By: Sean Crose
The 26-0 Jack Rafferty battled the 17-1-1 Mark Chamberlain in a scheduled 12 rounder Saturday in England. The bout, which saw Rafferty’s United Kingdom super lightweight titles at stake, was broadcast live by the DAZN streaming service. The first round was a close, rather fast paced affair. Chamberlain was able to maintain his range in the second, though Rafferty was applying pressure rather effectively. Chamberlain was cut in the third, yet he continued to fire straight shots at his man. Rafferty, however, looked to be the stronger of the two fighters. Chamberlain put his punches together well in the fourth. Indeed, his output was greater than the steady titlist Rafferty’s.
By the fifth it was clear that Chamberlain was not able to hurt his man. On top of that the challenger was using a lot of energy while defending champion Rafferty kept applying pressure while firing the more punishing punches. Chamberlain was fighting well in the sixth, but Rafferty’s body shots may well have been telling the tale. Chamberlain was nothing but not rugged, though. Surprisingly the man was still fighting with great energy in the seventh (although he did slip later in the round). Rafferty may have been the stronger fighter, but Chamberlain remained standing after taking considerable damage from Rafferty in the eighth.
Chamberlain may not have looked exhausted but he clearly was in the ninth, as he slipped down to the mat again – a sure sign of fatigue. Yet the two men ended the round trading punches with all they had. Things finally slowed down a bit in the tenth. Both men continued to land power shots, however. Heavy leather continued to be thrown by the two combatants in the eleventh. It was, without doubt, a tough bout for viewers to decide who was winning. Both men were fighting in excellent fashion. The twelfth and final round showcased how determined each man was. Raftery was rocked by a bloody Chamberlain but he kept on fighting. It was a thrilling affair right up until the sound of the final bell.
When all was said and done, the match was ruled a draw, which was a hard decision to argue against. Indeed, it would have been acceptable if either fighter had been handed the decision over the other. It was just that kind of battle. Credit goes to each man for providing one of the most high octane fights of the year.