Glenn McCrory sees Jamie Moore top off a fine spell that proves British boxing is better off than people think.
From new pros to old, British boxers are doing their bit
What a great couple of weeks it's been for boxing in Great Britain!
I was away on business in Spain last week but while I was, it gave me time to think about what we have seen lately - and it has been sensational.
Thank God too for Sky+ too, because it has meant that even when I haven't seen it live, I have been able to catch up with everything in full.
I did miss last Saturday's bill from Birmingham because I was in the corner for my Cubans, but I was back in 'live mode' to see Jamie Moore finally win the European title.
He looked excellent. It was a really solid performance and a very good win against a guy in Michele Piccirillo, that has been around for a long time. Maybe he caved in a little bit when the end came, but he was well beaten - although I don't think it was enough to send shockwaves around the world's best light-middleweights.
I am not sure Jamie is ready for a world title just yet. He is 30, but nowadays that doesn't mean too much, so there is no huge rush in that respect - he is probably just reaching his physical peak now. But he has been hovering just below the European level for two or three years and will want to make up for that lost time.
Impressed
He can make a few bob, get a few paydays out of defending the title and then hopefully, that in itself will lead to a world-title bid. The same goes for Rendall Munroe, who we saw on the previous Friday Fight Night.
We all love Rendall and again, I was impressed at how he worked out a way to win against Kiko Martinez. It is a great story and the battling bin-man is a great hook, but it showed to me that if he wants to go any further, Rendall has to become a full-time professional, in my opinion. It might be time to put the wheely bins away for a while!
Professionals are what everyone has been talking about and it is great to see a young crop of fighters coming through in this country - and I include my Cubans in that.
The reason I didn't see Frank Warren's ex-Olympic fighters was because I was busy with my three up in Newcastle.
We had a decent crowd in at the Lightfoot Centre in Newcastle and as expected, all three of them won. It was particularly pleasing because we had deliberately matched them tough, just so they know what the pro game is all about and just so they could get some rounds under their belt.
Spoiled
Well, Alexis Acosta clearly didn't listen and even though he had a hand problem in the run-up he beat Fikret Remziev in about 36 seconds. We thought he, as a world amateur champion, would be good enough to out-box the fella with one hand, but he was clearly in a hurry!
My heavyweight Michael Perez beat Zack Page, who spoiled a little but is still a decent scalp and gave him the chance to show what he can do - which he duly did.
Luis Garcia was in with Michael Gbenga, a two-time Commonwealth Games light-heavyweight challenger, who took him the distance. Gbenga kept coming forward, trying to make a fight of it, but Luis basically tattooed his head for eight rounds!
All three are getting rave reviews up here and Bob Arum and Top Rank sent someone along to have a look at them and I know Garry Hyde has also had Golden Boy enquiring about them. I am not sure whether they are looking for new trainers, but I've got to say I am loving it in the corner, it's absolutely brilliant.
Dave Ferguson, who you might remember from Prizefighter, and Georgie Watson are two lads I kind of look after at my gym and they both won, so it was a great night. It was also nice to see Sunderland's Tony Jeffries show a great, professional attitude to win his debut in a round a day earlier.
He was always going to be nervous but he got his jab going and I don't think the other lad threw anything back. Even so, it was a decent show and proved just what heavy hands Jeffries has got.
Pressure
As for the other three from Beijing, I thought the best way to sum up their performance was mixed. I liked everything that Billy Joe Saunders did, I must say. He looked solid and mentally tough and fitted straight into the pro game.
Frankie Gavin did some very good things and showed some excellent skills but I think he is going to have to work really, really hard for anything he gets in the pros.
He has a great style and some good ideas, but I wonder whether boxing at light-welterweight, if he has the punch power. He is going to come across some strong guys at 140lbs and will find it much tougher than he did as an amateur.
The least impressive for me, was James DeGale. Mind you, it doesn't excuse the booing. It was silly and the last thing he needs is more pressure put on him.
But I suppose it's what we do in this country, isn't it? Maybe DeGale didn't help himself though, because it struck me that there was plenty of pomp but not enough romp from him. Style, yes, substance, no.
It proved what I am trying to teach my Cubans; that talent and skill are not enough to succeed in the pro game. It's as much about will, desire and hunger and being tough. You need look no further than Martin Rogan for that!
His win over Matt Skelton was probably the highlight of the last couple of weeks, a couple of weeks in which our boxing has showed it's in good shape. We have these kids coming through - and it's great to be involved in that on the frontline - and it is the perfect way to prove the doubters wrong.
People keep saying our boxing's not what it used to be, it's not as good. But I disagree. America has real problems, but over here that's not the case. We have certainly seen that in the last few weeks - and we've still got the small matter of Amir Khan against Marco Antonio Barrera to come...
Is British boxing better off than in America? What did you make of Jamie Moore's win - and what next for him and Rendall Munroe? Let us know by filling in the feedback form below...
