THE RESULT: In yet another scintillating British title fight in a year already full of them, Ashley Lane won the British bantamweight title at the second attempt by slowing down and stopping Chris Bourke in the sixth round tonight (March 22) at Bethnal Green’s York Hall. The fight, which was compelling throughout, began with Bourke boxing quite brilliantly for two or three rounds before Lane then came on strong and gained confidence in rounds four and five. By the sixth, quite incredibly, there appeared only one man in control and only one winner. That man was Lane, who rocked Bourke with a right hand in the sixth and finished him two minutes and nine seconds into the round. The win delivers Lane both the British title and the Commonwealth title.
KEY MOMENTS: It all started so well for Bourke, with him landing plenty of eye-catching left hands – thrown as both a cross and an uppercut – in the first three rounds and even cutting Lane above the eye in round one. This success was not to last, however, and soon it was Lane doing all the better work. A man hard to stop, Lane stuck to Bourke and stayed there, refusing to either take a backwards step up or give Bourke a moment’s peace. In the end, a big right hand in the sixth proved the decisive punch, swinging the fight the way of an unrelenting Lane.
RECORDS: Lane, 33, is now 18-10-2 (3), whereas Bourke, 29, falls to 13-2 (8).
TALKING POINT: Not for the first time, tonight’s British title fight was a fine example of perseverance and never giving up. This applies not only to the fact Lane entered the fight with 10 defeats to his name, but also the way the 33-year-old boxed on the night. Outclassed early, and seemingly out of his depth, Lane stuck to the game plan and maintained total belief that he would eventually get to Bourke and make him fight his fight. He was, in every respect, spot on.
QUOTABLE: “I left home at 18, I was homeless a few times, I moved to Devon, moved back to Northampton, and then to Bristol to train with Lee Haskins,” said Lane. “My life has been up and down. I’ve been homeless and suicidal. It’s been brutal. But ever since I started boxing at 15 I knew that nobody from Northampton had won a British title and I wanted to be the first one. I’ve just done that. If I can aspire other kids, that’s the best thing I can do.
“The cut didn’t bother me at all. I knew it was between my eyes, not running into my eyes. You can’t stop a fight on a cut that isn’t hindering a fighter. It didn’t bother me at all.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: “The one fight on my mind is Thomas Essomba for the European title,” said Lane. “Let’s put it all on the line: British, Commonwealth and European. He’s a wicked kid. I respect him a lot. He’s a credit to the sport and he’s done it the hard way. Let’s put me and Essomba in there for all the belts.”