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Aussies on the rise in 2017--Part three: Junior featherweight to minimumweight

Sub Lead26-Jan-17by John J. Raspanti

By Anthony Cocks

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Everybody loves a list and there’s no better time to create one than at the end of the calendar year. So while most of you were sipping champagne and celebrating in the streets while fireworks lit up the night sky overhead, I was locked away in the lab with a pen and a pad putting together my list of Australian boxers to watch in 2017. In part three of this three part series we look at the Aussie boxers, male or female, between 122-105lbs who we expect to make the biggest impact on the world stage in their respective weight divisions in the next twelve months.

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT: Jason Moloney 11-0 (10)

Entering 2016 with a record of 5-0 (5), heavy-handed former 2010 Commonwealth Games representative Jason Moloney built on his growing reputation last year with six wins including five knockouts and three defences of his WBA Oceania 122-pound title.

One half of the 26-year-old wrecking machine that is the Moloney twins, the Lyndon Hosking promoted junior featherweight rolled through half a dozen international opponents, losing no more than two of 26 completed rounds to finish the year with the WBA #10 ranking.

Fast and durable with a high punch output, Moloney is quickly building a reputation for himself as a much-see boxer. Don’t expect to see anything different in 2017 with Team Moloney planning to fight another 4-5 times each this calendar year as both Jason and Andrew continue to build on their growing fanbase and move up the WBA rankings. The goal is to finish the year on the cusp of a crack at the world title.

Next up for Moloney is Marco Demecillo 22-6-1 (17) of the Philippines at Adelaide Oval in North Adelaide, South Australia on the undercard of the long overdue rematch between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green on February 3rd. Expect Jason to log another knockout win as he continues his quick march towards a world title shot.

BANTAMWEIGHT: Andrew “Lil’ Bull” Moloney 11-0 (7)

Not to be outdone by his brother, Andrew “Lil’ Bull” Moloney dominated six international opponents in 2016, including four stoppage wins, picking up the WBA Oceania 118-pound title and defending it twice along the way.

Knockout wins over Filipino Jether Oliva 24-6-2 (11) who went the distance with Ulises Solis for the IBF junior flyweight title in 2011, and Argentinean Carlos Ruben Dario Ruiz 21-9 (10) who lasted 10 rounds against Luis Concepcion for the WBC Silver flyweight title in 2013, were two of the bigger scalps on his ledger last year. Neither of them won a single round.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games flyweight gold medallist has had a remarkable start to his professional career since joining the pay-for-punch ranks in August 2014. Much like his brother Jason, Andrew is yet to be seriously tested as a pro. With another 4-5 fights planned for this year, it will be exciting to watch Andrew continue to develop as we find out just how good Lil’ Bull is.

Moloney’s next assignment is against Filipino Renoel Pael 21-4-1 (11) on the Mundine versus Green undercard on February 3rd at Adelaide Oval in North Adelaide, South Australia.

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT: Susie “Q” Ramadan 25-2 (10)

Two-time world bantamweight champion Susie “Q” Ramadan 25-2 (10) broke a recent personal trend by fighting twice last year, something she hasn’t managed since 2012. In fact, she has only fought three times in the past four-and-a-half years.

Back in 2011 Ramadan travelled to Mexico to defend her IBF bantamweight title against Yazmin Rivas, 22-7 (9) at the time, only to lose by split decision. She bounced back to win the WBC bantamweight title against big-punching Thai Usanakorn Kokietgym 11-1 (10) in 2013 and returned to Mexico after 27 months of inactivity to again battle Rivas, this time losing by unanimous decision and failing to reclaim the WBC 118-pound title.

At 37, with 27 pro bouts under her belt, Ramadan can be considered a veteran of the women’s game now. But this late boomer – she didn’t turn pro until the age of 28 – has kept her body fresh and still has a couple of good years left in her if she wants to keep fighting.

As Ramadan fast approaches the twilight of her career, it is make or break time for her. Ramadan is a fluid mover with a high workrate and good movement. I’m rolling the dice here and picking Ramadan ahead of relative novice Sylvia Scharper 6-1-1 (1) as she has the name recognition to land another title shot against a champion looking for an ageing former titleholder to defend against.

A six rounder at the Melbourne Pavilion in Flemington, Victoria in March against the notorious TBA will help her shake out the rust before she makes her move on the world stage.

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FLYWEIGHT: Omari “Lion Boy” Kimweri 16-3 (6)

When Tanzanian-born flyweight Omari “Lion Boy” Kimweri turned pro in 2007 it was hard to imagine him winning a world championship. The 2006 Commonwealth Games representative went 2-2 in his first four fights including a first round TKO loss and with few boxers in and around his weight class in his adopted home of Australia, it was hard to see how he was going to progress to the world class level. But Kimweri continued to learn in the gym and hone his craft in the ring. His only other defeat since his debut year was a razor thin split decision loss to Shin Ono in Japan in 2014 for the vacant OPBF junior flyweight title.

In April last year Kimweri was afforded the opportunity to face former interim WBA junior flyweight champion Randy Petalcorin 23-1-1 (18) from the Philippines for the vacant WBC Silver flyweight title. In a seesaw contest that went to the cards, Kimweri won a hotly disputed split decision by scores of 115-112 twice and 113-114. Critics cite a number of missed knockdowns by referee Malcolm Bulner as impacting the result of the fight, but regardless of who deserved to win, Kimweri proved that he can hang with the big dogs in the lighter weight divisions.

At just 4’11” Kimweri is comfortable fighting at either 112 or 108 pounds and can even make the minimumweight limit (he weighed in at 104¼ pounds for his flyweight title fight against Petalcorin). Being able to compete in three separate weight classes alone only increases his chances of claiming a world title belt in 2017.

After 10 years in the professional ranks the “lightly-raced” 34 year-old pressure fighter continues to develop his skills under trainer Dave Hegarty.

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT: Louisa “Bang Bang Lulu” Hawton 7-0 (3)

Undefeated Perth boxer and WBO junior flyweight champion Louisa “Bang Bang Lulu” Hawton is easily the least known boxer on this list.

Maybe that’s because she is still a rank amateur in terms of experience with just seven pro bouts under her belt. Or it could be because the lighter weight classes struggle for both media and fan attention. Of course the obvious answer would be because she is female in a hyper-masculine sport. But realistically the truth is a combination of all three factors.

No-one gave the former sponsored skateboarder and 31-year-old mother of two much of a chance when she travelled to Japan in August to challenge Kei Takenaka for the vacant WBO junior flyweight title. At 11-0 (3) at the time, Takenaka had almost double the number of pro bouts as the then 6-0 (3) Mark Janssen-trained fighter. Of her six professional fights, three of her victories had come against debutants and all of them had taken place in her homestate of Western Australia. With a five-and-a-half inch height and three inch reach deficit, a win over the undefeated Japanese southpaw seemed highly unlikely.

Undaunted by the prospect of fighting outside of Australia for the first time in her career, Hawton, who had never been beyond six rounds, came on strong in the back half of the fight, sweeping all the rounds from the sixth onward. Just to punctuate the win, Hawton dropped Takenaka in the final stanza to announce her arrival on the world stage. When the dust had settled, the “female Pacquiao” was announced the winner by scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 97-92 and had annexed her very first world crown.

Hawton, who is of Filipino heritage on her mother’s side, is pushing for a fight on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao versus Jeff Horn on April 23^rdthat is likely to take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. If she can secure a victory on that internationally broadcast event and perform up to her ability, the world will know the name “Bang Bang Lulu” before the year is out.

MINIMUMWEIGHT: Omari “Lion Boy” Kimweri 16-3 (6)

Surprise! Yes, Kimweri is my pick for the both the minimumweight and flyweight boxer to watch. Why? It’s simple: Australia just doesn’t have anyone else in the lightest weight class to choose from. I’m don’t mean that figuratively; there simply aren’t any other boxers competing at 105 pounds. At 34, Kimweri has indicated that he only has a couple of fights left in him and if a world title shot is offered to him at 105, 108 or 112 pounds, it says here that he will take it.

Click here for Part one: www.maxboxing.com/news/max-boxing-news/aussies-on-the-rise-in-2017-heavyweight-to-junior-middleweight

Part two: www.maxboxing.com/news/max-boxing-news/aussies-on-the-rise-in-2017--part-two-welterweight-to-featherweight

FULL LIST OF AUSSIES TO WATCH IN 2017

HEAVYWEIGHT: Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne 24-0 (21)

CRUISERWEIGHT: Mark “Bam Bam” Flanagan 21-4 (14)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Trent Broadhurst 19-1 (11)

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT: Zac “Dynamo” Dunn 23-0 (18)

MIDDLEWEIGHT: David Toussaint 10-0 (8)

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT: Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan 25-1-1 (7)

WELTERWEIGHT: Jeff “The Hornet” Horn 16-0-1 (11)

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT: Czar Amonsot 33-3-3 (21)

LIGHTWEIGHT: George “Ferocious” Kambosos 11-0 (6)