Body-snatcher Barry lifts the English belt

Jess Barry proudly clutches her belts after Sunday’s battle

JESS Barry worked the body with the frantic endeavour of a chef tenderising steak as she romped to victory over Chelsey Arnell for the vacant English featherweight title.

At Birmingham Airport’s Holiday Inn yesterday, Barry kept up a relentless pace and threw the harder punches on the way to wide points victory.

At the end of 10 rounds, judges Chris Jones and Kevin Parker had it 97-93 for the Coventry Banshee, while Peter McCormack had it a wider 98-92.

My card matched McCormack’s, with Hull’s Arnell taking the third and sixth.

And the beaten girl deserves huge credit for the courage, skill and commitment she brought to the bout. She simply lacked the sting to keep Barry at bay.

Her dogged determination to fight fire with fire made for a highly entertaining bout, if too one-sided to be labelled a thriller.

On a Sunday dinner show staged by Scott Murray and Top Promotions, Barry served-up the beef.

In victory, Barry answered some important questions, at the forefront of those were: Could she keep up a fast pace for 10 arduous rounds, how would she react when the going gets a little tougher?

Manager Jon Pegg said: “I was really, really pleased. She got the 10 rounds in, she showed she can keep pushing hard in the late rounds, she showed a great attitude.

“Sometimes you do worry what a fighter’s attitude is going to be like when the going gets tough. Jess passed that test.

“Jess throws punches female fighters don’t usually throw. She was firing hooks to the body and overhand rights that girl (Arnell) had probably never been hit with before.”

Blood streaming from her nose from the ninth, Arnell (8st 12lbs), threaded together eye-catching combinations.

She simply lacked the power to deter Barry (8st 13lbs), who drove home heavy right’s to her taller opponent’s long body from the get-go.

Barry showed good head movement in the second, although there were signs Arnell was growing into the contest in the third.

She upped the tempo, her arms working like pistons, and landed a classy right uppercut.

This, however, was 30-year-old Barry’s night. She would not be denied.

The slips and rolls may have become a little more ragged, the power and passion was building and Arnell took left hooks to head and body in the fifth.

Arnell danced around the ring in the sixth and had success with long punches. My notes for that session state: “Barry in danger of losing her shape.”

Jess, whose seven bout career includes a Midlands title victory at junior-lightweight, bulldozed back with hooks. Arnell attempting to keep her at bay with straight punches, but her cultured shots lacked the snap to subdue the fired-up Sky Blues boxer.

A swinging right sent blood spilling from Arnell’s nose in the ninth and both traded in ring centre for the final two minutes.

The future now looks very bright for Barry, who trains out of Birmingham’s Eastside gym.

“She’s a work in progress,” Pegg added. “Maybe she’ll have a defence of the English title, maybe she’ll have a TV fight – not many female fighters are as exciting as Jess.

“But I definitely think her future is at super-bantam, she made featherweight too easily. It’s just a matter of taking the weight off gradually.”