Kelly’s made to work for win over Eboigbe

Kelly unloads on Eboigbe. Picture: Stephen Webb/BCB Promotions

RYAN Kelly is back to winning ways, but had to scrap for the six round decision over Elliot Eboigbe at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, on Sunday.

Make no mistake, the Manchester based Italian came with ambition and is far better than his now 1-16 record suggests.

I didn’t expect him to be so competitive, I didn’t expect such an entertaining battle. Chelmsley Wood’s Kelly, hampered by a hand injury from the third, won clearly, but knew he’d been in a fight.

Eboigbe has the ring nickname “Enigma” – dictionary definition: “a person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand”.

It’s an apt label for unorthodox southpaw Eboigbe who’d soak-up shots then suddenly unleash with wild swings. At times, he flung himself into the fray like a whirling dervish.

Referee Kevin Parker gave him two rounds, scoring 58-56, which I felt a little harsh on the winner whose better boxing always had the last word.

I gave Eboige a share of two sessions, but that’s too close to Mr Parker’s decision for serious disagreement.

Kelly told me the following morning: “He was very, very weird and wiry, at times it was like he had six foot arms. He was throwing punches from weird angles. I thought I took every round – he’d throw in little bursts, but not many got through.”

The BCB bill saw a small hall return for 31-year-old Kelly following appearances on major shows against top opposition.

He’d drawn with Gerome Warburton last year, then suffered controversial losses to Kieron Conway, for the vacant Commonwealth middleweight title, and Caoimhin Agyarko. This was his return after seven months away – and it proved a perfect sharpener.

There were times when Eboigbe seemed ready to go as Kelly drove rights to the body – in the fourth I wrote “he’s starting to unravel”, then Elliot would unleash those clubbing shots.

The blueprint was laid down as early as the first. Kelly (11st 3lbs) bossed the action behind hard jabs, then slammed long rights into Eboigbe’s midriff, only for the visitor to suddenly rally in the dying seconds.

He burst into life like a coiled spring, uncorking haymakers to head and body: the majority were deflected by Ryan’s gloves, some got through.

Kelly hit the canvas in the second, but it was ruled a slip: a left hook connected, a tangle of feet caused him to lose balance.

By the third Kelly had found his range with sickening rights to head and body, the fourth was his most dominant round of the contest, with Eboigbe (11st 5lbs) definitely slowed by a left hook to the ribs.

Yet Eboigbe dragged himself back into the fray in the fifth, shrugging off a venomous right and winged-in Hail Mary combinations. One left found the target on the bell.

He kept up the frantic assaults in the last, while Kelly picked his punches.

Before the bout, I believed this was a routine, one-sided outing for Ryan. It wasn’t – the Birmingham contender was given an argument.

On the morning after the battle, Kelly was critical of his performance. “Overall, I’m not happy with it,” he said.

“It (the venue and fight) just felt too small for me, it’s hard to get up for these shows. I feel I box better at a higher level, but I had to have that six rounder to get a win and get going.

“Hopefully, we’re looking for a title fight next year – Errol (BCB boss Errol Johnson) was talking to me about it last night.

“It’s about getting something out of it (boxing) because I’ve put a lot of time and effort into the sport.

“I just need a bit of luck.”

The string of debatable decisions that have gone against Kelly show luck is something that has been in short supply at top level.