Towering cruiserweight John Hedges was having his first fight since the passing of his coach, Ricky Hatton, the great former two-weight world champion.
Hedges had moved to Manchester to work with Hatton, and in tribute he wore a pair of custom sky blue gloves for Hatton, who always wore the same color because it was that of his favorite soccer team, Manchester City.
Hedges, a southpaw from Essex, was 11-0 (3 KOs) going into his important English title clash with Ellis Zorro, a former world title challenger who was unbeaten going into his 2023 fight with Jai Opetaia only for that quick-fire defeat to lose three of his last four.
After Opetaia, he was stopped by Cheavon Clarke, returned to win a six-rounder and then lost a close decision to Aloys Junior in Bournemouth in the summer.
And Zorro often took center ring against Hedges, with the 6ft 6ins contender trying to back off and simultaneously catch Zorro walking onto something.
But Zorro had success with single shots, jolting Hedges’ head back, although he hit the deck in the seventh. Hedges celebrated a knockdown only for it to be ruled a slip but he did some good body work in the eighth and countered a wild Zorro right with a tidy left hook.
Zorro, 18-3 (7 KOs), shook his head at the scorecards but all three officials awarded the fight to Hedges, by margins of 98-93, 97-94, and 96-94.
Leli Buttigieg is only 20 but the 11-0 (3 KOs) scored an eight-round win over Germany-based Moldovan Victor Ionascu, who drops to 14-9 (10 KOs).
Buttigieg, who trains with Alan Smith and Eddie Lam, won 80-72 at York Hall’s Bethnal Green in London’s East End.
Southampton’s heavy-handed super-middleweight prospect Taylor Bevan is now 7-0 (7 KOs) after scoring a sixth-round victory over courageous Mickey Ellison.
Ellison’s corner threw in the towel with their man taking stick on the ropes at the start of the round.
Bevan, trained by former world title challenger Colin Jones, is managed by Brian Peters and one to watch.
There were a pair of fourth-round stoppage for London debutant Connor Mitchell and Brighton junior featherweight prospect Adam Maca.
Maca scored a one-punch-left-hand-to-the-body knockout of Mexican Brandon Gallardo Vargas, having his sixth fight in five months, and Maca is now 4-0 (4 KOs). Vargas is 3-13-1 (1 KO).
Mitchell, meanwhile, son of former world title challenger Kevin, dropped his opponent in round two with a barrage of shots and when Fernando Valdez, 1-19, made it back to his feet, Mitchell stormed in and forced the referee to intervene.
William Crolla scored a third-round stoppage of Harley Hodgetts.
Crolla, brother of former WBA lightweight champion Anthony, hurt Hodgetts early in the third, dropped him with a right hand and Hodgetts tried to hold to survive but another right hand put him over again and the towel came in.
Crolla was returning from the first loss of his career, to Fraser Wilkinson, in Manchester in July.
Manchester’s Crolla is now 9-1 (7 KOs). Hodgetts from Portsmouth, is 5-6 (1 KO).
Bristol prospect Tiah May Ayton is now 4-0 (4 KOs) and looks impressive every time.
She hurt Ana Karla Vaz De Moraes with a right early in the third and the same shot pole-axed the 7-2 (3 KOs) Brazilian after 1.26 of the round.
Earlier in the evening at the Indigo at the O2 Arena, the 9-1 Maisey Rose Courtney won a six-rounder against Sara Orszagi, a Hungarian who drops to 2-12 and unbeaten welterweight Alexey Shendrik, a resident of Serbia, improved to 4-0 with a six-round decision over Christophe Mbori Endanga, and the Frenchman drops to 7-8-1 (2 KOs).
