Cardle dominates despite injury

Gary Fox (left) in action against Scott Cardle in the lightweight at the SECC, Glasgow

He defeated Gary Fox in conclusive fashion in an eight-rounder in Glasgow, dominating his opponent in some style, gaining a 79-73 points verdict on referee Kenny Pringle’s card.

Cardle was surprisingly self-critical afterwards, but he had no reason to be.

Pre-fight, it looked as though it could be a close, interesting confrontation with Cardle holding the Central Area lightweight belt and Fox, from Fishburn, the ruler of the Northern Area.

But it was nothing of the sort.

Cardle, with his hands down and slick movement, often perplexed and hurt Fox in equal measure, despite suffering a hand injury in the fourth session in which the Northern Area champ had some success, albeit fleetingly.

Cardle’s movement and hand speed was all too much for Fox, who had particularly bad rounds in five and six when the Lytham man’s dominance was at its most apparent.

Fox, confident at the start, cut a discouraged figure by the finish and had little in his armoury to trouble Cardle, who breezed it.

Strangely, Cardle was more than a shade downbeat after the fight, saying: “I am not the happiest - I am not going to lie.

“I just felt some ring rust in there, and he was a tough kid.

“It was good that I didn’t get cut again - I felt flat-footed at the end because of the time I have had out of the ring, but it’s no excuse, I should have stopped him.”

Cardle’s trainer Joe Gallagher said: “It was Scotty’s first fight for five months and he hurt his right arm at the end of the fourth, though it did make him use his left jab a lot better.”

Cardle is to fight next in Sheffied on October 26.

He was always in control of this eight-round contest, dominating his rival, the Northern Area lightweight title holder.

Cardle, holder of the Central Area title, was given the verdict 79-73 by referee Kenny Pringle.

That margin was a clear reflection of Cardle’s superiority and by the closing stages Fox looked discouraged and justifiably so given how hard he had been made to struggle by the Lytham fighter.

Cardle hurt his right hand in the fourth, forcing to use his left jab more, which he did to telling effect.