DERBY, England – Constantin Ursu claimed the vacant British welterweight title with a dominant display against Owen Cooper here at Vaillant Live on Saturday.
Ursu – a Moldovan who fights out of Plymouth, England – appeared to be levels above Cooper, of Worcester, England. The pair looked well-matched in the build-up, but Cooper just couldn’t deal with Ursu from the off, and Ursu eased the contest by scores of 116-112 and 118-110 (twice) to claim the British and Commonwealth belt.
It was a lively start for Ursu, now 15-0 (7 KOs), who bounced around the ring before laying to Cooper from range with his left hand. Cooper, 25, just couldn’t find his rhythm and seemed a little off the pace as Ursu planted home straight shots. Ursu, also 25, continued his positive start by knocking Cooper’s head back with a sharp jab in the second. Cooper looked a little shell-shocked at the speed of his opponent, and the southpaw Ursu again teed off with left hand.
Cooper switched things up in the third and started to become more aggressive. Cooper’s tactics were music to the ears of Ursu, who welcomed Cooper to press forward. Cooper accepted the invitation and was met with a fierce left hand – in fact, he was met with three of them, with the third wobbling Cooper, who backed away to the ropes.
The contest started to get a little scrappy in the fourth, and Cooper started to have a little success. Ursu was making a habit of staying in the pocket too long and was met by wild hooks from Cooper at the end of exchanges. The pick of the bunch was a looping left hand that knocked Ursu’s head back.
Things were getting tough for Cooper in the fifth and sixth sessions. Ursu was enjoying himself, bouncing on his toes and smashing home his left hand. Ursu started to bring his right hand into it, smashing one across Cooper’s face midway through the sixth. Despite the heavy artillery coming Cooper’s way, he just would not be deterred, and he continued to march forward, landing the occasional wild hook.
Ursu seemed to tire a little in the eighth, and Cooper started to find some success. Ursu was holding his feet, allowing Cooper to fight up close. Cooper was firing in his looping hooks, but they seemed to bounce off Ursu. Late in the session, Ursu seemed frustrated at himself for allowing Cooper to find a footing in the contest and started to tee off on his foe. Ursu landed a flurry of shots as the bell sounded to take the round and dent his opponent’s confidence.
Ursu really started to turn the screw in the ninth and hurt Cooper with a right hand upstairs. Ursu then followed it up with two shots to Cooper’s midsection, which brought a wince from his foe. Ursu had seemingly accepted that he wasn’t getting his man out of there in the 10th, and opted to play with his opponent. Ursu was on his toes throughout, flicking his shots into Cooper’s face before pivoting away. Cooper knew he needed a finish heading into the 11th to have any chance of snatching the British title away from Ursu’s grasp. Cooper pressed hard, but just couldn’t tie his foe down, and Ursu seemed to know the Lonsdale belt was all but secure.
Cooper again pressed for the finish in the 12th but did not prevail. Ursu, like every other round, was just far too good. Ursu enjoyed the final session, smiling as he made Cooper miss with wild shots and firing home his own with a grin on his face. Both men awaited the official decision, but it was just a formality. Cooper, who fell to 11-2 (4 KOs) in defeat, knew he had been beaten – and beaten well. Ursu looked overjoyed as the British and Commonwealth titles were wrapped around his waist. There are big fights ahead for him in the welterweight division.
Before then, middleweight Ben Fail scored an impressive sixth-round finish of Mason Cartwright. The contest was scheduled for 10 rounds and was seen as a step up in class for Fail, now 11-0 (6 KOs). Cartwright, 33, has proved a tough task for many of the country’s leading junior middleweights in the past, but Fail, 29, proved too much. Cartwright’s toughness was on display throughout the contest, but Fail just couldn't miss with his left hand.
Fail repeatedly blasted through the guard of Cartwright with his razor-sharp southpaw left, and by the end of Round 4 Cartwright’s face was a bloody mess. However, despite the onslaught coming his way, the experienced Cartwright, now 23-5-1 (9 KOs), stood firm. Fail continued to tee off on Cartwright’s face, and it was starting to get tough to watch. A left hand stunned Cartwright midway through the seventh, and Fail started to unload on his man as he lay on the ropes. The referee had seen enough and correctly saved Cartwright for another day.
The time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 46 seconds of Round 7.
Luke McCormack, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, picked up the best win of his professional career with a shutout victory over Kane Gardner.
McCormack, now 5-0 (3 KOs), has had a stop-start career since turning professional in 2022. Since finally making his debut in 2024 following issues with his former promoter Probelum, McCormack, now 30, has been attempting to make up for lost time. Now signed with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, he seemed promised a tough test against Gardner. In reality, the fight turned out to be rather straightforward for McCormack. Gardner, also 30, offered little, covering up throughout in an attempt to take as little damage as possible. McCormack was able to jab away at the gap in Gardner’s guard before hammering away at whatever flesh was available to him.
Gardner, now 18-6 (7 KOs), made it tough for McCormack to secure a stoppage, using his arms to cover nearly every inch of his body and head. McCormack was winning the rounds comfortably, and Gardner had a little go later in the contest. In the 10th, Gardner pressed forward behind his high guard – but still offered little in terms of output. The contest between the two junior welterweights was relatively straightforward to score, with the judges awarding McCormack the victory by tallies of 99-92 and 100-90 (twice).
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
