Fight Report: Sutcliffe aces ‘tough test’

Forget the sucker punch the ‘Succo’ punch was on display in the Red Cow on Friday night.

Terry Needham of Liverpool was brought to Dublin to give Phillip Sutcliffe Jr test, but the fighter, who came to the ring with seven wins in the bank and his only defeat borne out of a bad cut, lasted less than around.Indeed he was lucky to last more than a minute.

Sutcliffe turned what was billed as an evenly matched contest into a miss match within seconds.

The former Senior Champ, who was a noted puncher in the amateurs, dropped his foe with just his second shot. A looping right to the temple had Needham on the canvas. He rose to his feet but never recovered. He was down twice more but both where ruled slips before Sutcliffe side stepped and hooked a body shot right onto the Liverpool fighters belly button.

Down Needham went and this time it was for good and Sutcliffe passed what was meant to be a test with ease. Matching the Crumlin graduate and possibly the pound for pound biggest puncher in Ireland will now become increasingly difficult.