By Leonard Gunning

A beaming Ricky Hatton said, “That it is was the best performance of his career” as his protégé Kieran Maher continued the steady start to his burgeoning career by extended his professional record to 3-0 (0) after gaining a hard fought four round points victory over a ruff and ready Johnny Greaves on the undercard of the Rob Norton vs. David Dolan rematch at the Altrincham Leisure Centre, Greater Manchester.

Despite being gloved, ready and patiently waiting throughout the deep stacked show and entering the ring to a half empty arena after midnight, Maher was focused and determined to impress both promoter Ricky Hatton and the raucous and rambunctious east Manchester fans that had waited through six hours of action to see the Hattersley hero perform.

A confident Greaves, 2-42 (1), bounded impatiently towards the ring in his familiar white shorts whilst a more poised Maher followed in his usual green and white livery adorned with Hatton Promotion logo.  The customary pre fight formalities were quickly rushed through as all assembled were eager to get home and both fighters obliged by getting straight down to business.

Maher dispensed with the usual feeling out period and commenced chasing a back peddling Greaves from corner to corner as soon as the bell rang.  With teeth gritted sunk into Irish tricolour emblazoned gum shield, Maher unleashed headhunting rapid fire combinations whilst always looking to finish with a hooking left uppercut to the east Londoner’s unguarded ribs.

Greaves initially had little to offer in reply and his work became disjointed and dishevelled in the second stanza as he lost his discipline; he tasted Maher’s stiff straight jab with increasing regularity. 

The awkward Greaves resorted to beckoning in the Lee Beard-trained Maher with a disdainful wave of the glove and Kieran gratefully accepted the invitation, immediately walking down the shorter challenger, pushing him against the ropes and delivering clinical and calculated shots to body and head.

With the fight beginning to slip away from Greaves, mounting frustration showed as he landed a low blow, which Maher gamely shrugged off without fuss, and the southpaw seemed more intent on trading insults with members of the pro-Maher crowd, who were beginning to grow unappreciative of his antics. 

As the final canto got under way Maher got left hook happy and whilst a number of shots missed the target it showed that the teenage thumper could cope with the desperate bullying tactics of a tiring Greaves, who by now was cutting a forlorn image with blood streaming from the nose, a cut behind the left ear and heavy markings above and below the right eye.

Although battered and bruised Greaves showed no signs of capitulation and was eagerly combative to the final bell when referee Mark Lyson had no hesitation in raising Maher’s arm aloft.  Whilst I gave Greaves a share of the third round the official scorecard was 40-36, ensuring that the Hatton promoted fighter has still to lose a round of his professional career.

Even at this late hour, 12.45am, an obviously proud Hatton stood and clapped Maher as Lee Beard led him back to the dressing room.  As he dandered contentedly past a raft of security men Maher shouted to Boxingscene, “This is just what I want, it’s another step in the right direction but I am not getting carried away”, and the avuncular looking Beard nodded quietly in approval.

The likeable young Tameside based fighter may be a man of few words but his promoter Hatton was quick to show to approval.  “He had a fiery southpaw in there and he beat him up in the end really, although I thought the lad should have had about 12 points taken off him,” declared Hatton.

“He (Greaves) was cut on the back of the head, he was cut over the eye and think it was a cracking performance and which brought the best out of Kieran.  Kieran didn’t have massive amateur experience so it is important that we don’t rush him to fast as a pro but he is improving each time he fights.”

Hatton concluded: “We will keep getting him fights like that and fights with the right opponent and then a step up in class, but he is only a baby in boxing terms so the thing is to keep him fighting regularly and keep him learning.”