AO ARENA, MANCHESTER – Zelfa Barrett produced a sparkling, career-best performance to stop domestic rival Jordan Gill in the 10th round and close in on a second world title shot at super featherweight.
Barrett (31-2, 17 KOs), who was halted by Shavkat Rakhimov when challenging for the IBF's 130 lbs title in November 2022, topped the bill at his home arena for the first time and found the sort of devastating body shots that propelled the likes of Ricky Hatton and Anthony Crolla to glory inside these walls.
Gill (28-3-1, 9 KOs) was coming in off the back of a restorative victory over Michael Conlan in Belfast last December and fancied his chances of upsetting another hostile away crowd.
There was little to choose between the fighters in a bout of contrasting styles at halfway and a creeping sense that Barrett’s old flaw of letting rounds slip away might haunt him.
He extinguished all of those doubts emphatically, first with a whipping left to the midsection that left Gill writhing in agony. The former European featherweight champion, who lamented his “silly mistakes” afterwards, fired back heroically, only to wear a sapping left uppercut to the solar plexus before Barrett closed the show with two minutes and 44 seconds of round 10 on the clock.
“I didn't know if he was world class or not. He proved to me tonight he’s world class. He’s a great guy,” Gill said. Promoter Eddie Hearn talked up Barrett’s world-title prospects afterwards, namechecking Lamont Roach Jr and Joe Cordina, with Wales’ IBF champion also boxing out of the Matchroom stable.
WATCH: Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett, exclusively on DAZN
The dye was cast in the opening round, where Gill looked to take centre-ring and Barrett was content to use his skills off the back foot. With 10 seconds remaining, the hometown fighter landed an uppercut on his ducking foe. Gill fired back and drew a shake of the head from Barrett.
He made good on that kidology with a nice counter right in the second before working the body well. Barrett was a fighter warming to his task, although Gill hit back with a solid jab to the body and was able to back his man up before the end of the session, albeit taking return fire.
Midway through the third, Barrett delved into that Manchester tradition of a meaty body shot, stopping Gill in his tracks — money in the bank for the thrilling payout to come.
Barrett’s greater variety and ease off the backfoot were starting to give him control. A left to the body off a right uppercut was perfectly picked in round four. Gill had gone from walking his man down to following him around, a difference that felt ominous as he sucked another punishing shot to the beltline and Barrett followed up by unloading.
Gill stemmed the tide as his opponent became a little easier to find in the fifth and he planted his feet to good effect on a couple of occasions. He wore a check left hook on the way in during the next stanza, a bull vs. matador three minutes where Zelfa flicked the jab nicely on retreat.
As the pace slowed after halfway, Gill brought his own body work to the party, with a right below the rib cage having an impact in round eight. Barrett responded with some fizzing, precise head shots in an excellent back-and-forth ninth where the home fighter produced the cleaner work and brought his cousin Lyndon Arthur, the light heavyweight contender, to his feet at ringside.
Arthur was joined by a few thousand of his fellow Mancunians shortly afterwards as Gill went out on his shield and Barrett carved out a clear towards world title glory.
Scotney and Dixon delight Manchester crowd with world title triumphs
In the chief support contest, IBF super bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney boxed superbly to add Segolene Lefebvre’s WBO title to her collection. The gulf in class in a battle between two undefeated fighters became clear early on, with Scotney (9-0) the aggressor through judicious shot selection to head and body. Londoner prevailed by margins of 99-91, 97-93 and an absurdly narrow 96-94
Lefebvre’s upright style seemed made to measure and the French fighter was never able to deny Scotney scoring opportunities as the 26-year-old held her shape impeccably throughout. Ring Magazine confirmed this week that its 122 lbs title would also be on the line. The hardware on the night was supplied by legendary Manchester trainer Billy Graham, who accompanied Scotney on her ringwalk with the belt unforgettably won by Ricky Hatton against Kostya Tszyu in this building 19 years ago.
Rhiannon Dixon was crowned WBO lightweight champion as she dropped Argentina’s Karen Elizabeth Carabajal en route to a unanimous decision win. Fighting at the same arena where her trainer Anthony Crolla enjoyed his most famous triumphs, Dixon (10-0, 1 KO) opened up an early lead as she boxed astutely from mid-range out of the southpaw stance. The highlight came in round three when she drew Carabajal (22-2, 3 KOs) onto a peach of a left and deposited the visitor onto the seat of her trunks.
The 33-year-old’s only previous defeat came against Katie Taylor, whose vacated 135 lbs title was on the line, and she made her greater experience show down the stretch against Dixon, who had a 12-fight white-collar career and was working as a pharmacist as recently as last year. Her incredibly swift journey to the pinnacle was confirmed via verdicts of 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93 on the scorecards.
WATCH: Rhiannon Dixon and Ellie Scotney world title triumphs exclusively on DAZN
Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett fight card results
- Jordan Gill def. Zelfa Barrett (TKO 10/12); Super Featherweights
- Ellie Scotney (c) def. Segolene Lefebvre (UD 10) to unify the IBF and WBO super bantamweight titles
- Rhiannon Dixon def. Karen Elizabeth Carabajal (UD 10) to win the vacant WBO lightweight title
- Michael Gomez Jr. (c) def. Kane Baker (TKO 6/10) for the English super featherweight title
- Jordan Flynn def. Tampela Maharusi (PTS 6); Lightweights
- Jimmy Sains def. Mateusz Kalecki (TKO 4/6); Middleweights
- William Crolla def. Fabio Cascone (KO 1/6); Super Welterweights
- Brandon Scott def. Rodrigo Matias Areco (PTS 6); Featherweights
- Jack Turner def. Abdul Kesi Ngaoma (TKO 1/6); Super Flyweights
When is Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett?
Gill vs. Barrett takes place on April 13. The main card starts at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET). Both fighters should make their way to the ring around 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), depending on how long the undercard fights last.
| Region | Date | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Saturday, April 13 | 2 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Saturday, April 13 | 11 a.m. PT | 3 p.m. PT |
| UK and Ireland | Sunday, April 14 | 7 p.m. BST | 11 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Sunday, April 14 | 4 a.m. AEST | 8 a.m. AEST |
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How to watch Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett?
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| USA | — | DAZN |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK and Ireland | DAZN 1 HD | DAZN |
| Australia | — | DAZN |
The Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett fight card will be available via DAZN.
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Jordan Gill vs. Zelfa Barrett price: How much does fight cost?
- DAZN monthly subscription: $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month in U.S./ $24.99 per month in Canada/ £9.99 in the U.K. on a 12-month contract, or £19.99 month-to-month/ 13.99 AUD in Australia.
- DAZN annual subscription: $224.99 in the U.S., $199.99 in Canada, and £99.99 in the U.K.