Hrgovic Edges Joyce in Sloppy Main Event – Adeleye, Rafferty and Saavedra Impress on Packed Manchester Card

Hrgovic Outpoints Joyce in Messy Heavyweight Main Event

Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) earned a 10-round unanimous decision over Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs), but it was far from convincing. The sluggish pace, wild swings, and messy clinches made it clear—neither man looked like a serious threat to the division’s elite.

Joyce opened a cut over Hrgovic’s left eyebrow in round three, then added another above the right in round five. But despite a brief second wind in rounds six and seven, he was dropped to his knees (figuratively and almost literally) by a clean Hrgovic right hand in round nine.

The judges scored it 98-92, 97-93, and 96-95, all for Hrgovic. It was a win, technically—but not one that screams “next in line.”

Referee: John Latham

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Adeleye Wins British Title with Vicious Sixth-Round Finish

David Adeleye (15-1, 14 KOs) bounced back from his only career defeat in emphatic fashion, stopping Jeamie Tshikeva (8-2, 5 KOs) to claim the vacant BBBofC British heavyweight title.

The fight was a clinch-fest early—seriously, eight clinches in the first two rounds. But when Adeleye finally opened up in round six, he floored Tshikeva with a clean left hook. Moments later, he ended the fight with another left that forced referee Ron Kearney to wave it off at 0:55.

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Rafferty Rallies, Stops O’Regan After Slow Start

Unbeaten Jack Rafferty (26-0, 17 KOs) defended his Commonwealth super lightweight title by fifth-round stoppage of Cory O’Regan (14-1, 3 KOs)—but it didn’t come easy.

Rafferty barely landed anything in the first two rounds and got picked apart in the third. But one huge right in the closing seconds of round three dropped O’Regan and turned the tide. After more pressure and body work in round five, O’Regan’s corner stunned the crowd by waving the towel at 2:26, despite their man still upright.

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Majid Stays Undefeated in Action-Filled Battle

Khaleel Majid (15-0, 4 KOs) defeated Alex Murphy (13-1) in a close, competitive 10-rounder. Both men had their moments, but Majid’s higher volume and consistent body attack gave him the nod by scores of 97-94, 96-94, and 96-95.

Referee: John Latham

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Orie Wins Debut, but Fails to Impress

Delicious Orie (1-0) cruised to a 40-36 points win over Milos Veletic (3-8, 1 KO) in his pro debut. The 2020 Olympian controlled all four rounds, but the bout was flat. He landed plenty of lead rights, but lacked urgency, and repeated shots behind the head went unpunished by referee Steve Gray.

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Undercard Highlights

• Royston Barney-Smith (14-0, 7 KOs) outpointed veteran Cesar Paredes (18-17-1, 5 KOs) with an 8-round shutout (80-72). He jabbed, moved, and didn’t take risks—safe but forgettable.

• Ramtin Musah (1-0), a three-time national champion, defeated Robbie Chapman (13-49-9) by four-round decision. Chapman entertained with last-round showboating, but the win went to Musah.

• Mark Chamberlain (17-1, 12 KOs) cruised to an 80-72 decision over Miguel Scaringi (8-5, 3 KOs) but looked rusty and flat, picking up a cut and a warning for a forearm.

• Nelson Birchall (8-0, 5 KOs) flattened Rodrigo Areco (5-14-2) in one round with a vicious body-head combo. Time of stoppage: 1:31.

• Alfie Middlemiss (3-0) defeated Alexander Morales (6-12-5) over four rounds (40-37). He boxed smartly but was marked by a nick on the right brow.

• Louie Szeto (1-0) debuted with a 38-37 points win over Nabil Ahmed (2-41-3). Szeto was dropped in round two but rallied back to scrape a win.