion, Alex Arthur, captured the vacant British super featherweight crown with a sixth-round TKO over Patrick Malinga. The bouts, which aired at 11 PM ET/PT (same-day delay) from the Braehead Arena, were promoted by Frank Warren's Sports Network.

Harrison (19-1-1, 9 KOs), of Glasgow, was victorious in a good action fight by the scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 119-108. He could not floor McCullough, but was mostly dominant as he punished the challenger with countless right hands and combinations to the head and body throughout. The first Scot to win a world 126-pound title in the 110-year history of the division, and the first boxing world champion from Scotland since Paul Weir in 1995, Harrison was making the first defense of the title he won when he unanimously outpointed defending champion Juan Pablo Chacon across 12 rounds on Oct. 19, 2002. The triumph was the 16th in a row for Harrison.

McCullough (26-4, 17 KOs), of Las Vegas by way of Belfast, Northern Ireland, performed valiantly and never quit trying against a naturally bigger, stronger opponent. He got rocked and staggered several times in the middle rounds but managed to remain upright. The defeat was the first in four starts for McCullough since he resumed his career in January 2002. Following a 26-month layoff, the crowd-pleasing veteran had won three straight by knockout before losing Saturday. McCullough captured the WBC 118-pound crown with a 12-round decision over Yasuei Yakushiji on July 30, 1995. McCullough, who compiled a 190-10 amateur record, became Ireland's first Olympic boxing medalist in 36 years when he won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics.

Arthur (15-0, 13 KOs) of Edinburgh, Scotland, had a tougher-than-expected time before his scheduled 12-round match with Malinga was stopped at 2:03 of the sixth. A promising boxer-puncher, Arthur had cornered Malinga and was pummeling him with both hands when the referee stepped in and halted the proceedings. Arthur, who went 99-13 in the amateurs, won countless international tournaments before turning pro at age 22 on Nov. 25, 2000. The crowd-pleasing youngster was voted British Boxing's Best Young Boxer in 2001.


Malinga (13-4-2, 11 KOs) of Johannesburg, South Africa, was very game in his first start outside his homeland. He shook Arthur early with a solid shot in the second and gave it his best for much of the initial five rounds before weakening in the sixth.

The fight card will be replayed in its entirety on SHO2 Tuesday, March 25, at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

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