Luke Watkins

Last updated

Luke Watkins
Born (1989-11-27) 27 November 1989 (age 35)
Swindon, Wiltshire, England
NationalityEnglish
Other namesThe Duke
Statistics
Weight(s) Cruiserweight
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record [1]
Total fights19
Wins16
Wins by KO11
Losses3

Luke Watkins (born 27 November 1989) is an English professional boxer who held the Commonwealth cruiserweight title from 2017 to 2018.

Contents

Professional career

Watkins made his professional debut on 20 September 2014, scoring a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) victory over David Vicena at the Wembley Arena in London. [2]

After compiling a record of 11–0 (7 KOs) he faced Robin Dupre for the vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight title on 7 October 2017 at the York Hall in London. Watkins knocked his opponent down in round four before securing a sixth-round TKO to capture his first professional title. [3] His first defence came two months later against Mike Stafford on 2 December at the Leicester Arena. After encountering some difficulties in the first few rounds, Watkins began to take control midway through the fight, opening a cut below Stafford's eye in the sixth round. At the end of the seventh, Stafford's corner warned their man that they would call off the fight to save him from further punishment. Seeing no improvements from Stafford, his corner called a halt to the contest at the end of the eighth round, awarding Watkins a stoppage win by corner retirement (RTD). [4]

His second defence came against WBA Continental Cruiserweight champion and 2016 Olympian, Lawrence Okolie, on 6 June 2018 at York Hall in London, with Okolie's WBA title also on the line. Watkins suffered two knockdowns in the third round, the second of which promoted referee Michael Alexander to call a halt to the contest, handing Watkins the first defeat of his career to lose his Commonwealth title by TKO. [5]

His next fight was against Isaac Chamberlain – who also lost to Okolie in his previous fight – on 27 October 2018 at the Copper Box Arena in London. After a hard-fought ten rounds, Watkins suffered his second defeat, losing via points decision (PTS). Referee Kieran McCann [6] scored the bout 95–94 in favour of Chamberlain, with the defining factor being a late knockdown scored by Chamberlain in the final seconds of the tenth and final round. [7]

Professional boxing record

19 fights16 wins3 losses
By knockout112
By decision51
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
19Loss16–3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jordan Thompson TKO6 (10)22 Apr 2023 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff
18Win16–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Iain MartellTKO6 (10)30 Jun 2022 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Civic Hall, Grays
17Win15–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tyrone WilliamsKO1 (4)18 Sep 2021 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg MECA, Regent Circus, Swindon
16Win14–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ossie JervierPTS627 Apr 2019 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
15Loss13–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Isaac Chamberlain PTS1027 Oct 2018 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Copper Box Arena, London, England
14Loss13–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lawrence Okolie TKO3 (12), 1:406 Jun 2018 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg York Hall, London, EnglandLost Commonwealth cruiserweight title;
For WBA Continental cruiserweight title
13Win13–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike StaffordRTD8 (12), 3:002 Dec 2017 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Leicester Arena, Leicester, EnglandRetained Commonwealth cruiserweight title
12Win12–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robin DupreTKO6 (12), 2:167 Oct 2017 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg York Hall, London, EnglandWon vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight title
11Win11–0 Flag of Ireland.svg Ian TimsKO4 (10), 1:1310 Jun 2017 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
10Win10–0 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jiri SvacinaTKO4 (8), 2:388 Apr 2017 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
9Win9–0 Flag of Lithuania.svg Dmitrij KalinovskijPTS616 Jul 2016 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg York Hall, London, England
8Win8–0 Flag of Latvia.svg Reinis PorozovsTKO5 (6), 1:4010 Jun 2016 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Grange Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
7Win7–0 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tony CruisePTS67 May 2016 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg York Hall, London, England
6Win6–0 Flag of Hungary.svg Sandor BaloghTKO2 (6), 1:0020 Dec 2015 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Grange Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
5Win5–0 Flag of Hungary.svg Tamas BajzathPTS824 Oct 2015 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
4Win4–0 Flag of Hungary.svg Jeno MarkhotTKO3 (8), 1:3213 Feb 2015 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
3Win3–0 Flag of Hungary.svg Istvan KunKO5 (6), 1:351 Nov 2014 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oasis Leisure Centre, Swindon, England
2Win2–0 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Martin HoralMD427 Sep 2014 Flag of Germany.svg Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel, Germany
1Win1–0 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg David VicenaTKO4 (6), 2:0020 Sep 2014 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Wembley Arena, London, England

References

  1. "Boxing record for Luke Watkins". BoxRec .
  2. "BoxRec: Luke Watkins vs. David Vicena". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. Davies, Matthew (9 October 2017). "BOXING: Duke stops Dupre to claim Commonwealth crown". Swindon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  4. Houlihan, Owen (2 December 2017). "BOXING: Watkins defends Commonwealth title". Swindon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. Foster, Elliot (6 June 2018). "Lawrence Okolie Blasts Out Luke Watkins, Adds Commonwealth". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. "BoxRec: Luke Watkins vs. Kieran McCann". boxrec.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. Horan, Matt (27 October 2018). "Ryder vs Sirotkin: Isaac Chamberlain edges out Luke Watkins". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Denton Daley
Commonwealth cruiserweight champion
7 October 2017 – 6 June 2018
Succeeded by