JD NXTGEN: Hosea Burton remains in title contention after points win
Sunday 25 February 2018 21:51, UK
Hosea Burton was made to work for a points win over Josip Perkovic as he stayed in contention for another title fight.
The 29-year-old has been denied a rematch with Frank Buglioni as gym-mate Callum Johnson will instead challenge the British champion on March 24, live on Sky Sports, and Burton instead laboured to a 78-75 verdict over eight rounds on the JD NXTGEN bill in Manchester.
In the opening round, 'The Hammer' quickly displayed his power as a crisp shot wobbled his Croatian opponent, but a right hand from Perkovic drew blood from Burton's nose in the second.
Burton was being forced to endure a few uncomfortable moments as Perkovic continued to respond with sharp flurries.
The crisper work was coming from Burton, who rammed in hurtful body shots, although he could not find a finishing punch as the stubborn Perkovic stood and traded in the last round.
Marcus Morrison continued to rebuild his career after he halted Fernando Heredia in the second round.
Back-to-back defeats had threatened to derail the 24-year-old, who gave a reminder of his potential as a flurry of hooks on the bloodied Spaniard forced the intervention of the referee.
Sam Hyde returned from an injury lay-off with a comfortable points win over Toni Visic.
The 24-year-old cruiserweight dislocated his knee during a points win in October and tested his fitness at a busy tempo over six rounds to secure a 60-55 verdict.
