Jennings battles back from the brink of defeat

SECONDS from being stopped, Matt Jennings, Guernsey's top boxer, dug deep on Friday night and brought the roof down at a packed St Pierre Park Hotel with a thrilling third round knockout of the current ABA novice cruiserweight champion, Scott James. It's odds against the Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club membership - of which there were nearly 300 ringside for the first of this winter's shows - witnessing a more exciting bout this season.

Graham Guilbert, Jennings' coach, said: 'I've never seen anything like that in the 32 years I've been involved.'

The coach admitted he was worried for his man.

'He was a bit slow starting off from what he usually is and James certainly wanted it.'

Jennings did not hide from the fact that he had been in trouble.

'He caught me with a good shot.

'I think it was more a case of being caught unexpected and that I was back-pedalling.'

'I thought to myself, I've got to tidy it up; if I get caught again it could be a different story.'

The light-heavyweight contest topped the bill and was brutally exciting.

Within 10sec. of the opening bell, James' headgear was whistling over the top rope and through the air towards a table of surprised diners.

After a short stoppage to replace it, the Sussex man gave as good as he got from the home crowd favourite and on the brink of the bell had Jennings sinking to his knees with a punch to the stomach.

Deemed legal - but it cannot have been by much - the punch had Jennings take a standing count of eight ahead of the bell to end the round.

There was more trouble for the Guernseyman early in the second.

Caught by a powerful left, Jennings crashed to the canvas.

Having survived the count, he was given the benefit of the doubt to continue, but the decision must have been marginal.

For half-a-minute Jennings' future in the fight hung in the balance, but to his enormous credit he cleared his head and, in the closing stages of the round, hurt James to the extent that referee Lindsay dished out his third count of the bout.

James was still in trouble as the bell sounded for the end of the round, but the respite was shortlived.

Within half a minute of the start of the third it was all over.

Jennings pinned his opponent in the corner and James went down again.

As he staggered wearily to his feet, clearly beaten, his corner wisely threw in the towel.

Three of the final four bouts of the evening made up for the disappointment of just seven of the 12 planned matches going ahead.

Tom Duff produced arguably his most impressive display to date in gaining a unanimous decision over Sussex's Jody Jefford.

There was little to choose between the two middleweights in the first round, but the longer the fight continued Duff's admirable strength and fitness told.

Jersey's Tony Grimshaw did not last 30sec. against the powerful Ben Jones and there was no more brutal a contest than the lightweight bout between Guernsey's Matthew Clark and Joe Taylor.

Boxing at a fierce pace, southpaw Clark took just under two rounds to stop his brave, but outgunned opponent.

Taylor took one standing count in the first and was put onto the canvas twice by vicious left crosses early in the second.

The end came fairly swiftly as Clark, perhaps wary of his bloodied nose causing concern to the referee, went for an early finish.

Another home victory was provided by James Manners, who stopped Adam Child in the second round and Alderney's Emile Phelan added to the home team's dominance with a hard-earned unanimous verdict against Lee Illman.

The only defeat for the Amalgamated Boys' Club lads on view came in the opening schoolboy contest, in which Callum Pearson lost on points to the harder punching Joe Mitten.

In defeat, however, Pearson showed sufficient ring skills and pluck to indicate he will have better days ahead.

Sadly, talented junior Tom Martin could not be matched after his scheduled opponent failed to turn up at Gatwick airport and join the Sussex Select squad.