BOXING: Chris Higgs wins epic brawl for British Masters title (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Lydney boxer stays unbeaten after toe-to-toe ten-rounder with Joel Ryan

11:32am Sunday 3rd June 2012 in Sport By Danny Hall, Sports Editor

A NOISY home town crowd got what they wanted when Lydney’s Chris Higgs claimed the vacant light welterweight British Masters title at a packed GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester on Saturday night.

It was a fitting finale to the first professional boxing bill in Gloucester for more than 20 years.

After ten rounds of non-stop, toe-to-toe slugging, Higgs was given the nod by 98-93 over Walsall’s brave Joel Ryan.

Most of the bout could have taken place in a telephone box as Ryan insisted on working at close quarters and in the fourth round he emerged from a skirmish with a cut left eye.

Fortunately, his corner stemmed the flow of blood and it did not affect the fight.

If the fifth round was a rousing slugfest, the sixth was even better – and proved Higgs’s most successful round. Hitting Ryan from range for once, he hurt his opponent with some frenzied left and right combinations, but he could not quite find the punch that may have put Ryan away.

Both fighters showed tremendous fitness and heart – the pace was furious from the outset and never let up, reaching a crescendo in a furious but even last round.

To the delight of the adoring crowd, Higgs was named the worthy winner, taking his unbeaten run as a pro to 11, but Ryan had played his part in a terrific scrap.

Elsewhere on the Keith Mayo Promotions bill, Gloucester’s Danny Carter’s aggressive, front foot, crowd pleasing style triumphed over the elusive Kristian Laight and another home town fighter, Todd Roberts, made a successful pro debut in workmanlike style against Kevin McCauley.

Gloucester’s Mike Biggs was another popular winner over the cocky and colourful Robin Deakin. The technically accomplished Daza Usher edged past vastly experienced Billy Smith and the evening opened with a smooth win for Cardiff southpaw Mitch Buckland, brother to British champion Gary, against Dan Carr from Trowbridge.

One name to note for the future, however, was the youngest boxer on the bill – Jay ‘The Kid’ Pitman, at just six years old.

During an interlude between the fights, young Jay gave a brilliantly choreographed display of sparring and looks like he can really pack a punch.