LONDON – A drawn verdict couldn’t wipe the smile from Moses Jolly’s face even though it seemed he’d done enough to defeat Italian heavyweight contender Guido Vianello.
In the end, after eight rough rounds, the referee and lone scorer Amy Pu, arrived at a 76-76 verdict here at the O2 Arena on the undercard ahead of Moses Itauma’s vacant IBF heavyweight title fight with Filip Hrgovic.
Vianello landed occasional chopping rights in the first round but Jolly scored to the body as his corner urged him “to use his physicality.”
Jolly, as the session progressed, found a home for his own right hand, too, and he smiled as he returned to his corner.
The pace slowed in the second. However, both had swelling by their right eyes while the Welshman bled from the nose.
Jolly, 12-0-1 (8 KOs), from Swansea, was not overawed but he did take a left hook from distance and that allowed the Italian to reach him with another straight right.
The third was messier, with both content to hold and maul and Jolly picking up a verbal warning in the fourth for bundling Vianello, 14-3-2 (12 KOs), to the canvas.
Vianello’s left eye was beginning to close and Jolly banged him hard to the body with right hands. It was a draining fight and the start of the fifth was delayed for the doctor to inspect a cut on Vianello’s left ear.
Both were breathing heavilyy, though Vianello was making the fight look like a chore while Jolly was having the time of his life. There was little in it and while Vianello’s work was a little smarter to close the sixth, he still walked onto shots and the doctor again inspected his wounds before the seventh.
It seemed neither possessed the power or explosiveness in the eighth and final round to hurt the other and Jolly danced and smiled as he waited for the decision to be announced and even though his team clearly felt he’d done enough to win, the decision didn’t stop Jolly dancing.
“The Moldovan Monster” Constantin Ursu came through a bloody all-southpaw clash when Ben Vaughan was withdrawn in Round 8.
Ursu, defending his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles and improved to 16-0 (7 KOs) while Northampton’s gritty Vaughan is now 12-3 (4 KOs).
Ursu moved well early and by the third had started to enjoy spells where he picked his way through Vaughan’s high guard.
Vaughan maintained pressure throughout and he had his moments but Ursu, hands down, fired off the flashier combinations. Vaughan came on in the fourth and focused his attack on the champion’s body.
In the next, however, Vaughan’s left eye was split open and his face was promptly covered in blood. Ursu began to land at will and he snapped Vaughan’s head back with an uppercut.
The referee called for the doctor to inspect the cut and Vaughan, a ledge of skin starting to form over his left eye, was allowed back out and Ursu, following a clash of heads, was left bleeding from a wound by his right eye.
And then Vaughan fought his way back into it, often giving as good as he got, but his right eye didn’t hold up and he was withdrawn before the eighth could begin – although official time of the stoppage was three seconds into the round.
