By Ian S Palmer
Darren Hamilton will battle it out over 12 rounds with Adil Anwar in Liverpool, England on Saturday July 6 for the British Junior Welterweight Championship. The 34-year-old Hamilton is the current champion, but will more than have his hands full with the challenge of Anwar. Hamilton will climb through the ring ropes with a record of 13-2 with 3 Kos. He doesn’t have much in the way of power, but is a pretty skilled boxer and this has allowed him to win eight of his last nine contests. The only loss on his record over that time came back in 2011 when he was disqualified against Dave Ryan.
Hamilton won the title and earned the respect of British boxing fans when he beat Ashley Theophane by unanimous decision in May of 2012. He then defended it with another decision over Steve Williams in February and he’s hoping to keep the ball rolling with a successful defence over Anwar. Of course, Anwar, who originally hails from Pakistan and now fights out of England, has other plans. The 25-year-old boasts a record of 19-1 with 7 Kos and is also a skilled boxer with good footwork and an effective jab. He’s excited about the fight as he sees it as a stepping stone to a future European and world title.
He’s determined to become the first English/Pakistani to hold the junior welterweight title and is certainly motivated in this fight. That motivation, his mobility and youthfulness could prove to be the difference in this bout. Hamilton hasn’t fought much since turning pro back in 2006. Anwar turned pro a year later and has more fights to his credit. His only loss was a six-round decision to Graeme Higginson in his second pro bout back in 2007.
This should be an interesting fight between two evenly matched opponents. Hamilton may not have the most impressive record out there, but he’s quite a good boxer, though with little power. Anwar is the same, but has a little bit more oomph in his fists. Anwar is better than Hamilton when it comes to defence, but only the best of the best usually win fights on defence, such as Wilfredo Benitez and Pernell Whitaker.
Anwar will try to keep some distance between the two and score points while getting in and out with his footwork. Hamilton will need to impress the judges because it’s doubtful he’s got the power to stop the challenger. This should be a close match and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Anwar leaves the ring with Hamilton’s former belt around his waist via way of a decision.
