Abass Baraou retains European super-welterweight title against stubborn challenger Macauley McGowan

THE RESULT: Abass Baraou makes a successful first defence of his European super-welterweight title against a spirited effort from Macauley McGowan. After 12 rounds, Baraou was awarded a unanimous decision verdict (117-111, 119-110, 118-110).

KEY MOMENTS: The body shots from Baraou were a constant thorn in the side of McGowan. Baraou’s quality shone through and had to because his challenger was relentless in his pursuit of the European title. In the sixth round, McGowan was beginning to take a beating, but his fitness levels and heart were phenomenal. In the eighth, the Englishman fought back again and landed left hooks of his own. Baraou’s footwork got him out of trouble more often than not, though, and towards the end, his accuracy could have led to the fight being stopped.

RECORDS: The champion heads back to Germany with a 16-1 (9 KOs) record while the beaten challenger now sits at 20-5-2 (5 KOs).

TALKING POINTS: The incredible resilience shown by McGowan. Written off by almost everyone the fight looked potentially over by the halfway stage because the champion’s body shots looked to be draining the fight out of McGowan but how wrong we were and he deserves enormous respect to have hung in there for the 12 rounds.

QUOTABLE: “I’m happy today I defended my title and I’m focused on the future,” Baraou said afterwards.

Discussing McGowan’s effort he said, “We have to show the people there’s good shows to see and I was excited to make the fight interesting. He was a good opponent and much respect to him.”

And looking ahead to the future the WBA 154lbs world title contender commented, “I wanna head towards world titles. Of course, I wanna stay as active as possible and I see what the management have to offer. I’m ready for anything.”

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: If Baraou cannot land a world-class opponent in his next fight then Spaniard Oscar Diaz could be the next European title defence for the German. McGowan will continue to fight on and be a fan favourite and hopefully earn himself some wins and good paydays along the way.