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B.C.’s top super middleweights clash at Coast

Friday night fights in Langley action packed
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Boxing gloves and head protector, elevated view

Ilya Kovalenko’s body assault proved to be too much for Jeremy Cook when the two top amateur middleweight boxers in B.C. clashed inside the Coast Hotel ballroom last Friday (July 14).

The main event of Clash at the Cascades 49 was a B.C. title fight between Kovalenko of Sugar Rays and Cook of Carlson Gracies, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the 140-lb. division.

The bout started with Cook having an edge through the first round, and the same could be said for the second although Kovalenko finished the round well with a good body attack.

“The third round started with Kovalenko continuing his body attack and this was the end for Cook,” reported Clash organizer and matchmaker Dave Allison. “It was a big win for Kovalenko who will likely face Cody Sahlstrom of Victoria in the near future.”

The semi main event stole the show, when B.C. super middleweight champion Brendon Kim of Port Kells took on Dan Csaszar of Langley City Boxing.

This was a non-title bout because both were above their normal weight.

In an action packed contest, Csaszar was showing ring rust after almost a five-year layoff.

Kim, meanwhile, started strong and won the first round, however as the bout wore on, Csaszar started to put it together and the action went back and forth between both combatants.

Csaszar won the last round, so the judges as well as fans were not clear on the winner of the fight.

The split decision went in favor of Csaszar.

Other action saw current City super welterweight champion Cody Robertson of Ibarra’s Boxing take on rival Marcus Davies of Sunshine Coast in a four-round middleweight match-up.

“No title was at stake in this fight and the fight was very exciting,” Allison said.

Robertson clearly won round one and two and seemed in control when he got caught with a solid shot by Davies in the third.

Robertson went down and while he beat the count, he had not fully recovered when he took a second punch, resulting in an eight count.

Robertson recovered between rounds and was better in the fourth but Davies kept the pressure on, and, Allison said, “fought his best fight to date.”

“Davies, who was runner-up for fighter of the year, got a good win and looked impressive,” Allison said.

Clash also saw two 12-year-olds, Matteo Spalding of Kamloops and Colton Osborne of Vancouver’s Diaz Gym, going head to head in the 95-lb. division, with Spalding winning a split decision.

“Clash 49 is now in the books and no one was disappointed, especially the boxing fans that were loud and very enthusiastic,” Allison said.

The next Clash card is scheduled for Sept. 8 and will feature Langley’s Sarah Pucek defending her North American championship.