Felix Cash successfully defended his Commonwealth Middleweight title with a fifth round knockout against Jason Welborn at Matchroom HQ in Essex on Saturday.
Cash (13-0, 9 KOs) landed two knockdowns in round five, as Welborn (24-9, 7 KOs) was withdrawn by his corner with the towel thrown in, to conclude Fight Camp week three.
Cash began off a flashy jab and targeted Welborn’s body, whilst the challenger inched his way inside in the opening round and landed a solid left hand that momentarily shook the champion, but Cash swiftly shrugged the shot off.
The Wokingham favourite upped the ante in round two, with several meaty shots finding the mark, whilst the game Welborn did the best he could to keep his opponent at bay.
Cash was warned in the third as he strayed low, but he kept the pressure on, whipping in hard shots to head and body to stay in control of the action.
Several head and body combinations from Cash began the fourth, but former World title challenger Welborn did land with a couple of decent right hands of his own.
Cash, 27, was deducted a point for a low blow to start the fifth, but got the point back just over a minute later, as he dropped Welborn with a clubbing right hand.
The 34-year-old wearily rose with a second remaining of the count, but his energy had drained and another right hand on the resumption dropped him again, with his corner throwing the towel in to force the end of the contest.
“It was a decent performance. I got my range after a round or so, and it was a matter of time before I broke him down” Cash told Sky Sports post-fight.
“I know the body shots were hurting him and breaking him down and he was wincing and complaining so I stayed down there. I’ll fight any Middleweight in the country.”
Cash’s promoter Eddie Hearn said the European title is the next realistic aim for his charge, with Matteo Signani the current champion.
At 41, Signani is an ageing champion, and a logical next step for Cash.
Zelfa Barrett (24-1, 15 KOs) made his debut under the Matchroom banner, and was forced to dig deep to see off previously unbeaten Irishman Eric Donovan (12-1, 7 KOs) in a thriller to pick up the IBF Intercontinental Super-Featherweight title.
‘Brown Flash’ overcame a slow start, in which Donovan, 35, took the fight to the Manchester man, to score an eighth round knockout win.
Donovan was heavily floored by a big left hand on the chin in the seventh, and it took the wind out of his sails, as Barrett, 27, decked ‘Lilywhite Lightning’ again with a right hand towards the end of the session.
Donovan’s race was run and a huge left found his chin in the eighth and the count was dispensed with.
Rachel Ball upset Shannon Courtenay in what was a fantastic advert for women’s boxing, as the Aldridge fighter took a 77-75 verdict from referee Howard Foster.
Pre-fight underdog, Ball (6-1) dropped Courtenay (5-1, 2 KOs) with a heavy counter left hand in the opening round, and the Watford native did well to clear her head and see out the round.
The rounds were close, but Ball benefited from the early knockdown to take the win and end Courtenay’s previously unbeaten record.
Kieran Conway (15-1-1, 3 KOs) took over after the halfway mark to win the WBA Intercontinental Super-Welterweight title with a comfortable points win against Nav Mansouri (20-4-2, 6 KOs).
Scores of 98-92 twice and a third at 99-92 secured the belt for the Northampton native, who moved back into the domestic Super-Welterweight picture, which includes Scott Fitzgerald, Ted Cheeseman, Anthony Fowler amongst others.
John Docherty (9-0, 7 KOs) passed his first professional test with flying colours securing a seventh round stoppage of Anthony Fox.
Fox (8-13-4) was down once in the third and again in the seventh.
