CONAH Walker was forced to work for his success but eventually defeated Lewis Ritson after 10 rounds of the Sunny Edwards-Galal Yafai main event. The fight never caught fire. Victor Laughlin scored 98-93, while Lee Evey and Kevin Parker gave it 97-93 for the Wolverhampton man who was fighting back at the first time of asking since losing to Belfast’s Lewis Croker in the summer.
Walker opened up at the end of the first and suddenly Ritson looked a little ragged. The Newcastle striker kept his guard tight as Walker raced in and tried to open the door, pushing his man’s head, drawing the ire of referee Mark Lyson.
Walker managed to close the gap a little better at the start of the fifth. Shooting with intent, Ritson stayed compact and tried to take the center again. Walker’s intense pace took its toll by the eighth as Ritson lay on the ropes, trying to find moments of success. He was obviously tired because the ‘Sandman’ looked mired in the depths.
Successes were few and far between for the veteran outfielder, as Walker’s coach Richie Gent admonished his man before the ninth inning from the left side. It was still on display, in diminishing amounts, as Ritson struggled through the 10th and final round. The couple embraced after three minutes of pride bashing.
Kona Walker makes it 14-3-1 (5 KOs), while Lewis Ritson is now 23-5 (13 KOs) after what could be the last dance of a career that began in 2015 and really took off around 2018.