York Hall – Royston Barney-Smith (8-0, 4 KO’s) teed off on Colombia’s Maicol Velazco (10-14, 3 KO’s). The promising super featherweight looked strong and moved Velazco around the ring at will, using his southpaw jab as a range finder and firing in a very accurate left hand to head and body. It quickly became apparent that the smaller Velazco had no hope of winning and although he was brave, he lacked the knowhow to get close to Barney-Smith and protect himself.
Velazco couldn’t avoid the punches. Barney-Smith hurt Velazco with a straight left hand, followed up with a clean right hook and then dropped him with a picture perfect step back left hand. It was one sided, but Barney-Smith was making it look classy.
The punishment continued into the third. Velazco was hurt to the body but rather than rushing his work, Barney-Smith bided his time and maneuvered Velazco to the ropes where he put together an accurate combination, ending it with a right uppercut. Referee had seen enough and jumped in to stop the fight.
Still only 19 years old, Barney-Smith ends the year with a knockout. The official time was 1.24 of the third.
Moses Itauma (7-0, 5 KO’s) also ended the year with a flourish. The 18 year old heavyweight finished his seventh fight of a busy year in clinical fashion, knocking out Michal Boloz (5-7-2, 5 KO’s) in just sixty seconds.
Itauma came out aggressively, showing plenty of variety with his southpaw right hand and quickly hurting Boloz. Itauma then timed him with a perfect left hook. The Polish fighter went down heavily in delayed fashion.
When he got up, Itauma jumped all over him, letting both hands go to head and body and Boloz sank to the canvas under heavy fire. He got up and complained when Lee Every stopped the fight after just one minute of the opening round but the referee saved him from a bad knockout.