Louie O’Doherty stops Marley Mason in a York Hall classic

Small hall boxing strikes again, delivering a pulsating atmosphere to accompany the non-stop action inside the ring.

Shows that take place within East London’s very own pressure cooker – the York Hall – tend to produce one-sided mismatches over competitive title fights.

Undefeated prospects use the venue as a platform to style-off against journeymen – fighters who, while paid to go rounds, are ultimately there to lose, padding out their more marketable opponent’s record.

That being said, there are always a few gems to look out for. At Saturday’s show – promoted by Mark ‘Mo’ Prior and TM14 Promotions – there were, in fact, two standout 50/50 matchups, both fiercely contested for Southern Area titles.

But, it was clear that a large chunk of fans had bought their tickets, guzzled down gallons of beer and sat through hours of boxing just to see one fight, and one fight only. All of a sudden, the York Hall had become a cauldron, struggling to contain the cockney voices of friends and family members anticipating an Essex derby between two unbeaten lightweights.

First to the ring was Marley Mason. The former world amateur kick-boxing champion was kitted out in orange and blue attire, with the phrase ‘Jaffa Man’ embroidered onto his shorts.

Regardless of whether you identify them as biscuits or cakes, the tasty treats had been fuelling Mason throughout his training camp, as the 24-year-old now chases a sponsorship deal with the McVitie’s staple.

Next up, Louie O’Doherty. Having won the iconic 2022 Haringey Box Cup tournament as an amateur, he was branded as the ‘boxer’ heading into this matchup.

As a gymnastics coach, and former gymnast himself, O’Doherty entered the ring in tip-top shape, looking to establish himself as the fitter, stronger man from the opening bell.

He started the first round on the front foot, landing a thudding body shot early doors. But back came Mason, who caught O’Doherty flush with a clean right hand on the chin. And, right then, the fight caught fire, with neither boxer willing to give the other an inch of space to breathe.

Ignoring the size of the ring and, instead, opting to trade as if they were in a phone booth, both fighters had their fair share of success in the next few rounds. However, O’Doherty – keeping his attacks tight and compact – rocked Mason with a stiff jab towards the end of round four.

But Mason continued to wing away with big, looping shots, at no point taking his foot off the gas. O’Doherty, though, was beginning to show his class, as contrary to what Mason said in the buildup – describing his opponent as a ‘Frank Bruno midget’ – the gymnast was able to skilfully evade most shots with his elusive head movement and educated footwork, always exiting the pocket at an angle.

Then, it was after the eighth-round when, once Mason had withstood a barrage of unanswered shots, his corner made the compassionate, and sensible, decision to pull their fighter out of the contest, awarding O’Doherty the victory.

Pure elation was exuberated by the new champ.

But before celebrating with his loved ones – some of whom probably nursing their sore heads on Sunday morning – O’Doherty shared a moment in the ring with Mason, after the pair had put on, in recent memory, one of the highest level Southern Area title fights to grace the York Hall which, by the way, has hosted just about all of them.

The other title fight, for the vacant Southern Area strap at super featherweight, was, again,  between two undefeated prospects.

Michael Webber-Kane came out on top, scoring a sixth-round stoppage win over Robert Caswell after landing a short, snappy left hook to drop his opponent.

Having been on commentary duty all night, British middleweight contender Linus Udofia took a moment to catch his breath, praising Webber-Kane’s scintillating performance.

He said: “Webber-Kane came out and had the perfect game plan. His feet, his movement, his speed, everything was just bang on. It was a bit man vs boy.

“Small hall boxing has always been the foundation [of the sport]. Some of the best fights have always been for the Southern Area and English titles, and they don’t get televised.

“It’s fights like these that show why small hall boxing should be taken more seriously, and why it’s so important.”

Super bantamweight world champion Ellie Scotney was also in attendance, enjoying a stacked card of competitive dustups ahead of her unification fight at the Manchester Arena on April 13.

She said: “I feel like they need some air con in here! [The York Hall] is a venue I’ve always wanted to fight in, so whenever there’s boxing on, I try and make my way down.”

Aside from champions sitting ringside, there are also lesser-known fighters with their own unique stories – often equally as interesting – who flock to the York Hall for a bona fide night of boxing.

Alex Farrell boxed as an amateur in Greece, but now resides in Newcastle where he attended Northumbria University studying Sport, Exercise and Nutrition.

Looking to accelerate his professional career, the undefeated super welterweight prospect took the opportunity on Saturday to get his name out there, introducing himself to British boxing’s fraternity.

He said: “In Greece, they did everything they could, but I had to pay out of my own pocket to go travel and fight.

“I didn’t have any Olympic dreams. I might have wanted to go if I had the right people backing me.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to the York Hall. It’s a very nice, iconic venue – everyone wants to fight here. I’m really thankful for Mo [Prior] bringing me over here.”