By Nathan Orr

Jeff Saunders was expected to headline the “Rising Stars” bill hosted by Relentless Promotions at Gateshead Leisure Centre, but was forced to pull out after a “minor piece of paperwork” failed to pass through on time.

Instead the 2013 senior ABA champion will make his debut on the April 4 card at the Metro Radio Arena, joining brother Bradley, who will headline the bill against Dave Ryan for the Commonwealth title.

Andrew Buchanan (7-1-2, 2 KOs) filled in as headliner of the show, and didn’t disappoint with a 60-54 points decision victory over Mark Till (2-10-1, 1 KOs)

“El Cannon” who recently signed with Relentless Promotions improved drastically from his last outing- where Alistair Warren held him to a draw.

Buchanan picked his shots in the first round, and had Till wincing in agony after several body shots landed cleanly.

Till came back with his own ammunition in the second, landing a strong left hook that shook Buchanan momentarily.

As the fight continued, Buchanan’s quality shone through- as the 35 year old put together crisp combinations to overwhelm his opponent.

In the closing rounds, Buchanan loaded up on his shots but Till proved his worth by continuing to march past the oncoming fire.

Buchanan stamped his authority in the final round, landing flush with a straight left hand that caused Till to take a step backwards.

Basi Razaq (3-0) saw his winning streak came to a sudden halt as William Warburton (14-71-5, 2 KO) earned a draw over four rounds.

Razaq, who prior to the fight had won all three of his fights within the distance, faced his toughest opponent to date in the form of the Lancashire journeyman.

“The Asian Sensation” got off to a comfortable start, putting Warburton in his place with a peppering jab.

In the second, Warburton adopted a change of strategy and forced Razaq onto his back foot by applying relentless pressure.

The Newcastle fighter was visibly frustrated in the final moments, as Warburton clinched and fought successfully on the inside.

Warburton, who has fought in nearly 100 fights, deservingly took a draw back to his hometown of Atherton.

Fighting Chance’s Paul O’Hagan (4-2, 2 KOs) failed to make a successful return to the ring after a yearlong layoff. Following a Cruiserweight slugfest, O’Hagan fell victim to a third round stoppage defeat against Tony Cruise (1-1, 1 KO)

Both fighters invested a lot of energy in the opening stages with O’Hagan coming out on top.

However Cruise appeared the fitter of the two, and capitalised when he shook O’Hagan with a left hook. Consequently the referee decided that the Gateshead fighter was in no position to continue, and stopped the fight in the middle of the third round.

It was déjà vu from Gateshead Leisure Centre, as Light-Heavyweight Steve Cooper (1-0) faced the same opponent he fought only a few months ago on his professional debut.

The result didn’t change as Cooper came off with a comfortable 40-36 points decision victory over Joe Brailsford (0-3, 0 KOs)

From the opening bell Cooper came out of his corner and pinned Brailsford onto the ropes.

As the four-round contest progressed, Brailsford continued to tire and was caught flush by several left hands.

Cooper continued to pile pressure on his opponent in the final round, and gave the Mansfield boxer a nasty cut as the final bell sounded.

Meanwhile Abdon Cesar (2-4, 0 KO) continued his winning momentum, defeating Jack Heath (3-8, 2 KO) in a 39-37 points decision victory.

Cesar, a former Cameroonian Olympian struggled in his professional career up until November of last year, where he scored a surprise victory against Atif Shafiq (13-1, 3 KOs)

Making his return to the North East, Cesar failed to land his looping shots in the opening round. 

In the third, Cesar began to step his foot on the gas and had Heath clinging on after a flurry in the final moments of the round.

Cesar saw out a comfortable victory, by landing a stinging right hand in the final stages.