The Fighter Bristol 2024: As it happened
Live Reporting: Faniki Deche, Sports Editor, Adam Mountain, Co-Deputy Sports Editor, and Mihai Rosca, Second Year, Politics and Philosophy
Welcome to Epigram's live coverage of The Fighter Bristol 2024, here at The Prospect Building. We will be taking you right into what promises to be an action-packed night, with live reporting on all fifteen fights and the latest pre- and post-fight reactions from competitors, coaches and the crowd. Please refresh the page every few minutes to load the latest updates from tonight's clashes.
23:30 - That brings us to a close here at The Prospect Building. This absolutely boisterous crowd is showing no sign of slowing down as they funnel towards SWX, although something tells me the three of us would rather go to bed! We hope that you have enjoyed following what was a night of excellent boxing here at The Bristol Fighter 2024. Epigram hopes to see you all at the next major student sporting event, but until then, good night!
23:22 - "The atmosphere, the people, the attendance was amazing!" Faniki caught up with Darren 'Ammo' Hamilton, former British boxing champion and head trainer of Bristol Boxing Gym: "It was really good for boxing. It was really entertaining. The effort these guys put in was tremendous. They were in tremendous shape. There were more punches in this event than amateurs throw, hell even more than professionals throw in their events! The atmosphere, the people, the attendance was amazing! It was great! I can’t wait to go to the next one.”
23:19 - Harry 'K' O'Donnell takes it by TKO! Suitably, O'Donnell wins it by a technical knockout. By the end of that second round it did look as though Overend was struggling, and the referee was right to stop the fight. It was a dominant performance from O'Donnell, who proved to be too much for his opponent on the night. He waves to the crowd and laps up the applause, wrapping up a fantastic night of boxing.
23:16 - We may well have just seen the first chink in either fighter's armour. After being matched for so long, one well-timed blow to the head from O'Donnell looks to have seriously unsettled Overend. The referee is taking an extra-precautionary look at the man in blue before allowing him to continue into the third round. This will be an uphill battle to make it 'on sight' for Overend now.
23:12 - Brilliant striking from both fighters, who clearly don't plan on leaving anything out there. For such strong and powerful hitters, both are demonstrating lightning fast footwork and it's certainly too close to call right now, with neither fighter appearing the more dominant.
23:09 - Our final fight of the night! And it's looking like a good one, as we have two giants taking to the ring: Harry 'K' O'Donnell in red vs Ethan 'On Sight' Overend in blue.
23:07 - Crowd Conversations: “I think Ella did brilliantly. I think it was a fair result but she should be really proud of herself.”
23:06 - The Brute shows no mercy! A dominant display from Brunelli ends in another unanimous victory tonight. Brunelli was ultimately too powerful for Ella, who did show some promise in the first round. To the delight of the UBWFC faithful, Brunelli summarised her performance well in her post-fight interview: "I guess I'm too cold with it."
23:02 - A brilliant drop of the shoulder to slip Ella, followed by a devastating cross to the face and that should be the win for 'The Brute' as she send her opponent tumbling to the floor just before the final round. Ella and her coach have it all to do right now.
22:59 - This is more like it! We are back to the quick tempo fighting that this crowd has been loving. While not an uneven battle, 'The Brute' Brunelli will be feeling the better of the two after that first round. Generally looking lighter on her feet, Brunelli has made it difficult for her opponent to land any significant punches.
22:56 - Next fight: Ella 'Make it Rain'-er steps into the red corner, while UBWFC's Maia 'The Brute' Brunelli takes up the blue.
22:55 - Crowd Conversations: "Hell of a performance from Dan 'The Man'. Fully deserved it. What a man."
22:53 - Cometh the hour, cometh the man! A split decision sees Dan 'The Man' McCourt just squeeze a result out. 'This Charming Sam' made McCourt work till the very end, and I would not be surprised if a future contest between these two went the other way. The smallest of margins, namely one key cross to the head, won it for 'The Man'.
22:48 - Both fighters look to be conserving energy at the moment. We can only hope this will make for a slightly more dynamic battle, as the intensity of this fight has dropped a little.
22:45 - A bizarre moment in the first round, as both fighters strike seemingly identical hooks at one another, which land simultaneously. Both seem slightly thrown off by that and will need to re-focus to win this one.
22:42 - We have a heavyweight clash on our hands now! In the red corner Dan 'The Man' McCourt fields his position, while in the blue corner 'This Charming Sam' Cottrell prepares for battle.
22:39 - An ecstatic 'Welly It' Welton reigns victorious! One of the closest fights we have watched tonight. The final round saw Welton connect the only real run of clean strikes across the contest, which proved to be too much for Evans on the night.
22:35 - The second round has followed a similar pattern of play, but both fighters have clearly grown more tired. This is leaving far more space for a clean strike to the head, but so far neither Welton nor Evans have capitalised on it.
22:31 - Nothing much to split these two currently. Both coaches seem especially animated talking to their fighters this time round, which would suggest they are both confident that this fight is there for the taking. One strike to the head is the only notable dent they've left on one another.
22:27 - Next fight: The action returns once again, as Jodie 'Welly It' Welton takes her position in the red corner. Hayley Evans 'The Executioner' settles into the blue corner. We have another fight between sports societies here: Hockey vs Waterpolo.
22:23 - Crowd Conversations: "Hayley is the GOAT and everyone knows it!"
22:19 - Crowd Conversations: "Rohan was amazing. It's been an amazing evening and he gave everything that he could." (From a very proud mother).
22:16 - There will be one more short interval before we continue with the action.
22:14 - A resounding victory for 'The Gkiller'! After a slight bit of confusion after the wrong name was announced, it is now confirmed that 'The Gkiller' is crowned victorious. A very composed fight from George, he did very well to frustrate Sahota in the early rounds. By the end, Sahota began to desperately search for a knockout, which left him open for dismantling by 'The Gkiller'.
22:10 - That being said, this is looking increasingly difficult for Sahota. This is backs-against-the-wall stuff right now and the referee is being very careful to check Sahota is okay to continue before the third round. The referee is allowing the fight to carry on, much to the delight of an already smiling 'Gkiller'.
22:07 - That must be the hardest striking we've seen so far tonight. A fantastic start for the 'Gkiller', who knocked Sahota to his knees in less than a minute. 'The Motorboater' hasn't thrown in the towel by any means, though, as he also lands a heavy hook right before the bell.
22:04 - Next fight: Representing UBAFC in the red corner, the interestingly-named Rohan 'The Motorboater' Sahota steps up. In the blue, the ice-cool George 'The Gkiller'.
22:00 - 'K.O.' Katie gets the job done! Take a bow Katie Litchfield, who did brilliantly to recover from what must have been a losing position. By the third round she had a pep in her step and it was too much for 'The Machine' to cope with.
21:57 - And now it's burst into life! Both fighters came flying out the blocks, and it was 'The Machine' who had the better start, landing a number of strikes to Litchfield's head. The referee was quick to intervene and allowed Litchfield to compose herself. Now what? Naturally, it's all Litchfield now, who has found a sudden second wind since that strong blow to the head.
21:53 - Green and Litchfield both sit down immediately at the ring of the first bell. Neither were particularly able to seize a moment to attack, which I would imagine is what their coaches are trying to resolve right now.
21:50 - Next fight: In the red corner, out struts 'The Machine' Suzie Green. In the blue corner, 'K.O.' Katie Litchfield stands poised and ready.
21:49 - Crowd Conversations: "Amy is a phenomenal fighter and player. She deserved her win."
21:47 - Amy lands her ace in the hole! In the end, Garrigan claims a well-deserved victory, digging deep to survive a third round Owen onslaught. She did well to tire her opponent and then capitalise with another strong uppercut. Carrigan's fanatics are going wild ringside, as she chants "UBWFC" down the mic.
21:43 - Another competitive round, but it just appears to be slipping from Owen, as 'The Ace' landed the first major blow of the contest, a strong uppercut, much to the delight of the crowd. Yet Owen has responded well and connected a strong cross cleanly into Garrigan's cheek. Will that be enough to swing the judges' decision in her favour?
21:40 - A very measured fight from both, which Garrigan just appeared to edge. This is certainly an uphill battle for Owen, who has a large swarm of UBWFC fans on her back, but at the moment the contest is not beyond her.
21:37 - Next fight: In the red corner, representing UBWFC, steps up Amy 'The Ace' Garrigan. Her opponent in blue is Anna 'Spanner in the Works' Owen.
21:35 - Crowd Conversations: "Jacob Browning. Best Fighter of the Night."
21:34 - Bombastically brilliant! A strong third round sees Browning take the victory that never really seemed in doubt after the second round. Browning did excellently to sniff out his opponents strategy, and from that point kept a perfect distance and could do no wrong afterwards. It seems that 'Maximus' will have to wait for another chance to claim his vengeance, whether in this life or the next.
21:29 - Did I speak too soon? Having managed with 'Bombastic' Browning's reach so well, 'Maximus' has slightly unravelled in this second round. Browning, who still appears to have the majority of the crowd behind him, has began to dominate proceedings, and looks comfortable in blocking 'Maximus'' strikes.
21:26 - This is an interesting one. As he discussed, 'Maximus' is a good few inches shorter than Browning, but so far has stuck to his gameplan well. He's maintaining a good distance between himself and Browning and as of yet has not allowed his opponent's extra reach to cause too much trouble.
21:23 - Next fight: What a roar around this building for this one. Max 'Maximus Decimus Meridius' takes his place in the colosseum's red corner, and, to the delight of the crowd, Jacob 'Bombastic' Browning climbs into the blue.
21:19 - The Machine pumps out the win! That concludes a brilliantly fought contest. Fight of the night so far, as Worthington celebrates a hard-earned win. Both fighters managed to land a number of shots on their opponent, but it was 'The Machine' who remained undeterred.
21:15 - The crowd cannot get enough of this action! Both fighters look relieved to hear the bell ring for the end of the second round. 'The Machine' perhaps got the slight advantage in that round, connecting a string of jabs to her opponents face, but it's frankly still all to play for.
21:12 - Attack, attack, attack! Not much by means of defending going on here and its fantastic to watch. After that first round I would be surprised if we do not see a knockout by the end of this, because both of these fighters are landing and taking heavy blows to the head! They both seem confident in their abilities to deliver a killer strike.
21:07 - Next fight: We're returning to the action, with Maddie 'The Machine' Worthington, waltzing into the red corner. Opposite her, Lauren 'Lights Out' Shaw steps into the blue corner. It's a clash of the titans here for University of Bristol sports: Netball vs Hockey.
21:00 - Crowd Conversations: "Maia Brunelli and Amy Garrigan knockout. UBWFC on top!"
20:55 - Another short interval before we return to action.
20:54 - The Bear finishes off his prey! An expected unanimous victory for 'The Bear'; he looked the sharper of the two fighters and, was it not for a very resilient opponent in Bradshaw-Price, I think could have been our first victor by K.O. tonight!
20:51 - More of the same from these two. Bradshaw-Price needs to relax himself before stepping out for this third round. In attempting to recover that first round loss, he has tried to be more aggressive towards his opponent, but Hunt is proving too quick and continues to land the heavier blows.
20:47 - That was a strong start from 'The Bear'. He has taken the fight to Bradshaw-Price, who hasn't look all that settled from the off. The crowd is very much behind Teddy on this one and it looks to be spurring him on.
20:44 - Next fight: In the red corner, out marches Ethan Bradshaw-Price, and in the blue corner, Teddy 'The Bear' Hunt.
20:41 - Ballistic Beth strikes like a missile! Clearly exuding an extra helping of confidence off the back of that second round, Beth continues with a strong round, landing another strong hook onto McKenzie, who did well to not go to ground again. What a victory for Ballistic Beth!
20:37 - A first knockdown of the night! Ballistic Beth struck ferociously, knocking McKenzie off balance with a finely placed hook to the right cheek. She is fine to continue and the referee allows play to carry on, but that might have just taken the dynamism out of the 'Mack-Attack'.
20:32 - Not teammates right now! We may not have been expecting friendliness between these two, but my word do they both want this win. The first round ends with both fighters landing heavy crosses onto the other.
20:29 - Next fight: The crowd are now up for this alright. In the red corner, Ballistic Beth sprints out, while Jess 'Mack-Attack' McKenzie walks out more cooly. Remember that these two compete as a team together for UBACCC...
20:26 - 'Knock 'em Dead' does just that! The third round saw Marshall just begin to take control and he did so well to capitalise on a loss of footing from 'The Jagermeister', who perhaps had drank one too many before tonight. A dominant final round performance from Marshall, who takes the win by a unanimous decision.
20:22 - Who will be first to slip-up? The second round carries on much like the first. Both fighters unable to land anything more than a jab at the moment despite both showing high intensity in this fight. It does feel as though it will take one slip-up or one moment of brilliance to win this.
20:18 - A very well-matched contest this one is. Both fighters showing a real desire to get at their opponent. One slightly naughty moment as Marshall swings towards the back of Brooks' head, but the referee waves it on as no contact was made. The crowd are really up for this one.
20:15 - Next fight: In the red corner a confident Jago 'The Jagermeister' Brooks struts his stuff. This is then responded with an equally self-assured walk out by 'Knock 'em Dead' Ned Marshall in the blue corner.
20:11 - Crowd Conversations: "Ned Marshall is going to absolutely smash him. I can't wait. It'll be done in round two."
20:03 - There is a quick interval before the next fight. As expected, the crowd floods to the bar for a speedy top-up.
20:01 - The Rabbit takes the victory! The third round continued where we left off and we have just witnessed a dominating performance from Rabbit. As soon as the bell went she celebrated towards her corner, knowing that this one was a strong win. By a unanimous decision, it is the rabbit who has in fact caught her opponent in a snag!
19:58 - Rabbit has suddenly burst into life! That will be an excellent win for her in the second round, landing a number of great strikes on the "Four ft. Fury", who looks a little out of her depth right now. She needs to compose herself.
19:55 - At a stand-off. Both fighters are very clearly taking the first round as an opportunity to size each other up here. Other than a skim of a connected jab here or there, neither fighter has left much on the other.
19:53 - Next fight: Stepping out into the red corner, we have Kelsey "The Four ft. Fury" Abellana, and in the blue corner, steps Jessica Rabbit.
19:50 - Lights out, show's over, Francis has done it! I'm not sure what Francis' coach has said to her, heading into that final round but it has worked wonders for her. She was much more aggressive in that final round, taking the fight to Vuong and landing a very strong uppercut, which has clinched her the win.
19:46 - It has become increasingly scrappy between the two competitors, neither really able to land anything majorly substantial on the other. As we head into the final round now, this one is completely still there for the taking, especially as both begin to look a little slower on their feet.
19:43 - 'King Kong' has set the pace of the contest, keeping Francis generally on the move around the ring. The first round has undoubtedly gone the way of Vuong.
19:39 - Next fight: Walking out to Kendrick Lamar, in the red corner we have Emma 'King Kong' Vuong', and to Chase & Status in the blue corner, steps up Lauren 'Lights Out' Francis'.
19:34 - Henry 'The Hammer' takes the win! That final round was far better from 'The Hammer' who landed a crucial few one-twos right towards the end of the round. 'The Desert Storm' held in well for the first two rounds, but in the end 'The Hammer' comfortably dominated the final round, leading to a unanimous judges decision in his favour.
19:29 - The Hammer smashes! The second round is underway and Amara looked to have a stronger round, keeping Arbiter at his tempo of fighting and often up against the ropes. But 'The Hammer' may just have saved his round with a brilliantly landed hook. All to play for as we head into the final round.
1926 - A flying start: Both fighters have come out the blocks flying here! It is difficult to call which way that one has gone at the end of the first round, but the 'The Desert Storm' probably just edged it with a clean jab to the cheek.
19:22 - Crowd Conversations: "We’re excited for our friend Mehdi. He’s worked so hard and put so much effort. I’m so excited for him.”
19:22 - Here we go! In the red corner, out walks Henry 'The Hammer' Arbiter and in the blue corner, steps out Mehdi Amara, 'The Desert Storm'.
19:20 - All eyes lie front and centre. We are edging minutes closer to our first fight getting underway tonight and all eyes in this venue remain fixed on the currently empty ring. The noise is starting to reach deafening levels inside and I fear that once the night progresses (and a few more drinks have been consumed), we may well struggle to hear any walk-out songs. This place is rocking!
19:17 - "I'm angry and I will show it." Mihai spoke to Max Green 'Maximus Decimus Meridius', who will be fighting Jacob 'Bombastic' Browning: "He's about five inches taller than me, so I'm going to keep really close to him. I don't want to give him the space and control the distance. I will be constantly moving and on him like that. His mates have just given me a bit of anger so I will be using that."
19:08 - My predictions don't seem to be half-wrong, as I am now being informed of our first glimpse of a song. Flowdan will be featuring at some point this evening; we don’t know when or for who yet, but it is sure to get a rumble in this jungle.
19:06 - Pump up the jam! Right next to me I can overhear some entertaining conversations discussing what kind of music is best to walk out to. Do the fighters go for something stoic and calm to help them get in the zone, or something high-energy to get the adrenaline pumping? Surely some typically-Bristol drum and bass is certain to feature, but we shall have to wait a little longer to find out!
19:01 - Friends and foes. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on a couple of these fights which are battling for sports society glory. Later in the night we will see Maddie ‘The Machine’ Worthington, University of Bristol Netball Club (UBNC), taking on Lauren ‘Lights Out’ Shaw, University of Bristol Women’s Hockey Club (UBWHC). That will be taking place after ‘Ballistic Beth’ fights Jess ‘Mack-Attack’ McKenzie, both of whom are members of University of Bristol Athletics and Cross Country Club (UBACCC). Any friendships will have to be put on hold for the next few hours or so.
18:57 - "I'm going to win and I expect myself to win": A very calm sounding George 'Gkiller' said, "I'm just going to try and keep my composure, I can't change anything at this point. I won't go too crazy and I won't lash out at the beginning." The 'Gkiller' is determined to not let the occassion take over him, "This is the first time I've done anything like this, so I just want to stay as calm as possible and save all my energy for the fight."
18:50 - "I'll hopefully be showing my best performance tonight": Faniki joined Jago Brooks, 'The Jagermeister': "I'm feeling good, a little bit nervous obviously, but confident." He will be competing against 'Knock 'em Down' Ned Marshall, "The first round I really just want to work out what he's doing and feel out his weaknesses. From there I'm confident I can land a heavy blow."
18:46 - For club and country. There will be a number of fighters tonight who will perhaps be feeling the additional nerves that come with representing their sports society. Among the competitors we have football, hockey, netball and volleyball players, swimmers, and long-distance athletes. But while that may bring the extra pressure, no doubt we can expect to hear their teammates roaring them on. This could well prove to make the difference between victory and defeat for some of these fighters tonight.
18:40 - Best seats in the house. The venue change to The Prospect Building for this year’s fight has certainly paid off. With the ring fully circled by the crowd in this maximum 5,000 person capacity arena, I think we are in for a treat tonight. I must say I’m feeling very fortunate to be in this position right now, because I don’t think I could get a better view of the action if I tried. Laptop and notes with me, DJ booth underneath me and the ring right in front of me. What a time to be alive!
18:32 - Anticipation is high. It will be interesting to see how these amateur boxers will fare tonight, and whether the weeks of intense training will all be in vain or in the name of glory. The arena is filling up quickly as more of the crowd make their final journey from the bar, and there is a very tangible growing sense of expectation in The Prospect Building.
18:27 - Coming up tonight: This evening’s fight schedule is below, with our first contest beginning at 19:30. Each fight will be 3x2 minute rounds, where the judges will decide the winner at the end provided we do not have a knockout.
18:24 - And it's live! Good evening everyone and welcome to Epigram's live coverage of The Fighter Bristol 2024. My name is Adam and I will be bringing you all of tonight's drama on this page, while we have Faniki in the dressing rooms getting the latest from the fighters, and Mihai will be keeping us updated with reactions from our very excited crowd.