Sheffield boxing: Stormin' Nohmaan steals show in bid to gain foothold in the highest reaches of boxing

Naphtali Nembhard - a strong super middleweight who will turn 30 in January - may be a late bloomer, but his first six-round tussle ended in a points victory at the Magna Centre, Rotherham. The result will support his aim to climb up the rankings.

The so-called 'Yorkshire Yardie' eased past the brilliantly-nicknamed 'The Stainforth Chuck Norris' Jake Bray by an emphatic 60-55 margin.

The Sharrow-based college lecturer was never in trouble as he moved past the experienced Bray, who had lost 32 of 37 previous bouts.

Izzy Asif-promoted Nap said he was delighted to have won and promised his career would escalate "onwards and upwards."

However, the show was stolen by slick city super feather Nohmaan Hussain, who went one better with a chilling stoppage of his opponent.

Unbeaten Hussain, 27, who had stopped half of his six previous opponents, had only boxed four rounds in 16 months, yet glided to an impressive success over Banty Singh.

Sporting 'Free Gaza' shorts, he was on the front foot from the start, chasing the significantly shorter opponent around the canvas.

Singh took an eight count in round three and was in serious jeopardy as Hussain unleashed a barrage of head shots, referee Darren Sarginson rushing to his aid to end the one-sided spectacle.

Trainer Brendan Warburton said: "With a step up in opposition and his first six-rounder, he was patient and took his chances, dropping his opponent and getting him out of there in round three. A good performance."

The two bouts featured on a night of surprises on the Kas Hussain show.

At the grand old age of 35, Barnsley's Ben Davies - described as an animal in sparring by Nembhard - eased back into the sport after an absence dating back to 2017.

The Dodworth super middleweight had Joe Blandford on the deck three times in the fifth round to claim the TKO.

Sheffield's Harrison Hobson - another fighter who recently returned to the ring after a long absence - sustained a bloodied nose early on, an injury that seemed to spur journeyman Jensen Irving on.

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But the towering 22-year-old, who looked a weight division bigger, backed Irving onto the ropes, and the final round was a rousing spectacle.

Irving raised his hand for the judge's verdict, but lost by a single point.

Doncaster's Jake Smith - roared on by Reece Mould in his corner - pulled off a creditable draw against Faheem Mustakeem, who had a point taken off him for a second low blow. The game Smith was open-mouthed by the decision, but had earned at least that.

Junior Witter-trained fledgling Temi Mughal suffered the disappointment of his first pro loss, victim of a display that appeared bordering on static at times.

There was initial concern over the welfare of Liverpool-based Safiullah Sediqi after a right cross from Tanzanian Ally B Lubanja sent him neck-first into the lower ropes. But he was able to walk unaided from the ring.

RESULTS

• Naphtali Nembhard, Sharrow (previously) 5 0 0 beat Jake Bray, Stainforth, 3 32 2, super middleweight
• Nohmaan Hussain, Sheffield, 6 0 0 TKO Banty Singh, India, 13 7 0. super feather
• Ben Davies, Barnsley, 9 6 1 TKO Joe Blandford, Staffordshire, 1 2 0, super middle
• Temi Mughal, Sheffield, 1 0 0 lost to Joe Hardy, Leeds, 4 33 0 super welter
• Harrison Hobson, Sheffield, 5 0 0 bt Jensen Irving, Swindon, 4 26 2 middle
• Nazir Younus, Sheffield, debut bt Fonz Alexander, Newark, 10 173 2 welter
• Joe Howarth, Wigan, 12 1 0 bt Owen Durnan, Sheffield, light
• Faheem Mustakeem, Dewsbury, 3 0 0 draw Jake Smith, Doncaster, 1 30 2 welter
• Safiullah Sediqi, Liverpool, 3 0 1 stopped by Ally B Lubanja, Tanzania, 5 3 2 super feather
• Cole Blair, Worksop, 1 0 0 bt Josh Cook, Manchester, 1 49 3 super middle
• Jacob Spauls, Bridlington, debut bt Naeem Ali, Blackburn, 3 142 1 super welter