Eastside's Nathan Bendon pulled off a shock victory on just 4 days' notice on the MTK Global show in Bolton (19.3.21). Bendon took on unbeaten Polish fighter Eryk Apresyan who had stopped 5 of his 7 opponents in a six-round contest in the Super-Welterweight division.
Both fighters fired out great combinations in the first round with Bendon just edging the round. Apresyan started to control the second round and got some great body shots in, Bendon fought back hard but Apresyan won the round. Both fighters got good shots off at the start of the third with Bendon catching Apresyan with a cracking uppercut that rocked the Pole. Bendon continued to bang in some big shots to the body with Apresyan just looking to hold and see the round out.
Apresyan seemed to have recovered and started the fourth round well, Bendon continued to get his shots off but Apresyan nicked this round with the better work. Scrappy fifth round with lots of holding and wrestling, could not split them, even round. Bendon put the pressure on from the start of the sixth with Apresyan having a point taken off for pushing Bendon down. Apresyan came back strong in the second part of the round but due to the point deduction lost the round.
Referee Mark Lyson scored it 56 – 57 to Bendon, myself I had it 57 – 58 to Bendon.
Also on the show Birmingham’s boxer Paul Holt took on Sean Duffy in a four-rounder at Lightweight. Holt put up a valiant display against the unbeaten Duffy battling back hard as Duffy poured on the pressure. The fight came to an end in the third when Duffy caught Holt with a well-disguised body shot which Holt could not recover from.
Dexter’s Thoughts
What a fantastic and well-deserved victory for Nathan Bendon, he took this fight at just four days' notice and beat an unbeaten fighter who had won 7 contests. Bendon showed a lot of grit and determination and banged in some great shots especially in the third round. Bendon caught Apresyan with a cracking uppercut in the third that changed the fight and was unlucky not to get the stoppage in that round. Obviously, the point deduction was the key to the win, but Bendon deserved it after all the hard work he had put in. I look forward to seeing Nathan fight again very soon and hopefully get a title shot.
Paul Holt put up a great display of boxing against a very fired-up unbeaten prospect. He gave Duffy a good fight and I’m sure he would have learned from this contest. It was a cracking shot that stopped Holt and I don’t think there are many fighters who could have withstood that shot. I’m sure we will see Paul Holt back in the ring very soon.