Review: MGM Scotland "Capital Punishment"

MGM Scotland Capital Punishment review.

Saturday 29th October

Our most recent journey north of the border took us to Edinburgh for MGM Scotland’s latest offering, the aptly name Capital Punishment.

The boys at MGM Scotland seem to have really got the blend right, they manage to build their prospects without putting them in pointless, one-sided affairs. A who’s who of tough journeymen ensure that the ‘home’ boxers always have to be on their game.

With that in mind, it seems only fitting to start with evening’s chief support which witnessed an upset of sorts. Previously unbeaten Thomas Dickson (5-1) of Livingston, surrendered his perfect record to Seaham’s Jordan Ellison. We described Ellison as a bit of road warrior recently and he certainly lived up to that billing. More well known for losing a dubious decision to George Jupp, we’ve seen him upset home favourites on several other occasions. Right from the opening bell, he showed little respect for Dickson, or his vocal fans, and got to work. His superior output and more accurate, harder shots clearly won him the first round. The next 2 were closer and I felt Dickson edged the second with more settled boxing and then I had Jordan Ellison securing the fourth with a strong finish to the fight. The referee saw it similarly and scored the bout 40-37 in favour of Ellison (now 6-8), who will go into his Northern Area Lightweight title rematch against Lewis Ritson, full of confidence.

Another North East boxer on the card was debutant Troy Williamson. Having fought in the World Boxing Series for the British Lionhearts, and hailing from Darlington, we’ve had a keen interest in Troy’s progress and were very excited to see him in the pro ranks for the first time. Williamson didn’t disappoint. MGM obviously feel he is a talent and he seemed determined to prove them right! There were occasions where he was maybe looking for the finish a little too keenly but he boxed well and he did find the stoppage during the third round. Having mixed up the jab fluidly between body and head, the Darlington man unleashed a stunning hook to the body which left his Bulgarian opponent, Borislav Zankov, writhing around the canvas and unable to make the count.

Unbeaten Light-Heavyweight prospect Tommy Philbin (6-0) continued his development with a comprehensive points win over Eric Mokonzo in the evening’s main event. Philbin boxed as well as we’ve seen and controlled the action to win every round against the game Londoner.

Dublin Super-Featherweight Jono Carroll also won every round, and in the process moved to 12-0. Pole Damian Lawniczak was game enough but couldn’t live with Carroll’s variety of shots and excellent movement. Having fought on big shows recently, the talented southpaw must surely be looking towards titles in the near future.

There were also points wins for Ahmed Ibrahim and Brian Forsyth. Ibrahim in particular impressed as he bested Youssef Al Hamidi to win his professional debut. There is a lot of hype around the “Black Assassin” in the MGM Scotland Gym and with Sam Kynoch and Gary Jacobs backing the former kickboxer, it will be interesting to see just how far he can go. Forsyth moved to 5-0-1 against the ever durable Mitch Mitchell and in the process secured a Scottish title shot against Mohammad Badabazeh next month. That will be intriguing contest between two unbeaten boxers, something MGM appears intent on providing if recent shows are anything to go by.

Another of their prospects, Fijian born Ratu Latianara was set to have his second professional contest, but due to a late withdrawal, he was left in limbo without an opponent. Step forward Stephen “Monster” Simmons. The two boxed an “exhibition” bout so won’t go on their records (no official result was given) and will no doubt give Ratu plenty of experience moving forward. With little more than pride on the line, you’d be forgiven for not expecting much yet it proved a fascinating contest. Simmons, who had already fought twice this month, dropped Latianara in the second and looked in control throughout. Both men took deserved applause at the final bell.