O’Toole dominates - now for major titles

Sian O’Toole has Doina Costin covering. Picture: BCB Promotions

SIAN O’Toole, maths teacher by day, has calculated a major title fight must be next after successfully defending her Midlands featherweight belt in a blood-splattered 12 rounder.

The blood was spilt by her brave opponent Doina Costin in the main event on BCB Promotions’ major “Independence Day” show at the Hangar Events Venue, Wolverhampton, last night (Friday).

The red stuff flowed from a gash over the challenger’s left eye, opened in the fourth, and leaked from her nose.

Still she plugged forward, only to be met by spiteful, straight combinations from the Droitwich champ. Doina’s doggedness earned her three rounds on referee Chris Dean’s 97-93 card. I gave the Northampton 30-year-old only the eighth and a share of the last session when Sian knew she had the win in the bag.

“I want the British (title),” the 26-year-old champ, now unbeaten in seven, said. “The European and Commonwealth titles are being sat on – give me a chance and I’ll show what I can do.”

Of last night’s fight, O’Toole said: “I got 10 good rounds in. There a lot of things I did right, a few things I did wrong. She (Costin) gave it her all, you have to give her respect.”

One of the things Sian got wrong was being drawn into a fight in the mid-rounds – possibly goaded by verbal baiting from Costin. When she used her feet and jabbed there was a clear distance between the two.

She also appeared to put a dent in Costin with right hands to the body. I would’ve liked to have seen more of them.

But that’s nit-picking. O’Toole, with partner Frankie Gavin roaring in

For Costin, the move to championship class came after only two bouts and the gulf in experience showed as O’Toole nailed her with jabs, then unloaded rights.

Sian, making her first defence, dominated the fifth as Costin, blood seeping down her face, trudged into flak.

O’Toole became sucked into a scrap from the seventh as Doina beckoned her in and talked to her tormentor. “She was saying, ‘c’mon, you’re the champ’,” Sian revealed. “And I thought, ‘yes I am the champ’.”

With the finishing line in sight, both let their hands go in a free-swinging last round. O’Toole was simply too skilful and sharp for a stubborn opponent and can now dream big. Both scaled 8st 13lbs.