CRAIG Evans has admitted his game plan for last Saturday’s European title defence against Stephen Ormond went “right out of the window” just seconds into the fight.
The Blackwood southpaw defended his WBO lightweight crown at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, flooring the Dubliner twice in the final round to seal a unanimous points victory.
But while the 27-year-old got the job done and was pleased with his performance, Evans knows he didn’t stick to the tactics put together with trainer Tony Borg before the fight.
However, Evans took heart from the way he adapted to Ormond’s awkward swarming approach, one that saw the former champion give the Welshman little room for manoeuvre.
It was in contrast to the challenge the St Joseph’s ace faced when he dethroned then belt holder Thomas Stalker in Cardiff last November.
Giving his take on the bout at the weekend, Evans said: “Tony and I had a game plan that I was going to box him, but that went right out of the window in round one.
“We traded blow for blow from the start and that just went on for the whole 10 rounds.
“Towards the end of the fight, from the seventh on, I found my range and boxed him, and I finally dropped him twice.
“If I’d boxed him from the beginning I could have got out of there earlier, but I was dragged into a war and found it hard to stay off him and land shots.
“He is a tough man and I think I handled him well.
“I could feel his shots but they were never going to hurt me.”
He added: “Tony was shouting at me in the corner to stick to the game plan.
“He said I was winning the fight going into the later rounds but some of the rounds were quite even and the judges could have given them the other way.
“I was confident going into the last round that I had done enough but Tony said I needed a big one to finish just to make sure.
“I was happy with how I boxed. It was a bit scrappy but it showed I can get through hard fights and change my style to beat different opponents.”
For Evans, a successful first defence will only serve to strengthen his hand when it comes to potentially negotiating a showdown with WBO world champion Terry Flanagan.
Evans is hoping to have some news on his next outing from promoter Frank Warren in late July.
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