BOXING: Undefeated Jolly claims credible draw with Vianello at the O2

A drawn verdict could not wipe the smile from Moses Jolly’s face, even though it seemed he had done enough to beat Italian heavyweight contender Guido Vianello.

After eight rough rounds at the O2 Arena, referee and lone scorer Amy Pu returned a 76-76 verdict, on the undercard of Moses Itauma’s vacant IBF heavyweight title fight with Filip Hrgovic.

For the Swansea heavyweight it is a career-best result. Jolly took the fight on two weeks’ notice against an opponent ranked 12th in the world by the IBF, and leaves London still unbeaten at 12-0-1, with eight knockouts.

Vianello landed occasional chopping rights in the first, but Jolly scored to the body as his corner urged him to use his physicality. As the session progressed he found a home for his own right hand, and he smiled as he returned to his corner.

The pace slowed in the second. Both men had swelling around their right eyes, while the Welshman bled from the nose.

Jolly was not overawed, but he did take a left hook from distance, and that allowed the Italian to reach him with another straight right.

The third was messier, both content to hold and maul, and Jolly picked up a verbal warning in the fourth for bundling Vianello, now 14-3-2 (12 KOs), to the canvas.

Vianello’s left eye was beginning to close, and Jolly banged him hard to the body with right hands.

It was a draining fight. The start of the fifth was delayed for the doctor to inspect a cut on Vianello’s left ear, and both men were breathing heavily, though the Italian was making the fight look like a chore while Jolly appeared to be having the time of his life.

There was little in it. Vianello’s work was a little smarter as he closed the sixth, but he still walked onto shots, and the doctor again inspected his wounds before the seventh.

Neither seemed to have the power or the explosiveness left in the eighth and final round to hurt the other.

Jolly danced and smiled as he waited for the decision, and although his team clearly felt he had done enough to win, the verdict did not stop him dancing at the end of it either.

The 30-year-old, who fights as ‘the Native’ and grew up in the Townhill and Mayhill area of the city, had been boxing for the first time on a pay-per-view card, three months after a points win over Will Howe at Neath Sports Centre.

He had said before the fight that he backed himself completely, and that he had not entered the sport for easy challenges.

On this evidence, few would argue.