Joe Fitzpatrick survives knockdown scare to grab win in London

There was step-up in class tonight for Joe Fitzpatrick and, after a slight stumble, the Belfast lightweight came through with the victory.

The Dragon took on Sunderland’s Jordan Ellison at the York Hall in London and scored a 38-37 points win after a trip to the canvas in the second round.

The 21 year old Divis fighter took a cagey opening round on the Frank Warren show at the famous London venue, before being knocked down by a sneaky short left in the second stanza.

Fighting outside of Belfast for the first time, the 2014 Commonwealth silver medalist was up quickly and showed a calm head and asserted himself for the remainder of the fight to grind out the win on his Warren promotional debut.

Following the scare, Fitzpatrick stretches his unbeaten record to 5(4)-0, while the dangerous Ellison falls to 5(1)-5(0). Indeed the game 20 year old from North England again proved himself to be a cut above your average journeyman, and it would be refreshing and beneficial to see him matched with other Irish lightweights

Next up for Fitzpatrick is a step up to six rounds on October 8th at the familiar confines of the Europa Hotel, however don’t be surprised if we see the fledgling prospect out again before that.