Dan Hill (right) lands a right on Lewis Chadwick – Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Series
Dan ‘The Engine’ Hill was crowned Australian junior middleweight champion on Saturday night with a unanimous decision victory over Lewis ‘Kid Lightning’ Chadwick at Eaton Hills Hotel in Brisbane, Australia.
The 10-round battle for the vacant title wasn’t always pretty, but it was a willing affair. The former sparring partners avoided a feel-out round, preferring instead to trade blows from the opening bell.
Chadwick (5-2, 2 KOs) entered the fight with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove that he is more than just a pure boxer. Former national champion Hill (7-1, 3 KOs) also had something to prove. He wanted to show that he could box a little as well as fight.
With his superior length and reach, Chadwick went back to long boxing in the second round. Hill stalked, worked behind a tight jab and found success when he was able to close the distance.
Both boxers changed stances to varying degrees of effect in the third round as they tried to gain an advantage. The extremely conditioned Hill kept up the pressure in the third, but Chadwick was able to snap his head back with sharp counter punches as he gave himself room to unload.
The pace of the fight began to take its toll on Chadwick as early as the fourth. The proud native of Townsville, who was dressed in the clothes of the local rugby league team, the North Queensland Cowboys, increasingly struggled to get out of the way of Hill’s power shots.
Things didn’t get any better for Chadwick in the fifth. Hill walked him down, worked him out and applied relentless pressure. Chadwick was forced to stand his ground and trade, but rarely got the better of the trade.
Hill took over ownership of center ring by the sixth round. He muscled Chadwick on the ropes at will and unloaded with his heavier artillery. To his credit, Chadwick landed some sharp counter punches in the final minute of the round.
A series of right hands high to the head from Hill opened the seventh. Chadwick stayed calm and peppered Hill with some sharp, long right hands. In the eighth, it was back to work on the inside, a fighting style that Hill clearly favored.
The pace of the fight was wearing on Chadwick, who was visibly tired. By the ninth round, the snap on his punches was gone and his ability to keep Hill on the outside was diminished. Hill, a native of Launceston who lives in Buderim, Queensland, was all over Chadwick like a cheap suit. When the 10-second warning sounded, Chadwick mistakenly thought the round was over. Hill rewarded him with a three-punch combo to the head.
Chadwick came out fast to start the 10th, but Hill soaked up the pressure and responded with a two-fisted attack to the body and head. The fight continued until the bell with neither boxer leaving anything in reserve.
Hill pumped his fist in the air at the final gong, and for good reason. Judge Rodney Marsh scored the match 98-92, while judges Paul Tapley and Trent Van Gaalen sent in identical cards of 96-94, all in favor of Hill.
“This is my third fight this year. I just worked so hard. You don’t know the work that goes on behind the scenes. Lewis knows how hard it is,” said Hill, who previously lost the national crown to Dylan Biggs.
“It’s not a one-man sport, it’s a team sport. Big thanks to Lewis, it takes a brave man to step between the ropes. Respectfully, about 90% of this room wouldn’t. We put everything on the line for your entertainment.
“My jab landed at will and I think he was just looking for that one shot. But I’m not that silly. I don’t get caught with that stuff. I can see it from here to Texas.”
Chadwick was disappointed but not disgraced in defeat.
“He’s a good fighter,” says Chadwick. “I wanted to test myself and see where I belong in the sport. As you know, he is ‘The Engine’, he puts the pressure on. I think I was just looking for that one big punch early on that cost me a few rounds looking for that one-punch knockout and then I had to pick up the pace and let my hands go a little more.
“But it is what it is, a close battle. I’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see what’s next.”
The fight was broadcast on domestic streaming service 7plus as part of the Premier Boxing series presented by Ace Boxing.
