Gallant and Gutsy Kurt Walker Suffers First Career Defeat
It was bundles of guts but no glory for Kurt Walker in Nottingham on Saturday night.
The Belfast grabbed the handles of the apple cart when he fought the talented Liam Davies on the Hurt Game bill, but just didn’t have enough about him to upset it.
The 30-year-old proved himself an underdog with bite although couldn’t quite sink his teeth in the former European, British and English champ, ultimately losing for the first time in his career.
The Belfast featherweight took a leap up, hoping to defy the odds and build on impressive wins over domestic-level foes James Beech and Lyon Woodstock when he took on the fittingly named ‘Dangerous’.
However, it proved a step up too far for the Olympian. The Queensberry boxer had way too much by way of experience and was extremely impressive over 12 rounds.
The Canal BC did try everything to win, even ditching his usual skills approach in a bid to out-will the English boxer. It was gallant, but it wasn’t successful, and he lost by 117-11, 115-113, 116-112 card.
Both fighters had successes in the first round, with Walker showing flashes of his famed skillset, while trying to discourage the Telford native from coming forward with willful abandon by firing in some right hands.
However, Davies did look the more physically imposing and did manage to take centre ring from the off.
The Canal BC graduate wasn’t as fleet-footed in the second, and again his pedigree was evident, but it was Davies’ round. The English fighter was finding real rhythm, was winning the battle of the jabs and was whipping in heavy shots.
The stylist marched forward behind a high guard in the third, looking for a fight for the first time in his pro career. He found a willing dance partner in Davies but did enough to battle his way into the fight.
Some solid right hands and body shots with roots in solid feet allowed the Belfast man make a positive start to the fourth. Davies did respond but took some left hooks and was backed up to the ropes for the first time in the clash.
The Irish side of a what was turning into an entertaining bout mixed it up in the fifth, making Davies miss and trying to make him pay. It was another hard-to-score stanza but the Queensberry fighter was finding it harder to land.
A confident nod at the end of the sixth suggested the Tokyo Olympian was happy with his work and growing in confidence. He was making the former European champion miss but there was a feeling the higher work rate of ‘Dangerous’ may have caught the judges eye.
The Jamie Conlan managed fighter landed the shot of round seven, a big left hook and didn’t really take anything flush, yet still Davies’ output and pressure possibly won him the session.
To his credit, the home fighter didn’t allow himself to get frustrated, always looked powerful and patient by the end of the eighth had an air of a fighter who felt he was set to take over.
30-year-old Walker returned to marching forward and showed real courage across 9. However, Davies seemed to welcome the tactic, was relaxed in the attempted storm, looked fresh, and was using all his experience to manage proceedings.
Walker was still full of effort, still landing and scoring with some big right hands in the tenth, although the consensus going into the championship rounds was he needed a knockout to defeat the quality Davies. The former English and British title holder just had more way by nouse and experience.
Amazingly, Walker upped the tempo across the last two, putting in a huge effort, abandoning a style that has served him so well all through his career in an attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
However, Davies never looked flustered, seemed extremely comfortable with the pace and at the new weight, and remained fluid until the final bell.
