Resurgent Hibbert Stopped by Scarpa

On the under-card of the promotion at the O2 Arena in London last night, the popular Essex fight, John Wayne Hibbert suffered a defeat.

Hibbert, the former Commonwealth light-welterweight champion, had been making steady progress in recent fights with his crowd pleasing style and was expected to continue making in-roads towards a world title fight.

Matched against the Italian Andrea Scarpa, a fighter who had won titles at two different weights in his home country but who worked as a waiter for his day job, Hibbert found that the taller fighter with the longer range, a troublesome character.

In the early rounds Hibbert was caught by a peach of a left hook which caused a nasty cut adjacent to his right eye. The cut was a bad one and although Hibbert?s corner stopped the flow of blood at the end of the round, the cut was to get worse.

Matters were further worsened when Scarpa, with a stinging, sharp punch, hit the canvas. A bloodied mess, with another cut opening up on his left cheek, the ringside doctor was called over by the referee in the sixth round and given the state of Hibbert?s face the doctor instructed the referee to stop the bout.

Whilst the Italian?s corner celebrated Hibbert was left to rue what might have been but in magnanimous style accepted that he was beaten by the better man on the night.

At 31-years of age, Hibbert has time to come again, but on the evidence of that cut last night it could be a while before he ventures back into the ring.