NO. 3 THE JUDGES CARD by CHARLIE LUCAS.
I just watched a very well matched and very well run Promotion from Queensland. This was Promoted by a relatively new Promoter named Paul Keegan, well I must say this was well done and well run. Jai Opetia had a good win with a 2nd round stoppage of his European Opponent Lukas Paszkowsky as did Tim Tszyu who stopped his Kiwi opponent Lui Te’O in the 5Th round. Regardless the Fight of the night was between 2 Aussie Boys in Renold Quinlan V Damien Hooper. This was an entertaining Bout with the clever Boxing of Hooper versus the hard punching of Quinlan, who had Hooper down twice in round 5 but was unable to finish him off. Subsequently the bout lasted until round 9 when the Referee stopped the action in favour of Hooper. A very well-matched bout which shows we don’t always need imported Boxers to produce a great fight.
Another solid card of Boxing was presented by Hana Nasari recently, she goes from strength to strength with her shows and this one was a beauty. On top of the Bill was Bilal Akkway who is progressing in a positive manner being guided by his Family Father Mick and Uncle Ahmed as well as many good solid Sponsors. He was in against a former WBA World Champion from Italy Giovanni Carolis 25-8-1 a well credentialed Boxer in anyone’s opinion, the Italian and his connections were serious about this attempt for their Boxer to get back into a higher World rating and arrived in Sydney 10 days before the Promotion. They went through a workout on the day they arrived which if anyone reading has flown such a long flight would agree how tired he must have been.
Now Akkway, was, as always well prepared for this step up and had his best kit with him. I am told that Bilal did not Box as an Amateur so his impressive record of 17-0 in 18 Bouts with 1 draw is worth noting. Of his 17 wins 14 have been by KO. On this occasion the Bout went the distance and was Billed as a WBA Oceania Super Middleweight Title. Akkway came away with a unanimous point win on all cards and even though the Judges gave him every round that does not mean it was a one-sided affair as the Italian worked hard each round and showed his experience in keeping away from Akkway’s heavy hands. A good win and most Fans are now eager to see what is in store for this capable young Boxer for the remainder of 2018.
I discovered an interesting statistic recently, in 2017 there was just under 500 Professional Boxers registered in Australia. This does not mean that they were all active on a regular basis, however they were engaged in at least one Bout during the year. I wonder sometimes how many in each State are active for more than one Bout, sometimes I think that eventually the numbers will drop and we will have fewer. Unless of course another Boxer such as Jeff Horn explodes onto the scene which would of course add further interest to our great Sport. I also recently heard that there are 2.000 Boxers Registered with the British Boxing Board of Control, speaking of the BBBC one has to be impressed by the way they handle Promotions. In each corner is an Inspector to ensure that nothing goes wrong and they always seem to have plenty of Medical Staff on hand if there is a knockout. I have noticed they, Doctors and Paramedics seem to be quickly into the Ring when there is a stoppage. On that subject I must say I was impressed by the way Lucas Browne was looked after following a recent savage KO, I have been told he was soon after back in Australia and is fine, he intends to continue with his Career.
Speaking about the Great Britain Boxing all seems to be going well in the Old Country, with the huge crowd in Wales for the recent Joseph Parker V Anthony Joshua World Heavyweight Title the Sport seems to be going great. I am told that on occasions there is more than 1 Promotion on television in some weeks. The 83,000 crowd which attended the bout was one of the best in recent times. I heard that more than 4,000 Fans attended the weigh-in I know of many Promoters who would love to have this many Fans at there actual Promotion. The well credentialed Parker was beaten on points, however there is plenty remaining in the tank for his future Career. All in all, a good sign for Boxing especially the Heavyweight division.
Our Sport is not without disappointment which is the case for Sydney based former ANBF Lightweight Champion George Kambosos. He was scheduled to Box a Canadian opponent in March at a very big show at Homebush, then due to some confusion with registration and clearances the Bout had to be cancelled. I have it on reliable information that George has now moved with his Family to the USA. I am told he is living in Hollywood and training at the Gym where former World Champion Manny Pacqiou trains. I have been to this Gym some years ago now, I was impressed by the number of Boxers training and was greeted by former Sydney Heavyweight Boxer Justin Fortune he was the Manager. I believe George will be active in the States for sometime and hopes to build his Career with a view to also return and hopefully Box back in Sydney, lets all wish him the best of luck with his endeavour.
Moloney twins from Melbourne, I am interested in these two very capable Boxers. Both are soon to Box in Melbourne on the same Promotion which they have done on many occasions I hope to chat to both in the near future and will have my talk on the next Card. Incidentally Jason Moloney just won the Commonwealth Bantamweight Title while the same Promotion Andrew won an OPBF Flyweight Title.
I was at a Promotion recently when a Thai Female Boxer slid under bottom rope to get in and out of Ring. I have never seen such a method of entry and exit before. Talking of entries, what about the night a Boxer who later became rated highly by the World of Boxing tried to come over top rope at Coogee Randwick RSL this was I imagine an attempt at a spectacular entry, oops his foot became tangled on the top rope and Bang into the Ring in embarrassing heap. This Boxer recovered quickly and went on to dispose of his opponent in 2 rounds. I don’t ever remember another attempt at this entry from him.
What is the idea of a Boxer who is first into the Ring simply standing and sometimes casually leaning on the ropes as he waits for his opponent to arrive? I would prefer to see the Boxer moving and staying active prior to the commencement of the Bout.
Another thing I often notice at the end of a round even a very rugged one the Cornerman often seem to tip water directly into the mouth of a tired Boxer? I was always told to wait for a few seconds to allow the Boxer to settle, perhaps this to me new method is recommended by Medical? I wonder if the possibility of a Boxer almost chocking will change this back?
Another good night of Boxing in Hurstville Sydney Promoted by John Iannou in association with Billy Hussein on recently where we saw a 7-fight card which featured Female Champion Lauryn Eagle with another win. The Main Event of the evening was a 3 X 2 min round bout featuring former National Rugby League player O’reni Maitua he had a win on debut and I feel it will be good to watch his progress through the ranks. Perhaps a future bout with another Rugby League Player Paul Gallen?
The Jeff Fenech trained Boxer Brock Jarvis has scored another quick win when he stopped Indonesian Boxer Hamson Lamandau in the 3 rd. at a Promotion in Five Dock in Sydney. The was billed as a WBC Asia Super Flyweight Title fight and was introduced as such, however both Boxers weighed in as Bantamweights 53.5Kgs?? Perhaps this was a typing error, one thing while it lasted it was a good test for the Australian, and this takes him to 13-0 and he found himself in a little trouble during an eventful second round. After being down early in the second the Indonesian was able to land a wild swinging right hand which caused Jarvis to stagger a little before managing to get a hold of his opponent.
See you next Round.
CHARLIE LUCAS.