Peterborough man pulls off 'mission impossible' after one of the great bareknuckle boxing fights

​Reffell made his first defence of the featherweight championship against Rolando Dy in Wolverhampton on Saturday night and the five-round fight had the look of ‘Mission Impossible’ for the 38 year-old from Woodston.

The Filipino was tipped for bareknuckle boxing stardom after outclassing George Hillyard in his last fight.

But Reffell dropped him twice to win on points after a fight commentator Robin Black described as ‘one of his top 10 best bareknuckle boxing fights.’

Reffell ended the fight with a cut over his left eye, his right eye and with his jaw swollen, but laughed afterwards, “I’m still pretty!”

He then added: “I told you he wasn’t taking what’s mine.

“He can box, so you smother him, pressure him and he couldn’t handle it.”

At the opening bell, Reffell took the fight to Dy and kept him pinned in his own corner for the opening 20 seconds.

Once the fight settled, Reffel picked up a bloodied nose and then dropped Dy with a well-placed short left hook.

Dy wasn’t badly hurt and looked clear-eyed when he got to his feet.

Both were dazed after a wild start to the second round when Reffell pinned the Filipino on the ropes, but the city man then ran onto a right that opened a gash over his left eye.

The ringside doctor ruled Reffell should be able to continue. The pace dropped in the fourth and that suited Dy. He pecked away with rights to worsen the damage to Reffell’s eye.

The decisive moment came in that fourth round though. Dy aimed a punch at Reffell’s ribs and left his chin exposed. Reffell saw the opening and landed a clean left hook that dropped the Filipino on his back.

This time, Dy was hurt and he couldn’t find the punches to turn the fight his way as Reffell boxed his way to victory.

Reffell had earlier seen fiancée Sadie Graver beaten on points by Swedish southpaw Mathilda Wilson.

Graver was praised for her ‘bravery and toughness’ by commentators after a hard three-round fight.

Graver said ahead of the fight that she was concerned about the Swede’s roughhouse tactics and the referee had to warn Wilson for hitting and holding.

The punches left Graver with bruising under her right eye in the opening round.

Graver came forward until the final bell and had successes in every round, especially with her right hand.