IN the immediate aftermath of Ryan Woolridge’s epic Friday night win, trainer Peter Hickenbottom told me: “I thought he boxed really, really well – he ticked another box.”
The night’s best battle on BCB’s title show at the Hangar, Wolverhampton saw Woolridge dropped for the first time in his career – amateur or pro – before finally subduing aggressive James Candlish.
On paper, it looked a fairly undemanding six rounder for the tall Bloxwich middle, now unbeaten in 13.
Candlish, from Newcastle, had lost his only previous pro outing. On canvas, it was a gruelling, all southpaw barnstormer, with 24-year-old Ryan gaining a 58-55 decision from referee Ryan Churchill.
I thought Candlish deserved at least a share of the opening session, but the right man had his hand raised.
What was meant to be a warm-up for bigger things turned into a war. The second was particularly thrilling, with the home boxer roaring back after being decked to have Candlish reeling.
It was not a close bout. Woolridge, an electrician by day, controlled for long periods with stiff, straight punches and withering body shots.
He also showed courage, but I doubt Great Wyrley’s Hickenbottom was totally pleased with his fighter’s performance.
He would have wanted Woolridge, much taller than his opponent, to have used his range more during the early rounds. He also would have been concerned by the number of times Ryan was caught by left uppercuts – at times he appeared to bend into the shot.
In Candlish, the Black Country hope caught a tiger by its tail and was repeatedly rattled by sweeping left uppercuts.
There were warning signs in the first as Candlish delivered big lefts and in the second – an epic session – one dumped Woolridge in a neutral corner.
He was up at five and immediately roared back, rocking Candlish with straight shots from both hands.
Following that drama, Woolridge regained his composure, sapped the strength from his tiring opponent with body shots and landed long punches at distance. The odd uppercut still got through, but Ryan was far busier, much more accurate.
Candlish, feeling the pace, could only fight in bursts, although he did connect with another big uppercut in the last.
“That’s another box ticked,” said trainer Peter Hickenbottom after the thriller. “For the first time, Ryan’s had to get off the floor to win.”
Woolridge, sporting the marks of battle, said: “I’ve never been dropped in my life. He was strong, he came to have a go.” He certainly did.
Fights like that tell fans a lot about a prospect. More importantly, they tell a prospect a lot about himself. Both scaled 11st 7lbs.
