Highlights and results: Hughes wins decision over Galahad, Harper takes title from Rankin

Maxi Hughes wins a well-matched main event on tight cards, and Terri Harper takes Hannah Rankin’s IBF belt.

Jumping two weight divisions proved a bit too much for Kid Galahad tonight in Nottingham, where Maxi Hughes took majority cards in a tight, back-and-forth fight.

There weren’t a lot of fireworks, but it was a see-saw fight with tension and balanced action throughout. Ultimately, repeated fouls from Galahad (28-3, 17 KO), whether sloppy or strategic, swung the result. Galahad was warned twice early for stepping on feet, warned in the 6th round for leading in close with his head, and warned in the 8th for stiff-arming Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KO) under the chin in clinches. Finally, in the 10th, Galahad lost a point on a headbutt.

That deduction made the difference, as Hughes took a majority decision on 116-111, 114-113, and 114-114 cards. Without the penalty, Galahad and Hughes would have ended up in a split draw.

Bad Left Hook had the fight 116-111. The first half was practically all pick-’em rounds, but the difference on our unofficial score came from superior work from Hughes in the back half. Hughes also showed exceptional pivoting and movement of the head and feet throughout that limited Galahad’s ability to sustain an attack. Galahad’s work rate dropped significantly as the warnings piled up, while Hughes maintained his effort and intensity even after a cut over his eye in the 11th.

It’s a tough result for Galahad in his first fight since a shock knockout loss to Kiko Martinez last November. The temptation might be to blame the deduction, but he should probably feel fortunate he only lost one point despite all the fouls and pauses for stern warnings.

As for Hughes, he said afterwards that he’s ready to fight anyone at lightweight in the United States. When asked if he wanted anyone specifically, Hughes just said, “Whoever pays the most.”

Hughes vs Galahad highlights

Terri Harper UD-10 Hannah Rankin

The chief support was a fantastic, intense, bloody showdown between Hannah Rankin and Terri Harper. Harper (13-1-1, 6 KO) started out brilliantly, marking up Rankin’s eye in the 1st round and opening up what looked like a troublesome cut on a punch midway through the 2nd.

Rankin’s corner did brilliant work to keep the damaged eye from ending the fight, though Harper still had the fight on her terms for the first four rounds. Things turned in the 5th, when Rankin (12-6, 3 KO) caught Harper with a solid combo that left Harper much more cautious through the middle rounds after it.

Rankin scrapped and pressed with much better success from then on, but started showing fatigue in the 9th. She was less sharp and not landing cleanly, leaving Harper the openings to counter brilliantly.

Bad Left Hook had it unofficially 96-94 for Harper, which wound up tighter than the official scores of 97-93 and 98-92 x2. None were outrageous, as the 8th was very even and Harper landed eye-catching, clean shots in the 9th.

Good sportsmanship from both afterwards, as Harper successfully leaps three divisions and claims Rankin’s 154 pound IBF belt. Outstanding performance from both, and well worth a rewatch if you missed it live.

Solomon Dacres UD-10 Ariel Esteban Bracamonte

Terrible show, terrible effort, terrible performance from Solomon Dacres tonight. He went a full ten rounds for the first time in his career, but it isn’t a credit to him, and his path to the final bell raises serious questions about his future as a heavyweight of any real relevance.

Dacres (5-0, 1 KO) faced a poorly conditioned opponent in Ariel Esteban Bracamonte, but spent the first five and a half rounds barely taking a forward step. Bracamonte (11-10, 6 KO) was already on a three fight losing streak in 2022, most recently losing to Frazer Clarke by 2nd round TKO.

Flat out, Dacres gave the sort of lackadaisical, half-assed effort reminiscent of an NBA star goofing around at a youth camp scrimmage. Minimal volume, minimal effort, and wound up showing fatigue late in the fight anyway.

Dacres was warned about low punches in the 6th and 8th round, then lost a point in the 9th on a hook straight to the dick and balls. It was the only point he lost, though, with all three judges scoring it 99-90 in favor of Dacres.

DAZN and Matchroom shared no highlights. Don’t bother going back to watch and try to find any on your own, either.

Cheavon Clarke TKO-4 Marcos Nicolas Karalitzky

Quality performance from Cheavon Clarke in his third fight of the year, and first spot on the main show. Clarke (3-0, 3 KO) took on his first opponent with a winning record in Marcos Nicolas Karalitzky, who gave an earnest effort and made Clarke work to finish the fight.

Karalitzky (7-6-2, 2 KO) settled down after a first round of skittish feet, standing in to exchange with Clarke, leaning in, and refusing to get bulldozed throughout. Clarke had the best of it start to finish, but he did get caught a few times in return. Never seemed to be in trouble, but it’s still a potentially problematic leak in his defense, particularly given that he’s already 31.

When this one ended, it ended quickly. Clarke started landing heavy hooks midway through the fourth with Karalitzky backed up against the ropes. Karalitzky never went down and never stopped throwing, but the referee stepped in anyway for a very reasonable standing stoppage.

Cyrus Pattinson TKO-6 Jorick Luisetto

First ten round fight for Cyrus Pattinson, but he only needed six to dispatch Jorick Luisetto. Pattinson (5-0, 3 KO) landed some heavy body shots in the sixth, dropping Luisetto (12-5, 3 KO) twice in the sixth. It’s an impressive result for Pattinson, as Luisetto had never been stopped before in his previous 16 pro fights.