Adam Azim, the most exciting young prospect in world boxing today, dominated an experienced undefeated opponent in Santos Reyes to take a unanimous decision victory over 10 rounds.
Azim gave a mature, intelligent performance to move to 8-0 as a professional, controlling the entire fight and almost never giving Reyes the opportunity to land a single clean shot on him. Azim jabbed and moved throughout, not taking a single risk before he landed a knockdown in the second round, where he then did increase his offensive output.
The jab was the shot that everything was built on from Azim, consistently using it to hit Reyes without Reyes having a chance to respond, and building from it into his more powerful shots, with the lead left hook having notable success.
Azim also targeted the body throughout the fight, finding and exploiting any gap in Reyes’s defense to perfection en route to a clear victory.
All three judges scored the contest 100-89, the shutout victory underlining how Azim looks utterly unstoppable at only 20 years old and destined for greatness in the coming years.
Adam Azim said to Sky Sports after the fight: “This was a tough fight, he was a really tough opponent. I thought he was finished in the second round, but those Latin Americans are tough fighters and he stuck it out.”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO & Founder, stated: “For a 20-year-old to display that kind of maturity and intelligence in his first fight headlining a major British arena perfectly illustrates why Adam Azim is the brightest prospect in British boxing today and why he’s tipped for future greatness by so many insiders.”
Televised Card Results:
Adam Azim def. Santos Reyes – UD (100-89, 100-89, 100-89)
Zak Chelli def. Anthony Sims Jr – UD (98-92, 98-92, 99-92)
Viddal Riley def. Anees Taj – TKO Rd 4 (0:04)
Tyler Denny def. Brad Pauls – UD (97-93, 97-93, 98-93)
Caroline Dubois def. Feriche Mashaury – TKO Rd 3 (0:47)
Full Undercard Results
Zak Chelli def. Anthony Sims Jr – UD (98-92, 98-92, 99-92)
Former English Super Middleweight Champion Zak Chelli put on one of the best performances of his career to beat a highly regarded opponent in Anthony Sims Jr who many thought would be too much for Chelli.
Chelli got the best of the opening rounds of the fight, although all were highly competitive. Chelli used his jab to great success to both the body and the head and timed closing the distance expertly, allowing him to land shots without taking many in return.
Sims Jr remained competitive throughout, and made Chelli miss on many occasions, but certain shots from Chelli found their mark on multiple occasions, those being a winging overhand right and a disciplined right uppercut, which both were crucial weapons for Chelli’s success.
The eighth round was a Sims Jr’s best of the fight, as Chelli started to slow down and Sims jr dominated the exchanges, forcing Chelli to back up and defend. However, Chelli showed great spirit to come back out for the ninth and confidently trade punches and win exchanges, stopping Sims Jr from building any late fight momentum and seeing out the last round to take a unanimous decision victory.
Zak Chelli said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I outboxed the boxer. A lot of people doubted me, but I never doubted myself, so I knew I could win here.I want bigger, better fights now.”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO & Founder, said: “This was a really good performance. Zak Chelli stepped up another level. The belief he has, he will fight anyone, and we can go right to the top now.”
Viddal Riley def. Anees Taj – TKO Rd 4 (0:04)
Highly touted Cruiserweight Viddal Riley moved to 8-0 as a professional in a strong performance that proved the excitement around him is justified. Viddal handled a high-pressure, aggressive opponent in Anees Taj who came to fight, using strong boxing skills and deploying his power at the right moments to force the fight to be stopped from a cut.
Viddal established a cannon-like jab from the start of the fight, using it to land stiff shots on Taj in the first round without giving him a chance to respond. Taj adapted to this well in the second round, and gave Viddal a few problems as the fight went on, but Viddal did the greater damage, opening up a cut next to Taj’s eye in the third round which bled significantly and was deemed too severe to continue the fight at the start of the next round.
The sky seems to be the limit for the popular, talented Viddal, and he looks set to keep on rising for a long time.
Viddal Riley said to Sky Sports after the fight:“I want to be a dominant champion, so I need to be tested, I need to be challenged. So I’m glad to have fights like that.”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO & Founder, said: “Viddal needs those fights. His skillset is seriously underestimated, he’s going to go all the way and we’re looking at fighting for titles by the end of the year.”
Tyler Denny def. Brad Pauls – UD (97-93, 97-93, 98-93)
Tyler Denny and Brad Pauls went to war for 10 rounds for the English Middleweight Championship, with Denny showing immaculate boxing skill to claim victory and retain his title against a game opponent in Brad Pauls who did everything he could to win the fight. Denny has now fought six undefeated opponents in succession and has earned the right to call himself a Champion.
The fight started tensely, with both fighters keeping discipline in the opening rounds. Pauls started to push forward more as the fight came out of the opening rounds, while Denny was counter-boxing and picking his shots highly successfully, broadly nullifying Pauls’s offense and landing some nicely timed counter-shots.
Denny started to get the better of exchanges, and found greater confidence and success as the fight went on, despite every round being razor close. This pattern continued as the fight progressed, with Denny opening up and throwing more punches as he began to take control of the fight.
The English Middleweight Champion even came close to stopping the fight at times, clattering Pauls with hooks from both hands throughout the eighth rounds to devastating effect, but Pauls showed heart to respond to this onslaught with renewed offense of his own, seeing out the final two rounds with determination and undoubtedly gaining a lot of new fans despite the defeat.
Caroline Dubois def. Feriche Mashaury – TKO Rd 3 (0:47)
Former Tokyo 2020 Olympian Caroline Dubois showed once again why she is the most exciting prospect in women’s boxing with another stoppage victory in the sixth fight of her professional career. Dubois controlled the fight from the start, managing the distance and the pace of the fight, pushing Feriche Mashaury into the corner of the ring and peppering her with shots to the head and body.
Mashaury was a wiley opponent, using skill to survive the first two rounds, but was eventually overwhelmed by Dubois’s boxing ability and savage knockout power.
Dubois stamped her presence in women’s boxing in 2022, waking people up to how talented she is, and 2023 looks set to be a continuation of her rapid ascent through the ranks. Nothing has slowed Caroline Dubois down yet in her quest for World Championships, and it doesn’t look like anything will soon.
Caroline Dubois said to Sky Sports after the fight: “She didn’t come to fight. It’s hard to stop someone who didn’t come in there to fight, but hopefully we can step up in future and start challenging for titles.”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO & Founder, said: “Caroline is a phenomenal talent and she showed that again tonight. We’re looking to move her through the ranks fast and want her to fight five times in 2023.”
Jeamie TKV def. Harry Armstrong – PTS (77-75)
Heavyweight prospect Jeamie TKV showed grit, determination and power as he took a dominant points victory in the fourth fight of his professional career. Harry Armstrong came into this fight undefeated and didn’t give an inch, winning multiple rounds on the referee’s scorecard, but was outworked and outfought by a serious talent in Jeamie TKV.
TKV consistently got the better of this barbaric slugging match, finding the opportunities to land clubbing hooks to Armstrong’s head and body in the clinch. This was a true heavyweight battle – the combined weight of both fighters being a staggering 519 lbs – and neither man looked interested in having the fight last the whole eight rounds.
Neither man would give up either though, so the fight went the distance, with action from the first to the final bell as both men left everything in the ring. Jeamie TKV is yet to be in a dull fight in his career, and looks set to keep moving through the ranks, scoring knockouts and winning fans in future.
Jeamie TKV said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I’m glad I took another victory tonight but I feel I could have got a stoppage there if I’d fought smarter. I fight to get knockouts and I had him in trouble a couple of times in the fight, but we move on and keep improving.”
Jordan Reynolds def. Mohamed Benchadi – TKO Rd 6 (0:58)
Luton’s own Jordan Reynolds outclassed an experienced opponent in Mohamed Benchadi in front of a rapturous section of his fans and in only his fifth professional bout, scoring a knockdown in the second round and remorselessly wearing down Benchadi on the way to ending the fight in the sixth and final round.
Reynolds rode roughshod over his opponent, but didn’t take a single unnecessary risk on his way to the second stoppage victory of his professional career, and his greatest so far.
Reynolds used his jab to perfection, finding his range and damaging Benchadi without letting him land anything in return. Benchadi used strong evasion to recover from his second round knockdown but was eventually overwhelmed by the skill and power of Reynolds.
Jordan Reynolds said to Sky Sports after the fight: “This is my year now, I’ve had setback after setback but now it’s my time. I put him under pressure, educated pressure, to force the end of the fight. I got complacent in the fifth round, so I had to be smart to end the fight.”
Stephen McKenna def. Brendon Denes – TKO Rd 5 (0:22)
Stephen McKenna took the 12th stoppage victory of his 13 fight professional career with a measured performance to stop a determined opponent in Brendon Denes. McKenna showed a world-class engine to box at a frenetic pace for four whole rounds that left his opponent battered and unwilling to contest the fifth round, ending the fight.
The Monaghan native used sharp footwork to manoeuvre his opponent into the corner of the ring multiple times across the fight, allowing him to unload volleys of offense that couldn’t be avoided, building damage until the end of the fight. McKenna is one of the most notable welterweight prospects in world boxing and looks set to be in huge fights in the near future.
McKenna said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I felt his power early in the fight and was confident I could end up the last man standing when we went to war. I could have boxed in that fight perfectly but I wanted to make a statement and get the stoppage victory, which I did successfully. I’m moving up in my career now and hungry to keep winning.”
Hassan Azim def. Abdallah Luanja – TKO Rd 2 (2:43)
Heavy handed older brother of one half of tonight’s main event, Hassan Azim, produced a consummate performance to dominate and destroy a veteran opponent in Abdallah Luanja. Azim pummelled his opponent from the first bell, working smartly off his jab to close the distance and fire off powerful left hooks to the head and body.
Azim looked close to forcing the stoppage at almost every moment of the fight, but Luanja stayed standing after shots that would have knocked out lesser fighters before the referee ended the fight late in the second round.
Azim said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I just put the pressure on him because I knew if I put the pressure on him he wouldn’t last the distance. I’ve been fighting 10 or 12 rounds in the gym so I knew I could get him out of there if I wanted to.
“I want to keep progressing from here and keep fighting better opponents in future.”
Razor Ali def. Hector Lozano – TKO Rd 3 (1:26)
Undefeated young prospect Razor Ali made a serious statement on the biggest stage of his professional career so far by taking his first-ever stoppage victory against a tough opponent in Hector Lozano.
Ali kept the pressure up from the first bell, constantly moving towards Lozano and finding gaps in his defence, and came close to stopping the fight in the very first round. Lozano held on against Ali’s barrage until half way through the third round when the referee was forced to step in.
Ali said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I was very happy to get the first stoppage of my career. I had the opportunity to show what I can do in front of my people, my supporters, and I think I did that well tonight.”
Full Card Results:
Adam Azim def. Santos Reyes – UD (100-89, 100-89, 100-89)
Zak Chelli def. Anthony Sims Jr – UD (98-92, 98-92, 99-92)
Viddal Riley def. Anees Taj – TKO Rd 4 (0:04)
Tyler Denny def. Brad Pauls – UD (97-93, 97-93, 98-93)
Caroline Dubois def. Feriche Mashaury – TKO Rd 3 (0:47)
Jeamie TKV def. Harry Armstrong – PTS (77-75)
Jordan Reynolds def. Mohamed Benchadi – TKO Rd 6 (0:58)
Stephen McKenna def. Brenden Denes – TKO Rd 5 (0:22)
Hassan Azim def. Abdallah Luanja – TKO Rd 2 (2:43)
Razor Ali def. Hector Lozano – TKO Rd 3 (1:26)
