The Boys Are Back In Town Review
Brodie and Morris Pick Up Good Wins At The Velodrome
Michael Brodie showed that he still has plenty of heart and determination (even after a four year layoff) with a fantastic victory over confident Londoner Mark Alexander.
Brodie Shows He's Still Got It
In the first round, Alexander utilised his reach advantage and was jabbing well from the outside. He also managed to score a knockdown after a good left to the body put the popular Mancunian to the floor. The Manchester crowd was initially silenced, but they got behind their fighter as Brodie made his way through the round.
At the start of the second session, Brodie was cut badly by Alexander who was visibly growing in confidence. Both fighters had their moments in this round, but Brodie probably nicked it as he was landing more quality shots. However, his legs remained rubbery from the knockdown, and Alexander was still looking very good.
Brodie started the third well, but looked on the verge of being stopped after being put down by yet another body shot. This combined with the cut (which was getting worse) made it look like this was going to be a comeback from hell for Brodie, but in the fourth, he showed his true colours.
Brodie started well and floored Alexander early on in the round. Alexander bravely got up, but Brodie went in for the kill; pinning his foe on the ropes and causing the referee to call a stop to the bout.
The Mancunian crowd went wild. Fans tried to rush to Brodie only to be halted in their tracks by security guards as a relieved Brodie celebrated with his corner. While he got the win, he will be less than happy with his performance, and maybe if he had slowed it down and not rushed in initially he wouldn't have had such a torrid time. However, Alexander gave it his all and should also be credited for a brave performance.
Former Champions Win On Undercard
Andy Morris scored a first round TKO against game, but unskilled Spaniard Jesus Garcia Simon. Morris couldn't miss with his punches, and fans of the 'Wythenshawe Warrior' went home happy.
Craig Watson defeated the durable Matt Scriven via points as well. Watson will be happy just to get some ring time under his belt after his narrow loss to John O'Donnell in April, and Scriven was always going to be able to take him a few rounds. The verdict was 60-54 to Craig Watson, and this was deserved as he was more accurate, and he bloodied the nose of Scriven early on.
Former British Masters Champion Graeme 'Dezzi' Higginson also returned to action as he fought tough journeyman Kristian Laight. Laight gave as good as he had, but Higginson was always that bit more active and accurate, and deserved the points victory he earned.
Prospects Shine At 'The Boys Are Back In Town'
Olympian Joe Murray was in action, and he recorded his third professional win with a 40-36 points victory over Steve Gethin. Murray got sloppy in the later stages, but Gethin never had the class to trouble him, and despite taking a few shots, Murray strolled to victory.
Brighton's Alex Dilmaghani looked unimpressive against Daniel Thorpe, but a victory over the tricky journeyman was good enough. Dilmaghani cut down the ring well, but Thorpe weaseled his way out of tricky spots, and made Dilmaghani's 40-36 points win as difficult as possible.
Perhaps the most impressive prospect on show was the debutant Kieran Maher, who dealt with Jason Nesbitt very well. His jab was sharp, and despite a power cut in the third round which caused a break in the action, he was on top for the whole fight. The referee gave him a 40-36 decision.
Michael Brodie Is Back
While it wasn't as easy as he would have wanted, Michael Brodie's comeback at least shows that he still wants success, and that he is still very capable of pulling fights from the jaws of defeat. Alexander showed that he has a lot of potential as well, but it just wasn't meant to be his night. This was a night for Manchester to enjoy, and the crowd were sent home happy as all the Mancunians on the card won.
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