26/03/2026
Malik and Cole boxed tonight in Sunderland, both facing strong opposition. Although both were on the receiving end of unanimous decisions, they performed well and can take plenty of positives from their bouts.
Malik faced a significantly taller opponent and used his movement effectively, working behind rangey punches thrown in good volume. He landed the cleaner, more powerful shots throughout and showed impressive head movement. At times, it seemed composure was the key factor that separated the two.
Cole, meanwhile, was up against a strong, well-built opponent who looked to throw every punch with maximum power. It made for a scrappy contest at times, particularly as his opponent struggled on the inside and frequently resorted to holding. Cole was the one looking to engage at close range, trying to create space to get his shots off. He had plenty of good moments and landed some quality punches of his own.
Despite both results going down as unanimous decisions, these were real clashes of styles that could easily have gone either way. It’s a good reminder that scorecards don’t always reflect how competitive a fight truly was.
No excuses though, credit to their opponents for hard-fought wins in tough contests.
