A sell-out crowd arrived at the Wythenshawe Lifestyle Centre to what’s become the home stomping ground for the new M22 Promotions for its third event, Hollywood Storm on Sunday 19th January.
The headline event saw local fighter, Sam Hyde, take on the reigning English Cruiserweight Champion, Deion Jumah. It was certainly a TV worthy battle, which created an electric atmosphere.
In the maiden defence of his English cruiserweight strap, 30-year-old Jumah was forced to dig deep on numerous occasions during the dramatic bout, which also doubled up as a final eliminator for the British title.
After a tentative opening, the contest caught fire in the fourth round as Hyde, fighting out of the home corner, found a home for his vicious right hands, before the champion responded with some solid body blows.
The middle rounds saw both taking turns to back each other up and tee off powerful combinations, roared on by a capacity crowd that was gripped by two fighters leaving it all on the line.
In an agonisingly close decision, the judges scored it 115-113, 115-114 and 115-113 in favour of Jumah.
When asked whether he was hurt during the bout, the 30-year-old added: “I was never hurt, but Sam is really strong, when he hits you, your whole body moves. He surprised me a few times, I think he is a better boxer than people give him credit for.”
Jumah’s coach Gary Logan also heaped praise on Hyde: “He was technically a lot more deceptive than what we thought he would be, he doesn’t just walk forward in straight lines, he was fainting, and he didn’t have a regular rhythm that we could get used to.”
Eyeing up a potential opportunity at the Lonsdale belt, Jumah continued: “I’ve said it before that this is the harder fight and Sam is technically better than Richard, we are definitely ready for Richard, I have his number for sure.”
The M22 Promotions card also saw 21-year-old Mark Jeffers capture his inaugural career title in his eleventh victory, dispatching of Ben Thomas with a thunderous body shot in the fourth round.
The Jennings Gym prodigy didn’t let a cut above the eye wilt his efforts, as he stormed forward with intent and piled on the pressure to the delight of his vocal fanbase.
Manchester’s highly regarded middleweight, Marcus Morrison also remained active, earning a victory over the game Darryl Sharp.
In what was the third meeting between the pair, Morrison showcased his sharp and cynical jab as he dictated the pace of the engaging bout.
Having made his professional debut less than a year ago, the slick Gerome Warburton (5-0), managed by Chris Sanigar, remained undefeated with his fifth consecutive win, unanimously outpointing Salford’s Ryan Hibbert (0-4). The Welshman, known as the ‘Bread Maker’, has fought five times in 11 months and looks set for another busy year.
Welshman Osian Williams (1-0) also marked a successful entry into the paid ranks, displaying his aggressive and entertaining style in defeating Dylan Draper.
