Birmingham hero Sam Eggington threw a staggering total of 1317 punches – an incredible average of 109 punches per round – in his absolute barnstormer of a fight with Bilel Jkitou at the Coventry Skydome Arena last Friday night.
WBC Silver Middleweight Champion Eggington defended his title on a split decision in what promoter Mick Hennessy and many in the fight trade have hailed as worldwide Fight of the Year that was broadcast live and free in the UK on Channel 5.
British great Joe Calzaghe famously threw 1006 punches in his legendary showdown with rival champion Jeff Lacy in their epic 2006 encounter, but Eggington has left that in the shade with his punch output beating the fire-fisted Calzaghe by a wide 311 punches.
More unbelievable stats from the fight reveal that Eggington’s best round was the thrilling second when he threw 125 punches and in the championship rounds he recorded his second and third best tallies by landing 117 in the eleventh and 115 in the twelfth and final round.
Incredibly not once throughout the whole fight did the referee Mark Lyson have to separate the pair for clinching or holding, or to speak or warn either man as the warriors were left to get on with their own brutal business as they exchanged heavy shots on each other.
The pair have received high praise from most importantly the fight fans and media pundits as they went above and beyond in their twelve round thriller that has taken the boxing world by storm.
Renowned Midlands fight figure Jon Pegg, Eggington’s career long manager who worked the corner on the night, religiously watches every fight again in half speed to record the number of punches thrown to aid Eggington in his fight performances.
The average boxer throws 50-60 punches per round, in comparison Eggington routinely throws 80-90, but even he outperformed himself on that magical night.
Pegg said, “Sam throws 80-90 punches per round and this is even when opponents are moving away or holding. Because he had such a willing dance partner in Jkitou in front of him, his punch stats have gone through the roof. Sam standing in front of someone is really hard man to beat. His engine is flawless, you can’t throw that many punches without your engine being tip top. Sam doesn’t usually get that kind of guy and fair play to Jkitou, it takes two to make a fight, but hats off to the pair of them for giving the fans and viewers something really special to remember for years to come.”
Promoter Mick Hennessy, who’s now in his 20th year as a TV promoter under the Hennessy Sports banner, said he has never seen anything on par with that fight before.
He said, “I’ve promoted some of the best fights and boxers in the world and I knew that this was going to be a great fight, but it totally eclipsed that and developed into a classic. I was sat at ringside and was absolutely amazed by what I was witnessing and got so involved in the edge-of-your seat action that I lost my voice through shouting. We’re in an era of easy pay day prima donna boxers in non-PPV worthy fights and broadcasters and media who are more attracted by YouTubers and social media celebrities fighting each other.
“Sam is a throwback to a time of real fighting men and has been seriously overlooked by the mainstream broadcasters and media. I believed in Sam and knew what he could do in the right fights with the right backing and that has been proved beyond doubt. I will get Sam what he deserves and that will be a World title fight on our terms. I would ask everyone to please now get behind the most exciting fighter in World boxing and he hails from Birmingham, England, Sam Eggington”
