Rose made to work for first pro victory

Rose and Singh battle at close quarters. Pictures: Inga Zulyte

FORMER multi-titled amateur Joshua Rose endured something of a pro baptism of fire against incredibly game Caine Singh on Sunday.

On manager Anthony Manning’s Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, show, the featherweight was made to fight for every second of his four rounder before emerging a 39-36 winner on referee Peter McCormack’s card.

Singh probably took the last round when he and Rose stood toe-to-toe and simply slugged it out in see-saw exchanges.

As 19-year-old Rose, from Acocks Green, said afterwards: “He was tough. I didn’t expect that.”

Nobody did. I certainly didn’t expect such a relentless, intense encounter. Fighters with Joshua’s pedigree are usually eased into the paid game with a contest against a journeyman intent on survival.

Singh, from Middlesbrough, didn’t come to survive, he came to win – and he showed plenty of old fashioned bottle.

Gashed over the right eye from the opening round, he waded forward with fists churning. Even when a precise left hand took his legs from under him in the second, Singh (9st 3lbs)  refused to play it safe.

Southpaw Rose (9st 3lbs 9oz) knew he’d been in a fight. It would be over-dramatic to say Singh gave the teenager a scare. The Birmingham lad – a binman by day - won clearly, but he certainly made Joshua dig deep.

With big support inside the hall, Rose produced the quality work, nailing Singh with jabs and right hooks to body and head.

Singh landed body shots of his own in the second before walking onto a left that made his legs jack-knife. His gloves touched the canvas, but he was upright immediately to take a standing count as the bell tolled.

Despite that warning, Singh, who has now lost five of eight (two draws), continued to throw caution to the wind. He simply refused to take a backwards step.

Rose has his hand raised in victory after an exciting scrap

He bulldozed Rose to the ropes, shipped a classy right uppercut and managed to deliver more body shots.

Both punched away in an all-action final round that had fans on their feet.

“I’m definitely going all the way,” Rose announced afterwards.

It’s too early to say whether the two time national champ has all the attributes needed to “go all the way”. But on Sunday he showed the grit needed to capture titles.