Ipswich pubs praise atmosphere after Fabio Wardley victory

Hometown hero Wardley won the fight against Justis Huni with a knockout punch in the 10th round - but members of the hospitality industry have also claimed victory.

One pub boss said: "I have not seen Ipswich this busy in a long time."

With 20,000 spectators in the stands at Portman Road, fans had been out in full force in the town's pubs since the afternoon. 

Despite being on the back foot through the match, Ipswich's Fabio Wardley won a dramatic victory with a 10th round knockout punch (Image: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry) Vanessa Clarke, the manager of Greyhound, said that she "hadn't seen anything like it before".

She added: "We know what to expect with football days, but boxing days are completely alien, we haven't seen anything like it before.

"We were absolutely rammed, and the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was smiling and cheery, there was no aggression or violence, just everyone having a good time.

Vanessa Clarke with landlord of the Greyhound, Daniel Lightfoot (Image: Tom Cann) "Even when the rain came from the beer garden people were in good spirits, but we were so busy we had people eating the special burger we put on upstairs in the office.

"One of the staff said that after the fight he had not seen the town this busy in a long time, so it is just great for Ipswich and hopefully the town can put on more big events like this."

Another bar that was extremely busy on the night was the Shamrock, an Irish bar in Tavern Street.

An Irish fighter was also listed on the undercard - with Dublin's Pierce O'Leary sealing a points victory - bringing a number of Irish boxing fans to Ipswich.

Shamrock landlords Gus Chrysomalis and Stephen Wells (Image: Lucy Taylor) Stephen Wells, the owner of the Shamrock, echoed Miss Clarke's sentiments, saying: "It was like promotion day all over again."

He added: "We thought it would be busy, but it just got busier and busier, obviously it was extremely quiet around 10pm to 10.30pm but then it picked up again.

"This is just so good for the town, it says that Ipswich is open for business and can handle big events like this.

"We had no issues, even with 90% of men drinking plenty for a long period of time, the atmosphere was just incredible.

"We had plenty of people coming from outside the town which is great for hospitality, restaurants, hotels - everyone benefits."