Ted Cheeseman suffers points defeat to Sergio Garcia in European super-welterweight title fight
Sunday 3 February 2019 15:22, UK
Ted Cheeseman failed to claim the European super-welterweight title as he suffered a unanimous points defeat to Sergio Garcia.
The 23-year-old endured his first professional loss, despite his reckless bravery from the first bell, with Garcia sealing a dominant victory with scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 115-114 at The O2.
Cheeseman had found the step-up in class too sizeable after winning the British belt in October, struggling to compete with the precise combinations and clever movement of Garcia, and the south Londoner was a forlorn figure at the final bell.
Starting at a frenetic pace, both fighters immediately engaged at close quarters, with Garcia peppering punches through Cheeseman's defences as he marched forward.
Roared on by his local support, Cheeseman tried to club away at the elusive Spaniard, but was being made to look crude as he missed wildly.
There was a defiant smile from Garcia in the fifth round as he withstood a hook, answering with his own accurate work, and Cheeseman was momentarily stopped in his tracks by a stiff right hand in the seventh.
But the Bermondsey man showed his battling spirit in the eighth, hammering away at Garcia with hooks and uppercuts, until fatigue cut short this ferocious assault.
Garcia regained command in the closing rounds, only briefly appearing troubled when Cheeseman lashed shots to body and head in the 11th, and the final bell signalled a composed victory for the champion.
