Julius Indongo, Robbie Barrett, Charlie Edwards, Josh Kelly and Lawrence Okolie steal the show
Sunday 16 April 2017 17:58, UK
Julius Indongo stole the Scottish headlines away from Ricky Burns in style and with two British titles changing hands, and Olympians Josh Kelly and Lawrence Okolie warming up for their Wembley Stadium date, there was plenty of greatness to emerge in Glasgow on Saturday night...
The brilliant Blue Machine
No-one quite knew how good Indongo was before he stepped between the ropes in Glasgow. The Namibian had claimed the IBF and IBO titles by sensationally knocking out Eduard Troyanovsky inside a round, at least revealing he could hit hard.
Yet that rapid win in Russia was the southpaw's only fight outside of his homeland. Here was a 34-year-old who had fought 113 rounds prior to facing a three-weight world champion who Terence Crawford couldn't stop. What Burns - and the watching crowd - quickly found out is Indongo's triumph over Troyanovsky was no fluke.
Attacking both head and body at will, the southpaw dominated from distance, silencing the crowd with his high work-rate and hammer of a left hand.
This was a night when a new star was born in the super-lightweight ranks. Indongo did not just claim the titles on his travels - he brutally beat Burns to send out a message to the rest of the division.
Take a bow, Barrett
Scott Cardle planned to secure the Lonsdale belt outright at the SSE Hydro. The British lightweight champion needed just one more victory to keep hold of the prestigious title, allowing him to move onto the next level. Robbie Barrett, though, had no intention of being the fall guy.
Despite being knocked down once in the second round and then again in the fifth, the Yorkshireman battled his way to a majority decision on the scorecards. His southpaw stance caused Cardle problems, with the champion suffering a nasty cut next to his left eye.
What will have hurt even more, however, is the defeat.
Barrett, in contrast, seized his opportunity. While he may not be quite as good as Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao - the two modern-day legends he has tattooed on his chest - the 25-year-old was able to bask in his long-awaited moment in the national spotlight.
Edwards the impresser
Defeats don't have to spell the end of a fighter's career. Sometimes a setback can be turned into a positive. Charlie Edwards came up short against John Riel Casimero in September 2016, losing to an impressive world champion in just his ninth fight in the professional ranks.
Rather than wallow in the disappointment, the former Great Britain amateur moved up a weight - switching to super-fly - and moved onto a new trainer, joining forces with the respected Adam Booth.
Against Iain Butcher, Edwards demonstrated why he should not get too downhearted by what happened against Casimero. Working behind a strong jab, the Englishman eased to a unanimous points victory and claimed the vacant British title.
In his post-fight interview, the new champion revealed how he is in no rush to reach the top. "I boxed for the world title and it didn't work out for me. Now it's time to take a step back, slow down, listen to Adam and we will move from there," Edwards told Sky Sports, showing that even in boxing patience can pay off.
Kelly and Okolie more than OK
In contrasting methods, Olympians Josh Kelly and Lawrence Okolie impressed on Scottish soil. Cruiserweight Okolie wasted little time in recording a second straight win inside the opening round, stopping brave but over-matched Pole Lukasz Rusiewicz late in the first.
Kelly had to go the full six rounds against Jay Byrne, although the former was a comfortable winner on points to make a successful start to life in the paid ranks.
'PBK' (Pretty Boy Kelly, in case you didn't know already) took the chance to switch between punching and posturing. Still, there were some real flashes of quality, including one brutal hook to the body that saw him switch to a southpaw stance in a flash before sending in a sickening shot that had his rival briefly in trouble.
Thrown in at the deep end - Byrne had only lost one of his five professional fights and took Felix Cash the six-round distance in March - Kelly showed he has both the class and charisma required to prosper as a pro.
The two former Team GB members will be back in action before the end of the month, appearing on the Joshua-Klitschko undercard, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Bronze Bomber is coming...
The champ is here! OK, not quite yet, but the WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is booked for Wembley Stadium.
It was announced during Saturday's card that the American will be part of their commentary team for the huge heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.
The Bronze Bomber will be an interested spectator at ringside - and may even climb between the ropes to discuss business matters with whoever ends up winning on April 29.
"I will let them know I am there and I'll be looking at who I want next," Wilder told Sky Sports.
