Harlem Eubank and Timo Schwarzkopf will headline the Brighton Centre later this evening but a super middleweight fight between a Dane and an Iranian got the undercard action underway on the south coast.

Bahadur Karami (3-8-2, 1 KO) has become an entertaining attraction on the small hall scene due to his ability to drag talented prospects into wars (if you have some time to pass, seek out his ridiculous war with Leyton Collymore) but Denmark’s Oliver Zaren (10-0, 2 KO’s) had no interest in getting involved in long exchanges. The southpaw presented a constantly moving target and although he did hold his feet too long on occasion and allow Karami the chance to clip him with a couple of right hands, Zaren dominated the vast majority of the action with his lead hand.

Business picked up in the fourth. Karami stepped into a straight right hand to the body and Zaren stumbled to a knee and was forced to take a count. As the round ended, Karami found himself on the floor, a right hook bundling him through the ropes. Neither fighter was hurt.

Karami landed a perfect right hand through the middle in the sixth and final round but it had little effect and Zaren landed a clean uppercut of his own. The Dane then went through his repertoire until the final bell.

Despite the knockdowns, Zaren was awarded a 60-55 decision. 

Dublin’s Tiernan Bradley (8-0, 5 KO’s) flattened Poland’s Michal Bulik (6-5, 2 KO’s) with the very first punch of their super lightweight fight. Bulik scrambled up from the straight right hand but found himself fighting a losing battle from that point on. 

The 26 year old Irishman didn’t charge in looking for the finish, instead he patiently stalked Bulik with his hands low, seemingly intent on getting some rounds under his belt.

The heavy handed Bradley came out for the second with a little more urgency and Bulik tried to get on the front foot and let a southpaw right hook go. Bradley found him very easy to read and countered him regularly, particularly with his left hook to the body. 

Bradley had the measure of his man and set about making him miss and making him pay. He ended the fourth by doubling up the left hook to the body and head and hurting Bulik briefly but the tough Pole comfortably made it to the end of the round. 

Bradley’s low hands did give Bulik - not cut under his right eye - a tempting target and he did manage to glance the odd hook off Bradley’s chin but he mainly concentrated on trying to land straight shots to Bradley’s body.

Bradley ended the fight as he started it by dropping Bulik with the very last punch of the fight, a perfectly picked right uppercut.

He was awarded a comfortable 60-52 decision.

JP O’Meara (2-0) overcame an almighty scare to scrape past Sheffield’s Karl Sampson (5-26-1, 1 KO) at lightweight.

Sampson is far better than his record suggests and had a good run last year, beating three unbeaten prospects. He quickly got down to business, shocking O’Meara with a beautiful lead left hook which dropped the London southpaw.

To O’Meara’s credit, he didn’t panic and got straight back on the front foot but carries his lead hand low and presented an inviting target. Sampson, however, decided to get on the back foot and box his way through round two. O’Meara pressed forward, poking away with his jab and after struggling to pin Sampson down, he began to catch up with him in the third.

The pace increased in the fourth as O’Meara realized he was in danger of losing his unbeaten record and Sampson sensed another upset victory.

After four rounds, O’Meara was handed a 38-37 decision victory. Sampson can count himself very unlucky.