Cromer’s Ryan Walsh made a successful first defence of his British Featherweight title with a 5th-round stoppage of Aberdeen challenger Darren Traynor at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on Friday night.
The fight started brightly with both meeting in centre ring and letting the shots go. Traynor, the taller of the pair, was looking to establish his jab, while the switch hitting Walsh, on the front foot, was loading up and looking for big shots. The champion was delivering a good selection of punches to head and body and his superior power was evident.
Traynor landed a nice right hook in the 2nd round and it knocked Walsh off balance, but he re-group and got back to his plan. Traynor began to have good success with the back hand, and Walsh was having to adjust his approach. Changing stances from lefty to righty, he regained the upper hand and started to aplly more and more pressure, but Traynor was game and had travelled south to give his all.
In the 3rd round, Traynor suffered a cut above the right eye after a clash of heads, he battled on, but it was Walsh turning up the pace and stamping his authority as the champion and he began to take over and in the 4th, he really rubber stamped his authority with his output of shots.
The fight then really livened up and the pro Walsh crowd were loving the action as both men dug deep for the coverted Lonsdale belt. The champion’s constant changing from authodox to southpaw confused the challenger and after having successes with both approaches, it was when he lead with the left the breakthrough came.
In the 5th, the contest was brought to an abrupt end when Walsh, who had second’s earlier landed a right, followed up and delivered another sweet right hook on Traynor’s jaw. The visitor dropped to the canvas and half way out of the ropes. Traynor bravely got to his feet but the referee counted him out.
Walsh moves on.
Walsh Spoke after the fight.
“It’s amazing to start the year off with a big win and a big performance. Darren was a tough opponent and put up a good fight for the first few rounds until my accuracy and power came through and I found myself landing at will and I knew then it was only a matter of time before I nailed him,” Said Walsh.
“In the fifth round I could see that I was hurting him and then I landed a beautiful combination starting with the right hand and three left hooks and a final right hand to send him crashing through the ropes and I knew he wasn’t going to be getting up, thankfully the ref called it off,”
“I’d like to thank my loyal fans for turning out as they always do to support me and I give them what they want; excitement. My dream is to win this beautiful Lonsdale Belt outright and tonight was the first of three defences, I cant wait for the next one.”
