- 6/19/2025
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SportsTranscript
00:00Michael Alexander will be the man in the middle of these two. Sam Hickey in the silver with the white trim.
00:20Harvey Hodgetts in the white with the blue trim. This fight's a middleweight. Interesting to see that Sam Hickey came in on championship weight.
00:28I wonder if that's an early sign of professionalism that he wants to make his way up through the rankings as quickly as he can.
00:37He really was impressive last time out against Lewis Howes where he dispatched him inside a round.
00:46Looked really spiteful. Found a rhythm and timing. Early doors. Let's see how he approaches this one.
00:54Matt, it is slightly different. Boxing outdoors, it's a whole different set of conditions and particularly the noise dissipates upwards rather than outwards.
01:05Let's just see how he warms into this one.
01:08You know, he's a thinking fighter. He sets everything up behind the jab. He's well set off, good fundamentals.
01:15So again, I don't think I'm going to see anything too grung-ho or reckless. I think he'll try and set his attacks up.
01:23You can see he's using the faints already as well, trying to open up Hodgetts' defence.
01:27Hodgetts is six years Hickey senior.
01:37Box for Hart was part of Portsmouth as an amateur.
01:40He had a loss to Pooch World Champion Isaac Dogbate.
01:46He had that period of inactivity on his return. He lost his unbeaten record, but he did say it was very, very difficult getting back into the bright lights and finding a rhythm straight away.
01:59He hasn't froze here, which is always a worry. It's a big occasion for him as well, but he's settled nicely.
02:05It has to be said he's looking to use this ring and he's on the back foot at the moment.
02:11Yeah, and he'll have seen the highlights of Hickey's last win, where he was quick out of the block.
02:17So I'd imagine he's fairly apprehensive, Hodgetts. He's wary. He knows that Hickey can punch.
02:28We did his debut, didn't we, Matt?
02:30John Henry Mosquera, who literally parked the bus, went into it like a crab shell, and it wasn't the most watchable.
02:41And I think Hickey was really disappointed that he didn't get a chance to show us anything other than the fact that he's got every punch in the book,
02:48but he couldn't unlock Mosquera over four rounds.
02:51Certainly made up for that against Lewis Howells last time out.
02:55Good defense from Hodgetts so far, who took the majority of those shots on the gloves.
03:02The right hand from Hodgetts.
03:12Don't worry, he's going to throw up. Sorry, Matt.
03:14We might not.
03:15Hickey just looks for the double jab right hand and then does beat Hodgetts to the punch.
03:25He was just looking to unload his own right hand. It was a short one from Hickey.
03:35Good opener.
03:36I caught up with one half of our main event.
03:39Callum Simpson in the gym in Barnsley during the build-up.
03:42This is our town, our stadium, it's our fortress.
03:47I'll be the 12th man behind me.
03:49Make some noise and show the country's show.
03:52We'll show you what we're about, that we get behind a zone.
03:55We start it together and we're going to finish it together.
03:57Let's make some noise.
03:58Come on!
04:00Come on!
04:10One of our own!
04:11He's one of our own!
04:12He's one of our own!
04:13Carolyn Simpson is one of our own!
04:15As local comes out, it's Italian music, that's it.
04:18That's it.
04:19You've got the idea now.
04:20Come out.
04:21Let's go!
04:23Oh dear.
04:24Very funny.
04:25That is incredibly embarrassing, I do try and pride myself on being a professional
04:31and I don't expect those things to see the light of day, but Matt, I think you've known
04:35me long enough now.
04:36I have tried and failed.
04:38Can we just get back to the action here?
04:41Second round of six.
04:42So we're moving on quickly.
04:44Yeah.
04:45No time to pause.
04:46That is a good lad.
04:49Callum Simpson made the best man win in tonight's main event.
04:51Hickey's come out with a little bit more spite and aggression, certainly in that left
05:02jab.
05:03Just was really looking to stick it to Harley Hodgetts.
05:07First 30 seconds of his second round.
05:10Good jab again from Hickey.
05:12Yeah, he's come out here full of intent.
05:16Hickey, you can see he's stamping that jab in, there's good power behind that jab and
05:21even then stepping back on him.
05:23Not really giving Hodgetts much of a respite, trying to keep the pressure on him.
05:29And Hodgetts was just trying to counter there and actually didn't quite have the speed to
05:33match Hickey.
05:34You beat him to the punch.
05:37I wonder how many of those amateur traits you can still see, Matt, because he was a
05:50very good amateur with Sam Hickey.
05:53Yeah, a little bit, or bright, a little bit mechanical.
05:57But I think, you know, as he goes through his pro career, as he develops, he'll settle
06:01down a bit more, he'll loosen up a little bit, get a bit more rhythm.
06:05I think the rate of improvement might be quite quick as well, because certainly from the
06:11debut to the second fight, the improvement was very, very quick.
06:15And it's almost like the penny dropped almost straight away.
06:17Yeah, well, he's a talented kid.
06:19I'd say he's, you know, a quick learner, adapts, adjusts, listens.
06:28You know, good job to the body there.
06:29Good body shot from Hickey, who is doing a lot of the leading off at the moment.
06:45Hodgetts is quite happy to play second fiddle and let Hickey do the work.
06:50I wonder at what point, if at any point that will change, and he will look to take center
06:56ring and just try and push Hickey back at all.
06:58Everything at the moment just seems to be on Hickey's terms.
07:07Looks for the one-two, does Hickey, doesn't quite land, hasn't quite got his range.
07:16Well, Hodgetts just very much trying to react to what Hickey does.
07:19He's not really initiating any attacks or...
07:23I think he's more defensive-minded than anything else right now.
07:29Yeah, it did manage to land a sneaky right uppercut in that flurry.
07:32There wasn't much on it.
07:44What you're doing is you're going around and you're staying in front of him,
07:47and then you're falling in when you get there.
07:49You've got to box your way, and when he falls short, you've got to go again.
07:52This is what I'm telling you.
07:54Box him, he'll fall short, go again.
07:56What you're doing is you're staying in front of him, do you understand?
07:58And all you're doing is slipping your head inside, you're not doing nothing.
08:01You should do two underneath as soon as he leans on you.
08:04Should be two underneath, all right?
08:06Stop following him around trying to hit him hard, all right?
08:08Because you're falling in a little bit, and when you're inside, you can just work the body a little bit.
08:13Welcome back to Oakwell.
08:19Yeah, nice jab.
08:21Straight shots are good.
08:23Brock hasn't really got his distance properly yet with Hodges.
08:28Hodges is negative, he's retreating.
08:30He's trying to smother up close.
08:33Whilst you're away, Rob McCracken in that corner, leading the Hickey corner, was just saying stop following him around.
08:40Stop trying to hit him really hard with everything.
08:42But you're right, it has been all Hickey so far.
08:52Yeah, he's probably trying a little bit too hard at loading up a little bit.
08:56I think you could do with loosening off and just being a bit busier.
08:59Look for speed and accuracy as opposed to power.
09:03Look at Hodges as they just come together there and Michael Alexander has to break them apart.
09:12He's just employing the same tactics, isn't he?
09:15He's going one way and then the next.
09:17That was good defence from Hodges actually, took all of those on the gloves.
09:20You know, he got out of distance there, Hickey.
09:25Hodges kind of fell into no man's land, that's why he should have hit him with the combination.
09:29Did land to the body though, Hickey, switched it from the head to the body, that was good work.
09:34The Scotsman just looks to climb into a right hand and now he has got Hodges pinned to the ropes.
09:52Interestingly, Hodges turned pro over in Italy, he had his first couple over there.
10:02before making his way back here and then he had that break.
10:07Boxed three times in 2021 and then only once in 2022.
10:13And he was out for three years.
10:18Lost his perfect record to Finlay James over six rounds.
10:22Finlay James was an unbeaten prospect, so there's no shame in that at all.
10:32He wasn't far away there with a right hand on the inside.
10:44The shouts that you can hear are from the Hodges corner, that's Michael Berlingel just saying don't wait to Harley Hodges.
11:06He is just waiting, Matt, isn't he? He's waiting and letting Hickey do everything and then he gets caught with a left hook round the side.
11:12That was good from Hickey and it just sparked Harley Hodges into life.
11:16He did wait too long on that occasion.
11:18Yeah, I think Hodges has just been quite negative, isn't he? He's going really into his shell here and, you know, it's a bit frustrating for Hickey,
11:24but he's just got to not, like I say, not look for the perfect shot, not load up and he's got to let his hands go a little bit more.
11:35Let's head backstage for the first time tonight. Polly James caught up with Rhys Edwards earlier on.
11:42Rhys, welcome to Oakwell Stadium. If there's anyone who can rival Callum Simpson's support, it is you. I just wonder how much of the Rhonda Valleys in Barnsley tonight?
11:51Oh, it's going to be flooded with them. I think I've done off our 300 tickets, so you'll definitely hear them.
11:57Yeah, how many coaches?
11:58A few. A few coaches and a lot of staying up here, so it's going to be a great atmosphere.
12:03Oh, fantastic. Back to winning ways for you tonight, you obviously hope. You always seem so laid back and cool.
12:09Nerves walking in now. How are you feeling? I'm not nervous. Not yet. Probably when I start wrapping up.
12:14Like you said, I'm always chilling out, quite relaxed, so I'm looking forward to getting in there and getting the job done.
12:20Brilliant. Good luck out there. Thank you very much.
12:25One of those rare circumstances where Rhys Edwards took a risk against Peter McGraw at about three days notice in Saudi Arabia.
12:32Put up a terrific fight in some people's eyes. Should have got it.
12:35So it's a defeat on paper, but his stock has risen. He's in with Thomas Asomber later on.
12:39Round four in this contest between Sam Hickey in the grey and Harley Hodgetts in the white and blue.
12:48So far, Matt, do you think that Hickey's winning these rounds?
12:52Yeah, definitely. He's definitely winning the rounds. He landed better shots. He's landed more of them and he's taking the terms in there.
13:00He's, you know, disappointed really with Hodgetts. He's quite negative. He's very much...
13:08He'll react, he'll fire back, but he's not really looking to build on anything or initiate any attacks.
13:14He's happy just to move around on the ropes and stay in there, really.
13:19You wonder what their game plan might be if this is what it is. Get him into the second half of the fight and then we'll do our work.
13:25But we haven't seen any evidence of that yet from Harley Hodgetts.
13:29No, exactly. That's, I mean, that could be what they're trying to do.
13:33But, you know, it's only six round and it's highly unlikely that Hickey's going to tire after three rounds.
13:45Hickey just fires out three consecutive jabs and then a fourth down to the body, which does land.
13:52Just wonder if there's a right hand coming off the end of one of these.
13:55Yeah, there it is. Lads high on the head of Harley Hodgetts, who just looks the counter.
14:12And Hickey, he's throwing that jab up from the waistline now because he hasn't actually had to answer anything back.
14:17You know, I'm not saying the confidence is flowing, but he hasn't really had to be wary of what's coming back from Hodgetts.
14:22And you can see the hands just dropping slightly.
14:26Yeah, I'm just trying to maybe loosen up a little bit and you could give a feint the jab there, turn it into a left hook, lead left hook.
14:34That's a good right hand from Hickey, followed by a left hook as well that landed.
14:45Hodgetts just looks to punch with Hickey.
14:47His guard is quite tight, is Hodgetts. Just wonder if Hickey can just change the attack and maybe lead off to the body and then come to the head.
14:59Just perhaps try and drag that high guard down.
15:02What would you advise here, Matt, just to try and unlock Hodgetts a little bit more?
15:06Yeah, well, maybe sometimes he's following around a little bit, maybe cut the ring off a bit more, make him feel under more pressure.
15:12Try and force a mistake out of Hodgetts and then, you know, capitalize on that.
15:17In terms of punch variation, maybe mix things up a little bit, use the feints, maybe go up and down head and body.
15:24Put four or five punch combinations together, a little bit predictable at times.
15:28There's marking around the left corner of Hodgetts' eye and there's a little bit of blood from the nodes of the world as he just dabs at it.
15:38The sign that Hickey is finding the target here.
15:42Listen to the part, listen to me, Brian.
15:52This is the remainder of tonight's card.
15:54We just heard from Rhys Edwards, who's in with former European champion Thomas Osombo.
15:59Former Olympian Thomas Osombo, who's always a handful.
16:03That's over eight rounds at featherweight.
16:05Mark Jeffers, he's really looking to get in the mix tonight against Sean Hemhill,
16:09who largely unknown as a professional but was a good international quality amateur.
16:14Jeffers, I presume, will hope that Callan Simpson does his job in the main event against Ivan Zuko
16:22and that will set up a Simpson versus Jeffers fight down the line.
16:26But all of these are to be decided.
16:29Everybody's got a win for that to happen.
16:31And Zuko will be saying all the right things in that main event.
16:35Looking to come over here and really, really upset the apple cart.
16:41As his team said yesterday, what you're doing is beautiful cinema,
16:44but we're happy to play the villain.
16:54Come back!
17:05That's a rare attack there from Hodgetts.
17:15Hickey just glides out of distance and makes the Portsmouth man pay on that occasion.
17:27But Hickey hasn't been able to put any sort of dent in Hodgetts yet, Matt, you would say?
17:32No, no, he hasn't, but like I say, I think part of that is because Hodgetts has been quite negative.
17:37He's happy just to survive in there.
17:39Just trying to explode off the ropes there, Hodgetts, because we're in the fifth round now.
17:53And if it's coming from Hodgetts then surely it's coming soon.
17:58Is he going to try and win this?
17:59Is he going to try and stamp his authority or is he happy just copy and paste from the previous four rounds?
18:06Oh, good body shot from Hickey.
18:09Right under the left elbow.
18:11Needs a few more of those perhaps just to stop this circling motion of Harley Hodgetts.
18:19Harley Hodgetts.
18:20Very much got dreams and desires of his own as Sam Hickey is sat and watched Josh Taylor on numerous occasions,
18:35including just a couple of weekends ago when he lost to the engine Eco Esserman without being disrespectful in what was viewed as an upset, I think.
18:48He very much wants to be the next Josh Taylor.
19:03That is not going to be easy to follow, one of the best that we've had, Josh Taylor, undisputed champion.
19:07But big nights are due back up in Scotland and Hickey wants to be the man that's fronting them.
19:12I think he's certainly been the one of the most successful amateurs they've had in a long time from Scotland.
19:23So he's looking to carry that over now into the professional ranks.
19:27Yeah, when he won a bronze in 2022 at the European Championships, they made him the first Scotsman in 16 years to win a senior European medal.
19:37Perhaps now is a good time as you see Rob McCracken in there to pay tribute to Lee Pullen and Dave Alloway up at GB in Sheffield,
19:53who will have had plenty of say on Hickey as an amateur.
19:57They are retiring after 16 years.
20:00He is someone that's exclusively works in the pros.
20:04We can only say thank you because they produce some brilliant amateurs that went on to be brilliant pros.
20:08Without them, we wouldn't have had that success.
20:11And we've got another one here with Hickey as we look at him just flicking out that jab, Matt.
20:15Yeah, great service for both those guys.
20:17And of course, Hickey here, you see him.
20:19Nice feet in and out.
20:21Good at distance.
20:30Sixth and final rounds in this middleweight contest.
20:38And whilst I'm not a scoring referee or a judge of any sort, I would think it's 5-0 Hickey.
20:46Would you agree?
20:47Yeah, absolutely.
20:48You'd like to think now that Hodges will come out and give it a real go here.
20:51And if he does so, then that should give Hickey more of a chance to land some clean shots to get some proper openings.
21:04Yeah, and it'd be interesting to see if Hickey just seems to have something left in the locker,
21:11if he's got the ability to go up through the gears and just inject a little bit of pace into his work.
21:15I don't know, it's not like he hasn't been trying.
21:17That was good.
21:22Short right hand and a left hook.
21:24Yes!
21:25Teal off, Mario!
21:26Yes!
21:27Yes!
21:28Yes!
21:29Yes!
21:30Yes!
21:31Yes!
21:32Yes!
21:33Yes!
21:34Yes!
21:35Yes!
21:36Yes!
21:37Yes!
21:38Yes!
21:39Yes!
21:40Yes!
21:41Yes!
21:42Yes!
21:43Yes!
21:44Yes!
21:45Yes!
21:46Yes!
21:47Yes!
21:48Yes!
21:49Ohh!
21:50Yes!
21:51Yes!
21:52Yes!
21:57Yes!
21:58Yes!
21:59Yes!
22:00Yes!
22:01I think this will be a fight whereby Sami can be able to look back,
22:05watch the video of the fight, the tape, with his team, with Rob,
22:09and they'll be able to analyse the performance.
22:12A lot of things they can pick up on, little improvements, little adjustments
22:16that they can make in order to develop into a better fighter.
22:19I think cutting the ring off will be one of them for sure.
22:24Also maybe not always having to get out to get back in,
22:27but catch him as he comes onto you.
22:29Sometimes Hickey's got to get out of range,
22:31he doesn't want to get back in to let the shots go
22:33rather than just meeting Hodgett as he comes to him.
22:41Hodgett's just fainted as if he was going to go on the attack there
22:44and then thought better of it,
22:46and then Hickey just piles into a couple of meaty-sounding body shots.
22:51Hodgett's still on that bike though, he's taking them well.
23:00You know, for all the punch output of Hickey,
23:02he hasn't been able to put any sort of dent in Hodgett's.
23:05Good left hand to the body, followed by a right from Hickey.
23:08This is better, but he's running out of time.
23:10Only 30 seconds left in this sixth and final round.
23:13Last 10 seconds of our show opener here.
23:27Good finish from Hickey.
23:35It isn't enough to get a win inside the distance,
23:38but that is surely six valuable rounds banked for the talented amateur,
23:43former Commonwealth gold medalist who is now finding his feet as a pro.
23:47Rounds at this stage, no bad thing, Matt, you'd say?
23:50No, definitely.
23:52And like I say, there's a lot of things they can look at there.
23:55Little adjustments, little improvements they can make,
23:57you know, put the ring off a bit more.
23:59Like I say, don't always have to come out in and out.
24:03It's great when you've got good feet,
24:04but sometimes you've got to time him and catch him as he comes to you
24:07or slip inside the shot and come through the middle.
24:13But overall, you know, he won every second of every round.
24:16Landed some nice shots.
24:18Jab, very nice, accurate, hard crisp jab.
24:22Like I say, good feet.
24:25I don't think Harley Hodgetts would be too upset with me
24:28if I said that there was a difference in levels there
24:30and perhaps he adapted that game plan
24:33because he knew that he was in with a sharp punch-up in Sam Hickey.
24:37I'm sure he would have enjoyed his Sky Sports debut
24:41having gone the six rounds.
24:42Hickey could not budge him.
24:45Still early days.
24:50Sam Hickey's only 25.
24:54Shared the ring a couple of times with Lewis Richardson
24:57who makes his professional debut tonight.
24:59The Olympic bronze medalist, good luck to him.
25:03Over on the show in Ipswich.
25:05Both fighters are ready in centre ring.
25:08Michael Alexander has both of them.
25:10And I can see Big Mo is poised.
25:12So let's get confirmation of this result.
25:14Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of six full rounds
25:19we go to referee Michael Alexander for the official decision.
25:22He sees the contest.
25:2360 to 54.
25:25Declaring your winner.
25:27And still undefeated, Sam Hickey!
25:32Still undefeated, 60 to 54.
25:36So he wins every round, does Sam Hickey.
25:39Congratulations to him.
25:40We will be hearing from him after this short break.
25:45Thank you, Mr. Alexander.
25:47Thank you for your time.
25:48Thank you, Mr. Alexander.
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