Dorchester boxing duo earn rave reviews (From Dorset Echo)

Dorchester boxing duo earn rave reviews

5:00pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in Sport By David Williams, Sports Reporter

DORCHESTER ABC fighters Henry Jeff and Liam Legg tasted victory and defeat respectively at shows in Sturminster and Southampton with both youngsters feted with praise for their efforts in the ring.

In front of a packed crowd at the first show, Jeff recorded a second-round stoppage of Toby Davis having stepped in as late replacement after originally being booked to box in Bournemouth.

Davis went into the clash with several tough bouts under his belt while Jeff was only appearing in his second fight as an amateur.

And his opponent attacked from the first bell, attempting to blaze a trail of destruction which left Jeff needing to show tremendous courage and determination to stay with his rival.

At the end of the first round the Dorchester boxer told his corner that he had just experienced the “hardest two minutes of my life” but after gathering his senses it was Jeff’s turn to put Davis under pressure, wobbling his foe and grinding him down with some cracking body shots and hooks.

Midway through the second a fierce left rocked Davis back into the corner where he was ground to a halt, forcing the referee to bring the bout to an end.

“I had to pull out all the stops,” he said. “I didn’t dare think I was going to get a stoppage to my credit.”

Coach Ben Geyser added: “Henry didn’t panic. He boxed well against a very good boxer and it was an excellent performance in his first appearance since last April.”

As for Legg, he fought on both the Sturminster and Southampton bills and despite losing twice earned plenty of plaudits from those at ringside.

The first contest against Wessex fighter Kieran Bailey began with short punches to the body from both youngsters though it was Legg who did most of the chasing and tucked up tightly when a response came.

The second round saw most of the action at close quarters with Bailey probably a point in front as he had a massive height and reach advantage.

The third saw Legg with renewed authority, storming forward to gain the upper hand with better quality punches and ending the third with an eye-catching blaze of blows. However, the verdict was given to Bailey.

Unbeaten Lennox Gill stood in the way in Southampton but his record was not going to deter Legg and he made several determined efforts to out-hit his more experienced rival.

Gill did not get it all his own way but he took command in the second round, dominating the centre of the ring, and everything hinged on the final round which was waged at a terrific pace.

In the end Gill had his hand raised and Legg was the first to congratulate him on the win.

Geyser added: “Liam gave a career best performance, but the experience of Lennox earned him the win.”

After the fight, Gill invited Legg to box on his father’s next show in March and the Southampton coach also offered the youngster the chance to spar at his gym whenever he wanted, underlining the impression made on the night.