Downunder wrap-up: Kimweri secures title shot, May heads to the states, Foley snatches victory, Kambosos-Balla clash, Billel Dib returns to Oklahoma
By Anthony Cocks
Former WBC Silver flyweight champion Omari "Lion Boy" Kimweri 16-3 (6) gets another chance at world title glory when he challenges long-reigning WBC minimumweight boss Chayaphon Moonsri 46-0 (17) on 3rd June in the champion’s native Thailand.
Moonsri, who is also known as Wanheng Menayothin, is no mug. Since winning the WBC title from Oswaldo Novoa in November 2014 the 31 year-old has made six successful defences along with victories in a further four non-title affairs.
Kimweri’s longtime trainer Dave Hegarty of the Tarneit Boxing Gym is under no illusions about the task at hand. But he is confident that his 4’11" mighty atom will have the grit, experience and determination to not just hang with the champ, but to rip the coveted green title belt from him in front of his hometown fans.
“He’s quite strong, a typical Thai fighter in a lot of ways,” said Hegarty of the undefeated champion. “Very upright sort of fighter. Omar will need to be on top of his game to beat this fella, that’s for sure.”
The biggest challenge throughout Kimweri’s career has been fining boxers near enough his weight to fight. The natural 105-pounder has regularly been forced to venture north to flyweight and has even entered the ring as heavy as bantamweight. His heaviest opponent remarkably weighed in as a featherweight.
“Getting him fights here is impossible,” said Hegarty. “Omar’s dangerous and a lot of people don’t want to fight him, it’s as simple as that.
“When he fought Randy [Petalcorin] he weighed in, from memory, 300 grams above minimumweight,” said Hegarty of Kimweri’s last WBC world title fight. “We gave Randy two weight classes and people jumped up and down. Get a grip of yourselves. He’s fighting a kid who’s two weight classes lower and I don’t care what anyone says, Omar won the fight fairly.”
Against Moonsri he will finally have an opponent who matches him in physical stature. Then it will just be up to Kimweri to show himself to be the superior fighter.
May boxes his way to the USA
Western Australia’s hot prospect Nathaniel “Cheeky” May 17-1 (9) boxed his way to victory in a twelve round war against Filipino Randy Braga 20-3-1 (5) to win the vacant IBF Pan Pacific featherweight title at the Eaton Recreation Centre in Bunbury, Western Australia on Saturday night. Scores were 120-109, 119-109 and 115-113.
The talented 21 year-old was tested at times but found an answer for everything the southpaw threw at him. The only thing that surprised May was Braga’s durability.
“I hit him with everything, I am speechless,” May said after the fight. “I hit him a few times with a big right or left hook and he got back up. It was a shock to me.
“I have never had that before. Normally I just hit that one good shot and the fight is over. He tested me tonight and that was what I needed.”
It wasn’t all one-sided traffic though. Braga landed some solid body shots that caught May’s attention.
“There was a couple of times I felt like my kidney was on the other side of my body,” he said.
With the victory May now heads to Las Angeles with his trainer Peter Stokes where he will work with some of the best fighters in the world in the lighter weight classes as he looks to break into the lucrative and competitive US market.
On the same card Perth lightweight “Brilliant” Brandon Ogilvie 18-2-1 (9) bounced back from his December loss to compatriot “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr by outpointing Filipino southpaw Junjesie Ibgos 11-2 (9) over 10 rounds. Fighting for the vacant IBF Australasian 130 pound title, the 23 year-old Ogilvie pitched a virtual shutout to win by scores of 100-89 and 99-91 twice.
Undefeated cruiserweight Daniel ”Danger” McGlashan kept his unblemished record intact with a four round unanimous decision over New Zealand’s Ratu Sailosi Dawai 2-5-1 (1). The 23 year-old from Bunbury moves to 7-0 (2).
Also on the card Fano Kori 2-0 (1) scored a 1st round KO of Thai Audid Wilaha 0-2 and debutant Alex Hanan also put away fellow first-timer Fahmongkol Liangprasert from Thailand in the first. Both fights were contested at the junior middleweight limit.
Foley snatches victory from the jaws of defeat against Katiandagho
Hard-hitting southpaw Darragh Foley 11-2 (8) had to rely on his heavy hands to deliver victory from the jaws of defeat against talented Filipino Sonny Katiandagho 11-2 (6) on Saturday night at Doltone House in Sylvania Waters, Sydney to retain his WBA Oceania 140-pound title.
Foley looked to open strong but a number of headclashes in the second round opened a small cut over his left brow. Katiandagho got his hands going in the third, landing punches in bunches through to – and after – the bell. The Pinoy visitor maintained control in the fourth and continued to deliver punishment in the fifth, with Foley’s left cheek suddenly swollen from the combined effects of punches and headclashes.
Trailing on two cards and even on the third as they entered the fateful sixth, Foley knew he needed something big to turn the fight around. Switching to orthodox to save further punishment to his cheek, the move seemed to baffle Katiandagho who had found his rhythm and timing against his opponent’s southpaw stance. The decision to changed stance proved to be a master stroke as in the dying moments of the round a huge right hand pegged Katiandagho and sent him sprawling to the canvas, his head resting on the bottom rope. Katiandagho’s cornermen rushed into the ring and immediately stopped the fight.
“I’m a southpaw boxer and when I got the eye injury I had to switch it up because I couldn’t see too well the shots coming that way,” said Foley in the ring immediately after the fight. “I can also box orthodox, I can do it all. I went orthodox one round and I knocked him out. So when you carry devastating power in both hands…. My power had to bail me out tonight.”
Foley was behind 46-49, 46-50 and 48-48 at the time of the stoppage. The 28 year-old, who is ranked #15 by the WBA, has clear intentions to capitalize on that ranking as soon as the damage to his left cheekbone heals.
“I’m the WBA Oceania champion,” said Foley. “I have a mandatory, the interim champion, down in Melbourne. He’s called [WBA #4] Czar Amonsot. How many times do you hear the champion calling out his mandatory? I’m here, you want it? I’ll even go into his backyard. Let me tell you one thing. Mr Big Time Boxing, Brian Amatruda, you want me down there, you’re going to get your want now mate.”
Headlining the card welterweight Jack “The Ripper” Brubaker 13-1-1 (7) successfully defended his OPBF title against Mark “The Slam Man” Sales 22-41-4 (8) from the Philippines. Despite his journeyman record Sales had been on a bit of a streak, going 2-0-1 with two knockouts in his last three bouts, including a split draw away from home to Japan’s Ryuki Ikeda 11-3-1 (7) last October. Unfortunately for Sales it didn’t mean much to the 25 year-old from Cronulla, who walked his much shorter opponent into a counter right hand that dropped him and stopped him in the second.
George Kambosos Jr vs Qamil Balla added to Parker vs Fury undercard
An intriguing all-Australian lightweight clash has been added to the Joseph Parker vs Hughie Fury WBO heavyweight title fight on 6th May at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand when Sydney’s “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr 11-0 (6) squares off against Melbourne’s Qamil “Golden Boy” Balla 11-0-1 (5) over 10 rounds.
Balla won the national 140 pound title against Jack Brubaker in 2013 and successfully defended it against Terry Tzouramanis in 2014. Last month 27 year-old Balla destroyed Rodolfo Puente 18-3-2 (14) of Colombia in the first round to win the interim WBA Oceania lightweight title. The only blemish on Balla’s ledger was a majority draw on debut over four rounds against Filipino Allan Jay Tuniacao five years ago.
WBA #10 Kambosos Jr is riding a high after outboxing domestic rival Brandon Ogilvie last December over 12 rounds to claim the WBA Oceania lightweight title. The 23 year-old Kambosos Jr is a former PABA lightweight titleholder who doesn’t lack for confidence and isn’t afraid to let people know.
The fight for local bragging rights has Aussie boxing fans split right down the middle.
An Anzac clash between Aussie southpaw Sam Ah See 13-0-1 (6) and Kiwi Anthony “TNT” Taylor 13-1-1 (7) over 10 rounds at welterweight has also been added to the card. Ah See has competed at both welterweight and junior middleweight, while Taylor has bounced between 140 and 147 pounds throughout his career. Ah See has fought the better competition but has never fought outside of his native Australia. The vacant IBF Australasian welterweight title will be up for grabs.
Billel Dib returns to the States to face Yuandale Evans
World ranked Sydney super featherweight Billel “Baby Face” Dib 21-1 (10) will return to the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma, USA on 21st April to face Yuandale “Money Shot” Evans 18-1 (14) over 10 rounds. The card is a co-promotion between Holden Productions and DiBella Entertainment.
Last time the 27 year-old Dib was in the United States he scored a solid points win over eight rounds against Carlos Padilla 16-5-1 (10) at the same casino last December.
The only loss on Dib’s ledger came against Dylan Sendeckyj by split decision for the national super featherweight title in 2012. Dib reversed the result two fights later, dominating Sendeckyj for seven rounds before stopping him in the 8th for the same title.
Dib, who is studying accounting and law en route to becoming a forensic accountant, is ranked WBA #13 and WBO #7.
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