Sheffield prospect Kid Galahad, 16-0, 8 KOs, roundly outboxed Spanish import Sergio Prado, 9-4-1, 3 KOs, to claim the European junior featherweight title, Saturday, live on terrestrial TV. The Qatar-born 24-year-old — who secures an alphabet world ranking with the win — wasn’t as much as scuffed throughout 12 rounds of adept technical boxing at the Ponds Forge Arena in his South Yorkshire hometown.
Prado, Madrid, Spain, had looked a soft touch on paper coming in: The 31-year-old had beaten only four men with winning records and lost previously to the unremarkable trio of Antonio Rodriguez, 5-8-5, Sergio Romero, 6-3-2 and David Sanchez, 6-4. In actuality, Prado turned out to be a well-conditioned and obstinate foe, but he was simply out of his depth in the technique stakes; at times, Galahad played with his man.
The ambidextrous Galahad (121 ½) commenced fighting orthodox. Looking to counter, Prado (122) had plotted to step around Galahad’s lead foot in order to aim right hands over his front shoulder; however, once the home fighter switched stances — an effective tool in his hands, rather than a special effect — Prado was rendered utterly bereft and left to flounder along the ropes. Indeed, the Ingle fighter’s grip on proceedings was so strangulating that all fighters must visualise they can aspire to comparable control over their opponent before the opening bell rings and reality sets in.
Galahad came close to overrunning the visitor at the end of the 7th, yet seemed quite content to dominate proceedings over the full course (only the second time he’d navigated 12 rounds). The judges were in agreement with submissions of 117-111, 118-110 and 120-108 (yet only the latter of those appeared to make sense).
In picking up the EBU belt that Tigers Bay contender Carl Frampton had relinquished in order to focus on a world title tilt, Galahad emulates Britons Spencer Oliver, Michael Brodie, Michael Hunter and Rendall Munroe. One senses, though, that in Galahad’s case, this is merely a stepping stone to a grander stage.
“I thought I boxed very well,” Galahad noted in the aftermath. “The kid was tough – we knew he was tough – he come to fight and I give him full credit.
“I had him a couple of time but the referee kept on saying I was pushing him down. But I didn’t want to upset Naz,” he added mischievously. “‘Cos Naz won the European title over twelve rounds — that [stopping Prado] would have broke his heart. Two fights and I’m ready for the world rankings.”
