Anthony Small vs Matthew Hall fight review

So Anthony Small and Matthew Hall finally got into the ring together, and all the talking that was done outside of the ring would finally be put into motion as these two met head to head. Boxing pundits and the bookies seemed completely split on the outcome of this fight, with vey few people really commiting to a winner. Surprisingly, the fight started quite tentatively and when Matthew Hall caught Anthony Small against the ropes (Small thought the referee had called a break), Small seemed to retreat into his shell as if a bit shocked by the power of Hall. It looked like it could be a repeat performance of Hall’s demolition of Bradley Pryce (the only fighter to have beaten Small). In the following rounds Small seemed a bit more aggressive, landing slashing shots which resulted in a small cut above the eye of Hall, but clearly he was still looking to keep the fight at distance where he could!

The next few rounds were reasonably close, with Small coming out and using a completely different fighting style each time and trying to confuse Hall.  It was almost as if he was trying different tactics and seeing which were providing him with the most success. Small was having good success picking his shots, but most people were on the end of their seats expecting one big shot to come in and end the show early from Hall!  Another cut opened above the other eye of Hall during a flurry from both fighters, although this appeared to have been caused by a head collision. As the fight went out, Small seemed to be exposing Hall as a bit of a one dimensional fighter as he had predicted earlier in the press conference. Hall was putting Small under constant pressure, but didn’t seem to have any answers for what was coming back.

Round 8 was fantastic, and was what we had expected to see from the beginning. Small came out seemingly having stepped about 2 gears in pace and met Hall in the centre of the ring. The two were fighting in close quarters, both landing shots, but Small’s seemed the heavier and the cleaner. Hall also seemed to have lost some of the power in his shots, probably as a result of chasing and missing in the earlier rounds. A final flurry from small left Hall completely out on his feet and the referee had no choice but to jump in and save Hall from his own bravery, leaving Small as the victor with a stunning 8th round TKO!

This was a very entertaining fight, and although I am a fan of both fighters I think I was more pleased that Anthony won the fight. They are completely different people, as well as stylistically different as boxers. Although Matthew is a good fighter, he couldn’t adapt his fighting style and doesn’t have the larger than life character of Small, which is something that I personally think boxing needs more of. Small was overcome with emotion on winning the fight, and he himself confessed that the fight was 50/50 and could have gone either way had he not stuck to the game plan. I look forward to seeing both fighters in the ring again very soon!

Author: admin
Posted in: Boxing Fight Review
Tags: Anthony Small, Matthew Hall