Josh Holmes collected the English super featherweight title and announced himself as a genuine threat on the British domestic title scene with an outstanding stoppage victory over Lewis Wood in Manchester last night.

On paper, the fight between the aggressive, all-action Wood and the slick, smart Holmes looked like producing a see-saw battle of styles. Yet, although fans turned up expecting a great fight, they were instead treated to a great performance from the 29-year-old from Earby. 

Holmes, 16-0 (6 KOs), was unbeaten in 15 fights before last night but, despite his undoubted ability, had never been tested. Over the course of four rounds, he ticked every single box.

Holmes’ hands were too fast and his feet were too quick. He was accurate and assertive when pressing the action and picked some beautiful counter shots when Wood, 8-3, was able to back him up.

Holmes suffered serious injury issues early in his career and has served a long apprenticeship on the small half and sports centre circuit. He has been pestering his manager Kevin Maree for an English title fight for some time but Maree and Holmes’ trainer, Joe Gallagher, bided their time and kept him busy until the ideal opportunity presented itself. Last night, he grabbed it with both hands. 

Holmes stamped his authority on matters almost immediately. He looked calm and composed and his accurate, well-picked punches found their mark straight away. Wood knew that he had to get close in order to land his body shots and impose his swarming style but was being forced to pay a heavy penalty every time he launched an attack. When the two stood off, Holmes was too sharp. Wood sat down on his stool with a swollen left eye.

Wood entered the fight in excellent form and on the back of two tremendous performances which saw him win and defend the Central Area title. Before the fight, opinions were split on who would win but those who picked the 30 year-old from Salford thought that he would need to bite down through some tough early rounds and use his experience and gas tank to break Holmes down over the second half of the fight.

He never got the chance.

Wood did manage to get closer and initiate some exchanges in the second and third rounds but Holmes always managed to find a response. By the third round Wood’s eye was almost closed and he was being hurt by Holmes, who was finding the mark more and more regularly with a beautiful, well-picked uppercut. Eventually, midway through the fourth, Holmes trapped Wood on the ropes and put together another impressive combination and Wood spun away with the swelling above his eye split open. There was no way that the fight could continue and the ringside doctor correctly stopped the action immediately.

2025 promises to be an exciting year for Holmes and he should get the opportunity to display his talents on a much larger platform. The British title is currently held by Reece Bellotti and with Michael Gomez Jnr back in the mix after recovering from he kidney infection that caused the late postponement of his fight with Bellotti, there are some attractive fights on the horizon. 

Early in the night, Ricky Hatton-trained Ibrahim Nadim, 13-1 (2 KOs), outpointed Adam Rasool, 6-4-1, over ten rounds to win the vacant Central Area super featherweight title. Nadim was too smart and sharp for Rasool who tried to press the action from the start but struggled to go through the gears. The 99-92 scorecard in Nadim’s favour seemed too wide but he found his groove over the second half of the fight and was the rightful winner.

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X