History-making night in Swansea builds on Northern renaissance
by Haydn Williams
Gerome Warburton became the new Welsh middleweight champion with a 10-round points victory over Morgan Jones in Swansea on May 28.
The Colwyn Bay warrior travelled south and now returned not only with a shiny new belt but a realisation that he is at the forefront of the new generation of North Walian boxers to make their mark on the sport.
It also marked the return of BBC Wales covering boxing and Warburton took his opportunity to impress not just the crowd in attendance at the West Country Boxing show but also a nationwide audience on primetime television.
‘Breadmaker’ slices up ‘Fresh Prince of Aberdare’
On a warm evening, it was the North Wales fans who made the most noise during the introductions. It may have been an away-day but Warburton’s backers had followed him into battle.
It was also a fight of great name monikers: “The Breadmaker” versus “The Fresh Prince of Aberdare”.
In a cagey opening couple of rounds, it was the Breadmaker who proved upper crust, landing the flashier shots and more importantly staying the busier of the two – a running theme of the fight.
In round three, Jones started getting his jab going. It was enough to take the round, but the weapon was only used sparingly throughout the contest.
Warburton was aggressive in round four and his work on the front foot was the most eye-catching.
Round five finished with an exchange of punches which Jones seemed to get the better of.
At the halfway stage it was close. Six was another close round, with Warburton seeming to edge the exchanges.
Taking the title home
Both men gave it their all in the seventh. Southpaw Warburton was landing consistently with his straight left hand but Jones landed a clean shot at the end of the round to make it close.
Warburton applied pressure through the later rounds and even though he was occasionally getting caught coming in, the consensus ringside was he was edging ahead.
Both men put it all on the line in the final round. Warburton the busier again and there was a wild exchange to end the contest.
It was a nervy few minutes waiting for the decision. Finally, scoring referee Reece Carter returned a score of 97-94 in Warburton’s favour.
As an emotional Warburton, now 10-1-1, dropped to the floor, it was evident how much this title meant to him.
He’d completed 10 rounds for the first time and later said he had to dig deep, but taking the title back to North Wales meant everything to him.
It’s not clear against who or where the first defence will take place but Gerome is looking forward to fighting in front of his home fans and hopes it can happen soon.
- This story first appeared in the print edition of the Daily Post, May 30, 2022
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Will Gerome Warburton join North Wales’s magnificent seven?
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