The boxing action was a welcome return to the Friday Nights Pro/Am boxing event after a break last month.
In the evening’s main supporting bout and the first of two feature match-ups, Pile was visibly shaken and hurt in round three of the battle after a right hook from Antoine sent him to the canvas for the third time in the fight.
Pile rose to his feet and survived the referee’s count, but he looked dazed and signalled to his corner that he was unwilling to continue, bringing the fight to a premature end.
From the opening round of the fight Pile was on the back foot, mostly advancing to hold his opponent. He looked no match for Antoine, who was mixing it up with solid body shots and jabs.
Pile’s first knockdown came in the second round but he strongly rose to his feet. However, when he walked into a punch from Antoine in the third round for his second knockdown, it was already looking like the bout was over. This was followed shortly after by the knockdown that dismissed Pile.
The evening’s main event saw Kurt Bess defeating Leon ‘The Lion’ Gilkes by a unanimous decision in their four-round bout. Gilkes came out strong and landed a big left hand immediately after the opening bell, but the taller Bess used his lengthy reach to his advantage with jabs from afar to control the fight early.
A right cross from Bess floored Gilkes just before the end of the first frame, but although he was down, Gilkes did not appear to be really hurt as he was quickly back on his feet.
Gilkes came out in the second round with the same ferocity but he was again held at bay as Bess continued sticking the jab.
The boxers traded punches for the majority of the fourth, but the slugfest went in favour of Bess as Gilkes was floored again in the fourth, sealing the win by a unanimous decision for Best.
In other fights in the Friday night action, Edmond Dc Clou got a split decision victory over Joel Mc Rae, Simeon Hardy gained a unanimous victory over Troy Lewis while Sharon Warde won by a unanimous decision over Pauline London in the evening’s lone female encounter.
