Joe Laws backed up his claims by taking a close victory in a back-and-forth war with Michael Hennessy Jr. after his brash confidence during fight week.
Both men had periods of success and seriously hurt one another.
Hennessy did the cleaner, smarter boxing of the first few rounds. He generally had a higher output than Laws across the fight. But Laws had the grit and determination to walk forward through the fire.
He got off big shots to the head and body that seriously damaged Hennessy Jr. Laws and won the most rounds on the referee’s scorecards.
Joe Laws beats Hennessy
Both men left absolutely everything in the ring, showed unquestionable spirit to walk through the fire for eight long rounds, and earned the respect of everyone in attendance while being part of a true York Hall classic.
After the fight, Joe Laws said to Sky Sports: “Am I world level? Maybe not. But I wear my heart on my sleeve. Love us or hate us, I’m coming to fight. Give me a shot with a good camp, and watch what I can do!”
Sam Gilley
Louis Greene and Sam Gilley produced 12 rounds of some of the best boxing action in the UK in 2023 in their epic battle for the Commonwealth Super Welterweight Championship, where Gilley took victory. Still, both men left the ring, changed men, and much bigger stars than they entered it tonight.
The fight went back and forth in momentum multiple times in each round. But Gilley did have notable success with his left hooks, especially to the body of Greene.
He converted that into a knockdown in the 5th round. Greene kept his head between his gloves and his chin down as he marched down Gilley and pounced on the smallest openings when they came.
As the fight continued, Gilley used his jab very effectively, dominating the fight at longer ranges. At the same time, Greene seemed keen to trade shots at closer range.
This fight could hold up to any that the historic York Hall has ever seen. Both men were respectful to each other in the build-up to this fight. But they certainly earned each other’s respect tonight.
The respect of everyone who watched these two warriors shows everything great about professional boxing tonight.
After the fight, Sam Gilley said to Sky Sports: “This is our moment, me and Louis. What a fantastic fight. We promised it would be good. What a champion this man is.
“He came in and put his belt on the line. I called him out, and he gave me a shot.
“What a legend of the sport he is. He deserves another shot to come back and fight again.”
Karriss Artingstall
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medalist and exciting professional prospect Karriss Artingstall made a massive statement with a brutal stoppage victory over an experienced, talented opponent in Vanessa Bradford.
Artingstall commanded the center of the ring like someone with many more professional fights than the five the Macclesfield native has been part of, maneuvering Bradford into the corner of the ring and choosing the perfect moment to fire off canon-like straight right hands that scored knockdowns in both rounds before the fight was ended.
Bradford had gone the distance with World Champions like Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner in the past. She had never been stopped before.
Artingstall has put herself on the map with tonight’s stunning victory. A fight for the British title, fast becoming a fixture of women’s boxing, looks like a likely next step for one of the fastest-rising talents in women’s boxing today.
After the fight, Karriss Artingstall said to Sky Sports: “I think I put a few things correctly compared to my last fight. I was more composed and switched on from the start, more relaxed to show my boxing.”
After the fight, Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO, and founder, said to Sky Sports: “That was outstanding. That was the best I’ve ever seen Karriss perform. That was spiteful.
“That’s what we said about Karriss Artingstall when we first signed her: she is spiteful. Karriss made a statement there.
“We’ve said for a while now we’d like them to order the British title. That’s the next fight, Raven Chapman, that’s the one we want.”
