Rudhain Farrell won his first Belfast derby with Conor Kerr over eight rounds on Friday to win the Boxing Union of Ireland junior featherweight title – and he retained it against the same opponent in a terrific encounter.
The scores after 10 rounds were 98-92, 97-93 and a far-too-wide 100-91.
Like their opening encounter, it was back-and-forth at times, Farrell looking to dictate the distance and pace with his jab and Kerr raiding in close.
As the rounds and the rivalry progressed, it was Farrell – who won by a score of 78-75 in March – who seemed to be establishing control. His left hook was a particularly impressive weapon, jarring the head of his opponent through the opening three rounds. But Kerr refused to be deterred, looking to find a route for his body attacks with swirling and at times careless feints.
Farrell, 6-1-1 (2 KOs), always looked the more polished, able to find the required room with his jab to score with his right. At the end of the fifth, the belt holder took a step back from Kerr’s bombs to the body to return the favor, and then some, upstairs. Even so, both were guilty of letting their heart rule their heads as they steamed forward.
Though Kerr, 3-2, was always in the fight, he was too frequently being outslicked and outsmarted by his rangier foe. But the challenger’s exuberance and desire made life uncomfortable in the eighth, as he hooked relentlessly to the body, forcing Farrell to exchange – and Kerr enjoyed similar success in the next stanza.
The final round was Farrell’s. His superior aim and variability saw him spin off the ropes and turn a Kerr attack in his favor in the opening minute. Farrell, who appeared to be tiring in the previous two sessions, caught his second wind with aplomb to confirm his superiority.
In the first televised fight on the ProBox TV card, an upset briefly threatened before the prospect’s promise trumped the seasoning of the opponent. Matthew Boreland entered with the unbeaten record and home advantage, but it was Scotland’s Calum Turnbull who came with the southpaw stance and greater professional experience. It showed in the early stages, too.
Though Coleraine, Northern Ireland’s Boreland was ambitious, his pronounced desire to make an impression in front of his fans – and in turn get too close – provided Turnbull, from Inverness, with ample opportunity to counter on the inside. Through the first three rounds, though each was closely contested, it was Turnbull whose punches were more eye-catching.
Boreland, 4-0 (1 KO), seemed to make the necessary adjustments in the fourth, tagging his man with a right hand and bossing a round that threatened to turn the tide. Whether the tide was for turning was up for debate in the fifth; Turnbull, 5-4 (1 KO), roared back early in the session, but Boreland had reasserted his previous control by the time the bell sounded.
Boreland’s right uppercut had been his best punch throughout the fight, and he brought it out to play again in the seventh. The home fighter’s earlier desire to please was by now more refined, and his timing, as he pinged his rival as he dutifully plundered forward, getting better with each passing moment.
Turnbull threatened to come back again in the final round, but Boreland, seemingly enjoying his first eight-round fight, showed how much he had learned. The Northern Irishman’s judgement of distance and his accuracy improved dramatically during the course of the battle.
Referee Eamonn Magill was arguably a little too kind with his score of 79-73 for Boreland, but he unquestionably lifted the arm of the right man.
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