Stoppage was ‘soft’ says beaten Howells
Lewis Howells…late call-up to big Merseyside title show
LEWIS Howells and his corner came away from Saturday’s arena appearance in Liverpool feeling a little hard done by.
It’s the eighth round stoppage to unbeaten Merseyside prospect Stephen Clarke that rankles, not the defeat.
Manager Jon Pegg admits his fighter, a Welshman now based in Stratford, was well behind when the last round ending came.
But he disputes the stoppage, from a body shot, at one minute 42 seconds of the session. Howells briefly took a knee after the punch, rose without a count and the ref stepped in when Clarke flurried.
That stoppage on Queensberry’s M&S Bank Arena bill, topped by Nick Ball’s loss to Brandon Figueroa, was super-middleweight Clarke’s second in nine outings.
Howells, a former fine amateur who represented his country, lost for the sixth time on the spin.
“He was winded,” Pegg admitted about the finish, “but the ref didn’t need to stop it. You don’t need to step-in with a body shot – if it’s good enough to stop you, you go down. Lewis wasn’t winning – he may have lost every round – but he gave a good account of himself.”
After a bright start to his career – Howells won his first three bouts – the 28-year-old seems to have taken his show on the road. The Clarke bout was taken at short notice.
I like the Newport boxer. He’s tough, he’s faced very good opposition and has underrated boxing skills.
Pegg said: “He has three kids, a full-time job and boxing has to come second, which I can’t moan too much about.
“He’s on the same level with these guys, they’re just better prepared.”
Pegg added: “He’s on the road, he likes fighting – he doesn’t go in the ring to shut-up shop, he’s happy.”
Not too happy about Saturday’s stoppage, however.
Howells, always honest, posted: “Another massive night for me on Saturday - a world title undercard which was great to be a part of, so a massive thank you to my manager for giving me that opportunity.
“I took the fight on a week’s notice despite the fact I hadn’t been training for personal reasons.
“Going into the ring I thought I would be lucky if I managed to last six rounds due to how bad my fitness levels were. But somehow I got to the eighth and final round when the referee decided to end it.
“Do I agree with his decision? No and I’m sure I’m not the only one that thought it was soft. But it’s done and I’ll move on from it. I’m not one to turn down these opportunities regardless of my situation or who I’m up against.
“Now it’s time to get myself back into the gym and get myself into the sort of shape that I should be in. There will be more chances for me this year on more big TV shows and next time I plan to come prepared. It’s going to be a busy year ahead and I’m just getting started.”