Smith-Zepeda Undercard Wrap: James Flint Defeats Campbell Hatton; Ishmael Davis, Nico Leivars Win
In Sheffield, England, on March 23, 2024, Campbell Hatton and James Flint battled it out for the Central Area Super-Lightweight Title at Utilita Area Sheffield. The fighters donned blue and white shorts respectively, as they stepped into the ring for what was sure to be an intense matchup. The moment was captured in a stunning photograph by Mark Robinson of Getty Images.
In his first loss, Campbell Hatton gained wisdom that he hadn't obtained from his previous fourteen triumphs.
The second-generation boxer had to come to terms with the outcome of the fight after being outmatched by James Flint. Flint managed to secure the win with scores of 98-92, 97-94, and 97-95, defending his British Central Area 140-pound title.
The fight was featured as one of the matches in the undercard of the DAZN broadcast on Saturday night, which took place at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England.
Hatton was aiming to secure the regional championship that his father, Ricky Hatton, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame, had won a quarter of a century ago.
He had nothing to take away from the match except for admiration for his hard work and resilience. Flint (14-1-2, 3 knockouts) had a dominant performance over Hatton (14-1, 5 KOs) who had not lost previously, for the entirety of their ten-round preliminary match.
Ishmael Davis ended a period of intense emotions by winning a unanimous decision against Troy Williamson. He worked hard for his victory and deserved the win.
For almost a whole day, Davis thought that the bout would not proceed. Williamson did not make weight on Friday and did not agree to the conditions on Saturday morning.
Davis published a message prior to the performance, stating that the bout would not proceed unless a last-minute agreement was made to save the local 154-pound boxing match.
Davis, who has an undefeated record of 13 wins with 6 knockouts, dominated the fight from that point on and secured a win. The judges, Reece Carter (116-112), Victor Loughlin (117-111), and Marcus McDonnell (116-112), all declared the 28-year-old fighter from Leeds as the unanimous winner.
Williamson has lost three times during his career and unfortunately, these losses have all occurred in the last four fights that he has had. In total, he has won 20 fights with 14 of them being won through knockouts.
Nico Leivars, who has recorded six wins, one draw and one knockout, achieved his first career stoppage after overcoming a severe cut and fighting for more rounds than he ever had before. The undefeated junior featherweight defeated Piotr Mirga, who has seven victories, three losses and zero knockouts.
Leivars was able to end the fight with a left hook to the body, effectively finishing the opponent at 1 minute and 32 seconds into the ninth round. This fight was the first time that the Mansfield native had gone beyond the eighth round and they remained unbeaten.
The Dalton Smith-Jose Zepeda junior welterweight match was accompanied by three other fights.
The author of this blog post, known as Jake Donovan, holds an esteemed position as a veteran writer for The Ring publication and is also the vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. For those interested in keeping up with his insights and viewpoints, be sure to follow his Twitter account @JakeNDaBox.
