Belfast hero Martin Lindsay stopped British featherweight champion Paul Appleby in six thrilling rounds on Saturday night (April 25) to become Ireland’s latest titleholder, much to the delight of one of the noisiest home crowds ever witnessed in British boxing.
In front of nearly 1,000 raucous Irish fans and a pocket of vibrant Scotsmen, Lindsay sent the majority home happy with a tremendous display of counter-punching and slugging.
A narrow underdog going in, Lindsay instantly took control of the bout from the get-go. He used a snappy jab and hurtful left-hook to control Appleby as the proud Scot looked to come forward and test Lindsay’s defences. Content to keep circling and countering, Lindsay would often lure his 21-year-old opponent in before sprinkling him with spiteful counter shots.
Appleby – the 2008 Boxing Writers’ ‘Young Boxer of the Year’ – appeared to relish the boisterous atmosphere generated inside the hall, but was both reckless and bemused in the opening minutes. He couldn’t find his range and he couldn’t land the shots he launched Lindsay’s way. Perhaps too keen to please his travelling army, Appleby fought like a man ho wanted to wage war, whatever the consequences may be.
Lindsay was hardly unreceptive to that idea, either. Rather than employ his usual cute, counter-punching style, Lindsay spotted holes in Appleby’s defence and started to go left-hook happy. He’d often double-up on the punch to head and then body to brilliant effect.
Two rounds in, the Irish fight fans appeared well on their way to a glorious Ulster boxing night. Lindsay appeared calm, composed and quicker than Appleby. He settled down into the fight and appeared to have answers to most questions Appleby’s predictable attacks posed.
However, in the third round Appleby slightly adapted his style and began to show the Irish fans just why he’s so highly thought of north of the border. Targeting Lindsay’s body and placing the emphasis on volume punching, Appleby started to enjoy success in the third round. He hurt Lindsay to both body and head and seemed to be grabbing some momentum in the contest.
Lindsay attempted to rally back, but it was Appleby who appeared the stronger and more powerful at this stage. He’d now got the bit between his teeth and was prepared to walk through Lindsay’s jabs and hooks to get off his own body attack.
Given that Lindsay had withdrawn from their original date because of a rib injury, Appleby’s game plan was both a natural one and a potentially rewarding one.
Heading into the fourth, the Scottish fans were back in full voice and the Irish fans were doing their utmost to regain control. A similar pattern was emerging between the ropes. While Appleby came on strong in the third, Lindsay was now trying to rebuff his advances in the fourth.
Though the action started to get messy at times, both Appleby and Lindsay gained success in the fourth. In fact, the Irish challenger battled back from a shaky third round to score his biggest success in the contest so far. Tagging Appleby with a flurry of right hands and left-hooks, Lindsay backed the challenger to the ropes and attempted to force a stoppage.
As brave as he is reckless, Appleby wasn’t about to lose his title without an argument. While Lindsay was teeing off excitedly on the ropes, Appleby roared back with his own combination, including a big right hand that whacked Lindsay on the chin.
The crowd rose to their feet as the action reached a crescendo. Both men claimed victory at the round’s end and both sets of supporters presented a similar argument in between the fourth and fifth rounds.
Heading into the fifth, Lindsay enjoyed a renewed confidence, while Appleby’s work became increasingly desperate and wild. Though known for his all-out, attacking style, Appleby may have paid the price for his excitement against Lindsay. In ploughing forwards erratically, the tall Scotsman was offering ample opportunity for Lindsay to pot-shot him and caution his every mistake.
This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds. While Appleby enjoined sporadic success with his body assault, Lindsay was landing the crisper, faster and now harder punches. Each shot that slammed into the head of Appleby was having a visible effect. The counter-right hands, in particular, were devastating by now. In fact, Lindsay landed four in a row at one stage - Appleby unaware of how to prevent the predicament.
Mid-way through the sixth, momentum had dramatically swung back in Lindsay’s favour. He was now teeing off on the young champion, and it appeared that Appleby’s reign as Lonsdale champion was nearing its end.
That feeling was confirmed with 2.36 gone in the sixth round. Drilling Appleby back to the ropes with a brutal left-hook, Lindsay followed up and flurried punches on the ropes. Barely able to hang on, Appleby was then separated from Lindsay with the writing well and truly on the wall. He could hardly stand straight upon parting from the clinch, and Lindsay’s final onslaught was both inevitable and tough to watch for the Scottish fans.
Thankfully, the referee felt the same. Howard Foster waved it off with 24 seconds remaining in the sixth. Now a talented former champion, Appleby, 14-1, can no doubt come again, learn from his mistakes and go on to collect countless more belts. The 14-0 Lindsay, meanwhile, can now look forward to title defences, a possible European title shot and many more legendary Ulster Hall nights. There are, I’m sure, many fight fans who wouldn’t mind seeing Lindsay vs. Appleby part two, either.
British boxing and British fight atmospheres didn’t get any better than this.
Full results from HAYEMAKER 8: 'Lindsay vs. Appleby'
Martin Lindsay W RSF 6 Paul Appleby
Ryan Rhodes W TKO 7 Janos Petrovics
George Groves W TKO 1 Sandor Polgar
Michael Maguire W PTS 4 James Ancliff
Jay Morris W PTS 4 Curtis Woodhouse
Luke Wilton W PTS 4 Delroy Spencer