Michael Magnesi gave a good account of himself against a superior fighter in Anthony Cacace at Manchester Arena.
However, the Italian could not out-work the Belfast man for the duration.
Constantly walking Cacace down, Magnesi got caught too much on the way in, especially with eye-catching uppercuts from both hands.
After twelve hard-fought rounds, Cacace got the decision, although it didn’t come without controversy.
Scorecards in the UK have their detractors at the moment. However, the Italian visitor Magnesi was gifted an unfathomable card against the home fighter.
Judges handed in 117-11 and 116-112 for Cacace in a straightforward decision. Somehow, one judge saw it 116-112 in favor of Magnesi.
An investigation should follow into how that came to pass.
Nathan Heaney
The Nathan Heaney vs Jack Flatley fight got called off prematurely after a sickening head clash in the fifth round. The contest was warming up when Flatley stepped into Heaney as the “Hitman” moved in to position himself for a shot.
A massive cut opened up immediately over Heaney’s right eye. The ringside physician had no hesitation in calling off the bout.
Heaney will need a mass of stitches and maybe some plastic surgery for the awful slice across his eyebrow.
As more than four rounds had passed, the fight went to the scorecards. Heaney won by margins of 50-45 and 49-46 [twice]. A little of a disservice to Flatley’s efforts.
Ekow Essuman defended the BBBofC British Welterweight title and Commonwealth Boxing Council Welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Samuel Antwi.
Essuman got the decision 117-112, 116-113, and 115-114 to earn the Lonsdale Belt for keeps.
Mark Heffron
The dangerous Mark Heffron overwhelmed a dazed Martin Bulacio in the first round with an impressive display.
Heffron jumped on Bulacio in the first round and got the job done after hurting his opponent more than once.
A right hand over the top ended the night as the referee stepped in.
Raven Chapman out-fought a game Jorgelina Guanini to win the WBC International featherweight title. Chapman took a unanimous points verdict with the judges.
At super lightweight, Amaar Akbar pushed to 4-0 with a decision win over Karlo Wallace through four sessions.
James Heneghan stopped Rod Douglas Jr in the fifth round to earn this first early finish of his career. Heneghan is now 8-0 in the middleweight ranks.
Callum Thompson defeated Delmar Thomas on points over four rounds in the opener to go 5-0.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
