British Scene: Molitor Snags in the Traps before Powering to Decision Victory over Spirited Booth in Sunderland

Andrew Harrison has the ringside report from Saturday night's show in Houghton-le-Spring featuring Steve Molitor's decision win over Jason Booth, along with all the action from a busy undercard.  For more from Andrew, make sure to check out his blog, Safe Side of the Ropes.

For three rounds Steve Molitor looked like a tourist struggling to jaw with the natives when confronted with the unique brand of guile and craft presented by Nottingham’s Jason Booth in Houghton-le-Spring. The IBF super bantamweight titlist had to dig in hard throughout the middle rounds, where his advantages in size and power allowed him to edge out a majority decision win with scores of 116-113, 116-112 and 114-114 (The Boxing Bulletin scored it 115-113 for Molitor).

Booth’s story is well documented and his final pledge for providence via the rap track "Lord Give Me a Sign" on his way to the ring struck a chord and tied in with the resurrection premise on the promotional posters dotted around the arena. Booth strolled through the opener, advancing confidently on the visitor before shooting quick, busy bursts of punches which had the pair of them looking perplexed; Molitor seemingly hadn’t seen anything like it before whilst Booth couldn’t fathom how simple an opening it had been.

Booth landed a cracking sneak left hook in the second, following up with a neat right hand as he backed Molitor into a corner, a salvo which snapped the crowd out of their mutual bewilderment and back into supporter mode. "The Canadian Kid" looked to be in real trouble. Reddening around his left eye, he seemed unable to get off with anything, whilst the challenger, his face masked with intent, looked perfectly on song.

As the theme continued into the third, thoughts began to dawn that the Canadian lefty may well have trundled beyond the hill that fighter’s dread. Clearly befuddled, he caught fresh air when attacking the unusual, shuffling gait of his opponent, whilst Booth found him flush once more with a tidy overhand right.

As belief permeated its way around the arena, Molitor suddenly kicked into life as round four began. Implored by his corner to go downstairs with both hands, he reluctantly obliged and began to find a home for his left hook to the liver. It would prove to be the turning point.

Sensing that he needed to respond, Booth ratcheted up his hustle and bustle in the fifth, however, he copped a hard right hook counter for his efforts and a series of left handers underneath which took his wind at times, allowing Molitor to heave himself back into the box-seat.

His timing restored, Molitor began to land a smidgen faster than his man and his more accurate punch picking began to override Booth’s greater industry. A peach of a left hook crashed home in the seventh which appeared to jolt Booth slightly and he wisely held before snarling his defiance at Molitor who responded with hard left and right handers to carry the round.

Perhaps looking to rest, Molitor retreated to the ropes in the eighth and adopted a Mayweather style defensive posture which didn’t quite come off as smoothly as he’d probably envisioned. Booth, striving to be imaginative in order to gain a foothold took a left hook flush which preceded a prolonged barrage from the Canadian on the ropes. Resourceful as ever, Booth bobbed, dipped and slipped his way out of his worst patch of the contest and even managed to plant a meaty right hand into his tormentor’s flank before the bell.

Booth began the ninth well and found success with his jab and left hooks, buzzing around his taller foe whilst chopping away like a humming bird with a billhook. Almost on cue now, Molitor rallied at the mid point with heavier counter shots, left hooks up and down with a few sharp rights tossed in for good measure.

Refusing to believe that this wasn’t to be his night, Booth quickened up his attacks to take round ten, landing eye catching shots which drummed starbursts of spray off Molitor’s head. With his confidence renewed, Booth began the eleventh full of vigour only to take a number of crunching shots as his opponent made his customary mid round charge. As they crashed into each other desperately, Molitor emerged with blood splattered across his face and on the bell, he turning to roar a battle cry towards his seconds, who made a citizen’s arrest before plopping him onto his stool.

The final round was a spirited affair with Booth’s effort and endeavour perhaps nicking it for him as the crowd chanted his name, willing him home.

After the first two cards were announced, it became evident that Booth’s quest had fallen short; however, it was a performance he can take heart and real pride from. Another try, perhaps down at bantamweight would not seem beyond the little throwback on this form.

Molitor, meanwhile, looks like a titlist there to be taken. Rendall Munroe, who was ringside, must surely have been cursing his luck that his big chance will play out 6000 miles away against the on form Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka and not here against "The Canadian Kid".

Belfast’s Martin Lindsay outscored late substitute Yauheni Kruhlik over six in a relatively straightforward outing which pleased a pocket of boisterous Irishmen in attendance. The Belarusian Kruhlik was fit and game but quite clearly out of his depth against the British featherweight champ who hunted his man from a compact crouch, scoring at will with right hands. Referee Andrew Wright somehow managed to find a round for Kruhlik, which seemed generous to say the least.

Cruiserweight John Lewis Dickinson succumbed to facial damage for the second consecutive bout, this time suffering a suspected broken jaw which forced his corner to pull him out at the end of round three.

His opponent, Slovakian bulldozer Richard Turba looked on his way to being outscored; however, I detected a grimace from Dickinson in the opener after he caught a left hook which had him bleeding from the mouth, which may have been where the injury occurred. Birtley man Dickinson must be wondering what he has to do to catch a break.

Undercard fight of the night saw exciting local lightweight prospect Kirk Goodings overcome the first major crisis of his career as he survived a heavy knockdown in the opener to stop scouser Lee Jennings in four.

Goodings fielded a swinging left hook which flattened him towards the end of a rowdy opener. As he lay prone for an extended period, I rose from my seat in a state of concern only to see him bounce up and answer the referee’s call before shipping big punches from the rampant Jennings.

Goodings fought himself back into the fight in rounds two and three and just as I began to ponder how the judges might have this four rounder poised, he dropped the older man with a hard combination as the final session ticked down. Jennings struggled to his feet but was quickly sent spinning into the ropes and referee Mark Curry called a halt to what had been a wild one at 2:12 of the round.

Travis Dickinson began the evening’s proceedings, winning a tough six rounder over rugged body puncher Shon Davies. As ever, Dickinson attempted to blast his man out in the first round before settling into boxer mode when he realised Davies’ head was made of granite.

The man from Llanelli showed real courage to make a fight of it, bulling Dickinson against the ropes and hurting the home favourite with a big right in the third. The pair toiled away, swapping big punches for the remainder of the fight, yet it was Dickinson who banked the win with a score of 59 points to 56.

Durham lightweight Martin Ward suffered a horrific knockout in the second round of his bout against West Ham veteran Mickey Coveney. After edging round one with cultured use of his left hand, Ward took a huge left hook which froze him in mid air before he slowly tumbled to the canvas on his side. Worrying moments followed as ringside paramedics quickly administered oxygen yet Ward managed to struggle to his feet before leaving the ring under his own steam. It was Ward’s first reverse in nine with Coveney scoring a rare tenth win from twenty one.

South Shields’ George Watson and Fishburn’s Gary Fox proved that fighting with your head up in the air is always likely to lead to trouble. Watson was absolutely clattered by a left hook from Liverpudlian Stephen Jennings in the third round of their encounter whilst Fox went down on points over four to trier William Warbuton.

Home fans went home with something to cheer as Sunderland amateur star Glen Foot made his entrance to the pros with an exciting 73 second stoppage of Ramsgate’s Vinny Woolford.