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Photo credit: James Bartosik |
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What a fight! We knew from experience these two warriors would put in a great performance, but the reality exceeded all expectation. This was a bout that delivered pure spectacle from start to finish. Evenly matched in the chess and boxing and with plenty of chessboxing know-how in both camps there was little to separate the two men in the run up to the fight. Both had prepared intensely. The Razor spent the preceding months training in the harsh desert landscape of Morocco (in between his day job working as a CGI consultant on a production). Philp meanwhile was training through the chilly, rain-swept winter months in the English West country. Contrasting environments but similar commitment; both men stepped into the ring in peak condition.
In the chess both played aggressively and fast right from the start. After the first round they were 12 moves in, with Philp (playing White) having castled queenside, yet doubled pawns on the c file, while Frazer tried to control the centre of the board positioning his Queen on d4. The aggression and fast pace was also evident in the boxing rounds. Philp managed to get Frazer onto the ropes several times and landed some hard shots. As the bout progressed Philp seemed to be gaining the upper hand. In round 4 he landed a hard blow to the side of Frazer’s head leading to a standing eight count. The fight continued over the board and Philp was now gaining a material advantage. 24 moves in a risky Queen exchange had let to Frazer going a rook down. By move 36 (Round 7) Frazer found himself attacked by double Rooks with little room to escape and the clock against him. Showing all his guile and determination he managed to hang on for another round of boxing, where he upped the speed and power and landed a left-hook to the body that that momentarily left Philp on his knees. Philp now needed to get the fight back to the chessboard, where clock time was on his side, while Frazer had to make the last round of boxing count. The fight continued with both chessboxers giving their all cheered on by a crowd fully appreciative of the drama on display. Frazer absorbed a powerful right then immediately countered with two hard left-hooks which thudded into the body of his opponent and forced to the canvas once again. The referee had seen enough and called a TKO against Philp leaving Frazer exultant. The crowd duly saluted both fighters for a great performance that easily ranks among the finest chessboxing bouts on record. |
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L | W |
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| Steve 'Demon' Philp |
Name |
Richard 'The Razor' Frazer | | 1-1-0 |
W-L-D |
2-2-0 | | 31 |
Age |
38 | | 174 cm |
Height |
178 cm | | 75 kg |
Weight |
78 kg | | 174 cm |
Reach |
? | | 1400 |
ELO |
1300 | | England |
Country |
England | | Barnstable, Devon |
Hometown |
Leicester | |
Gym |
Islington Boxing Gym | | Park Ranger |
Job |
VFX Supervisor |
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Frazer wins via boxing - TKO (Round 8) |
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