Ted Cheeseman needed a win in the worst way. A loss to Sam Eggington on Saturday in Week 1 of Matchroom Boxing's Fight Camp would have been devastating and likely sent him into retirement.
With his back against the wall and his livelihood in the balance, Cheeseman gave it everything he had in defeating Eggington by unanimous decision (116-113, 116-113, 115-114) from The Garden of Matchroom's headquarters in Brentwood, England. It was Cheeseman's first win in 22 months, when he beat Asinia Byfield in October 2017. DAZN News scored the fight 115-113 for Cheeseman
Cheeseman (16-2-1, 9 KOs) started out slow, as Eggington was landing the harder shots and demonstrated better movement. But "The Big Cheese" kicked into high gear from the second round and kept the momentum throughout by staying on the inside and beating Eggington to the punch while not allowing his opponent to work from the outside.
The 24-year-old had chances to put Eggington (28-7, 17 KOs) away in the second and eighth rounds after staggering him with right hands but chose to continue on with a disciplined game plan. That nearly cost him in the final round as Eggington came out with reckless abandon. He cornered Chesseman with 45 seconds remaining and stunned him with a right hand. Cheeseman weathered the storm and made it to the final bell to notch his first win in nearly 22 months.
Here's what happened at Ted Cheeseman vs. Sam Eggington.
Sam Eggington vs. Ted Cheeseman results
(All times BST)
Ted Cheeseman outpaces Sam Eggington for decision win to get first win in 22 months
11:17 p.m.: Cheeseman def. Eggington by unanimous decision (116-113, 116-113, 115-114).
Round 12: What a final round! Cheeseman could have rode the bicycle but decided to trade fire with Eggington and it almost cost him. Eggington stunned Cheeseman with a right hand but failed to put him on the canvas. A fantastic fight. (10-9 Eggington, 115-113 Cheeseman)
Round 11: There's no break from either Cheeseman or Eggington. They just keeping throwing and throwing with no end in sight. But with that said, Cheeseman held a slight advantage, connecting on a couple right hands, which snapped Eggington's head back. Eggington appears to be needing a stoppage to win. (10-9 Cheeseman, 106-103 Cheeseman)
Round 10: Another competitive round that once again came down to the final moments as Cheeseman connected on three right hands to edge it out. A lot of these rounds are so close. (10-9 Cheeseman, 96-94 Cheeseman)
Round 9: It was the tale of two rounds combined into one. Cheeseman controlled the first half and Eggington took the second half. Eggington was the sharper fighter in the last 90 seconds and seemed to get another wind. A fun one as we enter the championship rounds. (10-9 Eggington, 86-85 Cheeseman)
Round 8: For the second time in the fight, Cheeseman rocked Eggington, blasting him with a counter right hand. Instead of going for an uppercut that could've sent Eggington to the canvas, Cheeseman threw a left hand. Cheeseman has to see Eggington with his head down and shoot the uppercut. (10-9 Cheeseman, 77-75 Cheeseman)
Round 7: Eggington's regained some of the momentum. He's now increasing his work rate and not letting Cheeseman getting into a groove. (10-9 Eggington, 67-66 Cheeseman)
Round 6: After a slow start, Eggington and Cheeseman let it hang out as they brought the thunder for the last 90 seconds. Eggington held a slight advantage in landing the harder shots, snapping Cheeseman's head back on multiple occasions. (10-9 Eggington, 58-56 Cheeseman)
Round 5: Cheeseman is in full control. He landed a crisp left hook, right hand that stunned Eggington for a quick moment. He's connecting flush on just about everything at this point. Eggington needs to stop dropping his left hand and snap back in it because he's losing the fight. (10-9 Cheeseman, 49-46 Cheeseman)
Round 4: Solid action from both guys. Cheeseman held a slight advantage by being more active. He's keeping Eggington the outside and forcing him out of his element. (10-9 Cheeseman, 39-37 Cheeseman)
Round 3: Cheeseman brought the momentum from the second round. He's first to the draw in just about every exchange. How does Eggington get back into the fight? (10-9 Cheeseman, 29-28 Cheeseman)
Round 2: Great round for Cheeseman. It had been nip and tuck until Cheeseman connected on a flush right hand to nearly send Eggington down. Cheeseman landed shots but failed to put the foot harder on the pedal to attempt to put Eggington away. You don't get many opportunities to finish your opponent. For Cheeseman, he needs to hope it doesn't cost him. (10-9 Cheeseman, 19-19)
Round 1: Good opening round for Eggington. He's showing good movement and is landing the harder shots. (10-9 Eggington)
10:15 p.m.: It's now time for the main event as Sam Eggington battles Ted Cheeseman in junior middleweight action. Eggington's (28-6, 17 KOs) won four consecutive fights with the last two coming via stoppage. Cheeseman (15-2-1, nine KOs) needs to get in the winners circle in the worst way, going 0-2-1 in his last three contests.
Who wins the battle between "The Egg" and "The Cheese"?
James Tennyson powers past Gavin Gwynne in an all-action contest
9:51 p.m.: Tennyson def. Gwynne by TKO at 2:30 of the sixth round. Tennyson landed a hard right hand that wobbled Gwynne, who decided to take a knee onto the mat. Tennyson smelled blood and poured it on, blasting Gwynne with right uppercuts and left hooks. With the referee looking on intently, Tennyson continued the onslaught until a final left hook nearly sent Gwynne through the ropes and the bout finally was stopped.
A great win for Tennyson, but Gwynne has nothing to be ashamed of. Both guys brought the goods from the opening bell until the stoppage. Let's see if Tennyson can break through in the 135-pound division, which features Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis.
9:40 p.m.: Highly entertaining contest through four rounds. It's been all action with neither Tennyson or Gwynne taking a step back. Tennyson is looking for the right hand every time and Gwynne is continously throwing and popping shots.
9:25 p.m.: It is now time for the co-main event of Eggington vs. Cheeseman as James Tennyson meets Gavin Gwynne. Since being stopped by then-IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer in January 2019, Tennyson (26-3, 22 KOs) has moved up to lightweight and won four consecutive fights, all via stoppage. Gwynne (12-1, two KOs) opened his career by winning his first 11 fights before losing Joe Cordona in August 2019. Gwynne rebounded in November, beating Abdon Cesar by TKO. Tennyson holds the power advantage, so let's see if he tries to blast Gwynne in the early going.
Fabio Wardley blasts through Simon Vallily
9:05 p.m.: Wardley def. Vallily by TKO at 1:01 of the third round. Vallily had Wardley backed up in the corner when things took a turn of the worse for him. Wardley blasted Vallily with a staggering left hook. Seeing he had Vallily in serious trouble, Wardley pounded Vallily upstairs and then went downstairs to rip the body. The referee saw enough and stopped the fight. Have to give Wardley a ton of credit. He's got power in both hands, and he stayed composed when he put Vallily away. Instead of being wild and loose with his shots, Wardley kept his balance and kept the punches tight, which allowed him to finish Vallily off.
A great win for Wardley. He's nipping on the heels to be in the caliber of young English heavyweights Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce.
8:52 p.m.: Up next at Eggington vs. Cheeseman is Simon Vallily (17-2-1, 7 KOs) squaring off with Fabio Wardley (8-0, 7 KOs) in heavyweight action. Vallily won Commonwealth Games in 2010 but has never lived up to his full potential. Moving up to the land of the big boys has seen a resurgence for Vallily as he's won all four fights and done so inside the distance. Wardley packs a big punch as he's got a heavy right hand. Don't expect this one to go all 10 rounds.
Dalton Smith stops Nathan Bennett to remain undefeated
8:38 p.m.: Smith def. Bennett by TKO at 2:56 of the fifth round. Smith broke down Bennett by continuously landing the overhand right to stun him on more than one occasion. It was that punch which sent Bennett packing and flat on his back for the evening and to run Smith's record to 6-0. You need to keep an eye out on Smith. An explosive puncher who's also a good boxer.
8:19 p.m.: One thing which has really stood out early in the show is the precautions everyone is taking due to COVID-19. We have seen promoter Eddie Hearn wearing a mask, which is something we haven't seen UFC President Dana White do. Also have seen the referee wearing a mask and the corners for all the fighters and the people ringside donning face shields. A job well done in going the extra mile and taking every measure possible to ensure the health and safety of everyone.
8:08 p.m.: Coming up at Eggington vs. Cheeseman, Dalton Smith (5-0, 4 KOs) faces off against Nathan Bennett (9-1, 2 KOs) in super lightweight action. A very intriguing contest. This is a big step up for Smith, whose a highly-touted prospect. We'll get a good indication of how good he is.
Jordan Gill outboxes Reece Belloti to become the first winner of Fight Camp
8:00 p.m.: Gill def. Bellotti by unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-95). Gill was able to pull away in the latter half of the fight by pumping the jab and being elusive with good movement. That's now back-to-back wins for Gill (25-1, 7 KOs) after losing for the first time to Mario Enrique Tinoco in May 2019. It'll be interesting to see where Gill goes from here. He's got solid skills, but it's time to see what the 26-year-old has against quality opposition.
7:40 p.m.: Pretty even fight after five rounds as neither Gill or Bellotti have been able to surge ahead.
7:17 p.m.: Kicking off the main card has Jordan Gill (24-1, 7 KOs) taking on Reece Bellotti (14-3, 12 KOs) in featherweight action.
7 p.m.: Welcome to Week 1 of Matchroom Boxing’s Fight Camp from the garden of promoter Eddie Hearn. The main event features Sam Eggington meeting Ted Cheeseman. It is a unique atmosphere, which should make for an intriguing evening of fights.
Sam Eggington vs. Ted Cheeseman fight date, start time
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 1
- Time: 19.00 BST/2 p.m. ET
- Main event: 22.00 BST/5 p.m. ET
The Eggington-Cheesman card will begin at 19.00 BST/2 p.m. ET, with Eggington and Cheeseman expected to make their ring walks about 22.00 BST/5 p.m. ET, although the time depends on the length of the earlier fights.
Sam Eggington vs. Ted Cheeseman fight card
- Sam Eggington vs. Ted Cheeseman; Junior Middleweights
- James Tennyson vs. Gavin Gwynne; Lightweight
- Jordan Gill vs. Reece Bellotti; Featherweights
- Fabio Wardley vs. Simon Vallily; Featherweights
- Dalton Smith vs. Nathan Bennett; Lightweights