James “Ozzy” Osborne wins super-middleweight Prizefighter tournament
Essex southpaw James “Ozzy” Osborne (13-1, 3 KOs) captured the one-night super-middleweight tournament crown at GBM: The Heist event on Saturday night, his 29-second KO win in the final capping what has widely been hailed as one of the most entertaining British boxing events of the year.
Osborne’s stoppage of Ryszard Lewicki earned him the £25,000 grand prize plus a £5,000 performance bonus, making for a total payout of £30,000.
The eight-man elimination event, which aired live and exclusively on DAZN from the Connexin Live, Hull, produced fast-paced action across three rounds per bout.
A reigning Southern Area super-middleweight champion, Osborne opened his campaign with a unanimous decision win over Haaris Khan, then defeated former English champion Germaine Brown – again by unanimous decision – to book his place in the final.
Lewicki reached the last two after stopping Ellis Steward, then edging Taz Nadeem by split decision in what was an unbelievable three-round war in their semi-final match.
In the final, Osborne wasted no time. A clean right hand floored Lewicki and forced an immediate stoppage, confirming 33-year-old Osborne as the tournament winner and one of the breakout performers of the night.
“I came here to win and I left no doubt,” said Wickford’s Osborne after his victory. “Every round, every fight, I stayed focused. The format suited me – I came prepared and tonight it all came together.”
GBM Sports founder and promoter Izzy Asif said, “This was one of the best nights we’ve delivered yet. The response from all of our partners, our boxers, the fans in the arena and across the boxing industry has been phenomenal. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing and the comments across social media have been non stop.
“The tournament format brings real tension and excitement, but still I couldn’t have predicted just how action-packed and dramatic this one was going to be. James Osborne rose to the occasion perfectly. Nights like this show exactly what GBM is about: giving fighters opportunity, entertaining fans and pushing British boxing forward.”
Undercard
Elsewhere on the Hull card, local lightweight Lewis Sylvester outpointed Ally Lubanja over eight rounds, while Harry Powell stopped Liam Copping in round three.
Ted Jackson, Diego Krasimirov and Eugene McKeever all took points victories on the undercard.
The scheduled Adrian King vs Phil Williams bout was cancelled.
GBM: THE HEIST – Full Results
Final:
James Osborne def Ryszard Lewicki – TKO 0:29 R1
Semi-Finals:
James Osborne def Germaine Brown – UD 3
Ryszard Lewicki def Taz Nadeem – SD 3
Quarter-Finals:
James Osborne def Haaris Khan – UD 3
Ryszard Lewicki def Ellis Steward – TKO R2
Germaine Brown def Sam Smith – TKO R1
Taz Nadeem def Liam O’Hare – TKO R1
Chief Support and Undercard:
Lewis Sylvester def Ally B Lubanja – PTS over 8
Harry Powell def Liam Copping – TKO 2:16 R3
Ted Jackson def Jose Aguirre – PTS
Diego Krasimirov def Oktavian Gratii – PTS
Eugene McKeever def Mykhailo Sovtus – PTS
Adrian King vs Phil Williams – Cancelled