Adam Azim puts Franck Petitjean down twice to seize the European super-lightweight championship at The Halls in Wolverhampton; Azim was only having his 10th professional contest but dominated the seasoned champion, while Tyler Denny claims dream European title win over Matteo Signani
Sunday 19 November 2023 09:52, UK
Adam Azim won the European super-lightweight title in just his 10th professional fight, dominating Franck Petitjean in fantastic style at The Halls in Wolverhampton.
Azim began rapidly, his quick jab darting out and catching the champion. He sent the jab to the body, touching the champion high on the head with a right disrupted the Frenchman.
His speed and energy was taxing for Petitjean from the start. But the crafty champion forced Azim to work to find openings.
Petitjean's plan was to take Azim into the later rounds, and see if he could take over the contest down the stretch.
Azim though simply would not allow that and found the key to unlock his southpaw opponent's resistance.
In the fifth round he scraped a sickening left hook across the Frenchman's stomach. It dropped Petitjean to his knees, although the champion struggled back up to his feet to beat the count.
Azim then subjected him a savage assault, screwing his left hook into Petitjean's side and turning up the pressure as he whipped his right in flush.
By the second half of the fight Azim was in full command. His left hook sank into the champion's chin and, as Petitjean began to run out of ideas, he simply had to enduring shuddering hit after shuddering hit.
A jolting right cross-left hook combination stunned Petitjean. The force of it drew blood from the champion's nose. Petitjean held his feet beneath him but listed back towards the ropes. Azim curved through a hard right uppercut and planted his cross firmly into Petitjean's stomach.
He continued to work over his opponent. However, in the ninth round when another attack strayed low, the referee took a point off Azim.
That prompted a furious response. Azim went straight back in, lining up repeated left hooks to the head.
He feinted with the right and his left hook smacked in. He launched long cross into Petitjean's chin and Azim beat him to the punch with a deft jab just to highlight his dominance.
The champion was older and more experienced, but he was having to use those attributes just to stay in the fight, while Azim maintained the bombardment.
Eventually Petitjean could endure no more. With flying right uppercuts Azim battered the champion down to the canvas. He stayed slumped over a knee as the referee counted.
His corner had seen enough and tossed a white towel through the ropes to end it at 2-17 of the 10th round.
Azim was thrilled to win the first major title of his career.
"I'm feeling amazing," he said afterwards. "He was really tough, I knew I couldn't stop him in the early rounds, this was a development fight for me, I had to chop the tree down and I did that. I could have gone another 15 rounds then."
Tyler Denny secured a dream European championship win when Matteo Signani retired after seven rounds.
Signani, despite looking strong at times, suffered a bad cut and ultimately spat his gumshield onto the corner post and stayed on his stool when the bell rang for the eighth round, with the referee accepting the corner retirement.
For Denny, a classic underdog, who had come through a sequence of hard fights at English level, it was a fairytale made real.
The southpaw jabbed at the middleweight champion's midsection and flung his left straight into Signani's body.
But the Italian seemed to have an edge in power and he ground forward, chopping shots into the Rowely Regis man.
Although Signani popped Denny's chin with a right, the southpaw lanced an excellent left cross home.
The champion still ramped up the physicality, looking to manhandle Denny.
The home fighter staggered him, but just as Denny tried to leap in the Italian hurt him in return. Denny had to take evasive action to escape.
But as the war of attrition progressed Signani picked up a bad cut, from a clash of heads.
Denny was ahead on the cards. Signani knew he had to go for him and did just that, charging forward and throwing what he could at the Briton.
But heartened, with the home crowd roaring him on, Denny fought on.
After the seventh round, as soon as Signani got back to his corner, it was clear he would not go on. There was confusion momentarily but the cut had been getting increasingly worse.
As soon as Denny saw he had won he rushed across the ring to celebrate.
"It's unreal, I never would have dream something like this, I'm lost for words, I couldn't do this without them," he said. "I've fought everywhere, and this is the best place!
"Where's Eubank Jr at? Come on, man. I'll fight anybody!"
Boxing Chris Eubank Jr is an unlikely dream. But then, a few years ago, for Tyler Denny so was winning the European middleweight championship.
