Gritty King rules in town 'derby' cracker

PERRY KING . . . eyes on senior elite ABA title

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IT proved to be 'derby day' when two Oldham boxers - Perry King and Joe Eko - went head-to-head in the 64kg light-welterweight category in the senior elite ABA Championship quarter-finals.

Both are good friends and former training partners, with King, from Northside ABC, eventually securing a deserved points victory against Eko, who trains under the guidance of Ben Lancaster in Middleton.

The Club 147 venue in Walkden was packed out with fans from both sides, many of whom had travelled from Oldham.

There was a tense atmosphere before the bout, which started off cagily.

Eko started piling on some pressure and caught King with some cracking over-hand rights. He kept charging forward with good head movement, giving King no room to move. Although King did catch Eko a few times on the way in, Lancaster's man took the first round convincingly.

The second round started off in similar fashion, with King being put on the back foot for the first minute.

However, King landed some clean body shots as Eko was moving forward.

Slowly King started applying pressure to head and body as he started to push back his opponent.

He then boxed at long range, eventually taking a close second round.

King kept moving on his toes in the final round, trying to keep Eko away with his jab, and he landed some good uppercuts every time they both got close.

The bout was a cracker, and as the audience cheered them on, when the final bell rang it was King's hand was raised. All the judges agreed he had won.

King, who has had two hard fights since returning from a three-year lay off, has managed to fight his way through with grit and determination.

In the semi-finals, he will box another tough fighter in Wes Burns from Bolton.

TRAINER Lancaster guided Jack Rafferty to victory in the 69kg category at Walkden. Read his story in the Chronicle later in the week.