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Boxing news from the land down under

By Anthony Cocks

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Aussie boxing news
Aussie boxing news

LUKE JACKSON OUT TO DEFY THE ODDS AGAINST WBO INTERIM CHAMP CARL FRAMPTON

 

Unheralded featherweight contender Luke “Action” Jackson 16-0 (7) will get the opportunity to introduce himself on the world stage when he challenges WBO “interim” champion Carl “The Jackal” Frampton 25-1 (14) at the home of Northern Irish football, Windsor Park, in Belfast, on August 18.

 

The soccer stadium is expected to play host to over 20,000 fans who will be there to watch the proud and popular Ulsterman dispose of the little-known Aussie in what is already being described as a mismatch.

 

And to be fair, unless you hail from the Antipodes you have good reason for not knowing who the unassuming Tasmanian is. As a pro he has had just sixteen bouts, all of which have taken place in his native Australia, many of them on small cards and usually off-TV. To top it off, he lacks the type of highlight reel KO that could go viral and gain media traction worldwide.

 

Even in his homeland he would struggle to make the list of the ten most well-known boxers in the country.

 

So why does he deserve a shot at Frampton’s interim belt?

 

“If I’m not ready now I’ll never be ready,” said the 33-year-old, who represented his country at the London Olympics while compiling an admirable 113-32 record in the ams.

 

“I’ve had over sixteen years in this game and I know what it takes.”

 

Monday’s press conference and fight announcement at Windsor Park may have taken some people by surprise but behind the scenes negotiations for the fight have been bubbling away for some time. In an exclusive interview with Maxboxing back in April the week after Frampton claimed the interim crown against Nonito Donaire, Jackson’s promoter Adam Wilcock of FightCard Promotions revealed the state of play.

 

“I’m confident we can get the fight with Frampton for Luke Jackson,” said Wilcock then, who has promoted Jackson since the start of his career.

 

“Frampton has changed promoters away from Matchroom since my last dealings with his team, but I’ve strong relations with MTK and previously had Jarrod Fletcher on a Warren show, so there’s familiarity with each other.

 

“Luke is highly rated and highly credentialed, so we’ll be pushing hard.”

 

Jackson’s team had been angling for a shot at full WBO champion Oscar Valdez 24-0 (19) until he was sidelined indefinitely with a broken jaw sustained in his win against an over-the-weight Scott Quigg in their world title fight in March. The rugged Mexican’s earliest possible return date is December, but don’t expect him to be taking on any world class opponents first-up.

 

Frampton is a very different proposition to the pressure-fighting Valdez.

 

“He is a well-rounded fighter that does everything right,” said Jackson, the WBO number five ranked featherweight. “I will have to stay very disciplined and listen to my coach Billy Hussein.

 

“Carl’s an experienced fighter and there isn’t much he hasn’t seen before. I know that I’m relentless and I pride myself on being well prepared and disciplined.

 

“My amateur pedigree enabled me to adapt to many different styles and with the biggest preparation of my career about to kick off, I’m sure we can develop the right game plan to beat him.

 

Jackson, who lives in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart but flies up to Sydney for his training camps, says that he expects his preparation for this fight to be longer than usual but that he leaves the details of his training programme up to his esteemed coach Hussein.

 

“This will be a longer training camp in Sydney for me but the focus and basics will remain the same,” said Jackson, who has been expertly managed by Mike Altamura throughout his career. “Billy Hussein runs the entire camp including sparring partners and I have the utmost faith in him and just focus on doing everything he asks of me.”

 

As for the crowd of boozy, enthusiastic Irishmen who will be baying for his blood, Jackson shrugs it off.

 

“At the end of the day, there is only one person that can do damage to me on 18 August and that’s Carl,” he said.

 

KRIS GEORGE SUFFERS TWO BROKEN HANDS BEFORE RETIRING AT THE END OF THE 7TH AGAINST JOSH KELLY

 

Former Commonwealth welterweight champion Kris George 14-2 (8) lost his title to hot British prospect Josh “Pretty Boy” Kelly 7-0 (5) when he retired on his stool at the end of the seventh round after breaking both his hands in their 12-round contest at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England on Saturday night.

 

The 28-year-old from Toowoomba was making the second defence of the Commonwealth crown he won against previously undefeated London Olympian Cameron Hammond 16-1 (8) in November 2016.

 

Speaking from his motel room after the fight, a marked-up George reflected on the loss in a video for Fight Call Out.

 

“The first round I felt comfortable, I felt like I could work something out,” said George. “Second round he started to out box me, I knew I had to change something up.

 

“I knew I had to become a bit more aggressive and come forward and that’s when I did my hand. It put a bit of a dampener on it for me. I know for a fact I could go 12 rounds with him but the power wasn’t there to stop me, I could’ve handled it no worries.

 

“I thought it would’ve been a close points decision had my hands held up, but unfortunately it is what it is and we’ll see what happens from here.”

 

George had some success in the early rounds but once his right hand was gone in the third, the 24-year-old British Olympian was able to take over and use his speed and angles to outbox the Aussie for the better part of the fight.

 

“I knew I had to change something up as he was outboxing me,” said George. “I needed to [be aggressive] and come forward and I couldn’t defend with it, I couldn’t push him, I couldn’t grab him. This hand was hindering me so I stuck in there knowing I still had the left hand still and the left hook, knowing something might still catch him.

 

“By the sixth I ended up putting a little stress crack through this hand as well. When I had nothing left [to attack with] there was not much point [staying] in there just defending.”

 

It was a disappointing night at the office for George, who returns to Australia with two broken hands, no belt, a lumped-up face and a career in need of rebuilding.

 

TJ DOHENY RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES TO PREPARE FOR WORLD TITLE FIGHT IN AUGUST

 

Sydney-based Irishman and IBF mandatory contender TJ “The Power” Doheny 19-0 (14) has returned to Boston, Massachusetts to commence his training camp for his IBF super bantamweight world title shot against reigning champion Ryosuke Iwasa 25-2 (16) of Japan at the legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on August 16.

 

“Time to say goodbye again Never easy but at times like this you have to look at the bigger picture. The future is bright!” southpaw Doheny posted on his social media accounts on Sunday along with a photo of his partner and young son.

 

“Now let’s go get that strap!”

 

Doheny will fancy his chances against the 28-year-old Iwasa, a rangy southpaw who has been stopped by fellow left-handers in his two professional losses. Future WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka stopped him in 10 in 2011 while England’s Lee Haskins dropped him with a counter left cross in Bristol three years ago and battered him into submission along the ropes in the sixth.

 

“He is a huge obstacle, but if I can overcome him I’ll become that much stronger,” admitted Iwasa at a news conference in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan this week.

 

“He is a powerhouse and I expect him to pressure me. Both of my losses have been to southpaws, so that is my Achilles heel.”

 

After the loss to Haskins in a fight billed for the IBF interim bantamweight title Iwasa moved up in weight where he has won six fights on the trot including a sixth round TKO of countryman Yukinori Oguni to claim the IBF crown and a virtual shutout of Filipino Ernesto Saulong in March in his first title defence.

 

Despite his poor track record against southpaws, it’s fair to say that Iwasa will have his tail up after his recent run of form.

 

“I want to start a new legend here,” said Iwasa, who recently switched to the Kashiwa-based Celes Boxing Sports Gym.

 

BILLEL DIB GETS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT AGAINST BRUNO VIFUAVIWILI

 

With a new trainer and a new outlook on the sport former world-ranked super featherweight Billel “Babyface” Dib 21-3 (10) is looking forward to setting the record straight against Bruno Vifuaviwili 21-1-1 (5) when the two meet for the second time at Seagulls Rugby League Club in Tweed Heads, New South Wales on August 11.

 

“I wanted this rematch the second they gave him the decision,” said Dib, 29, who firmly believes he was robbed in his own backyard of a clear-cut victory when two of the three judges awarded the fight to the visiting Tanzanian by six rounds to four.

 

“I’m not one to cry over sour grapes but I honestly do not believe the decision was correct. The only way to make it right is to win this one in devastating fashion.”

Rematches seem to have fallen out of favour in modern times, with most boxers seemingly content to move on if the decision doesn’t go their way. But the desire for revenge burns brightly in Dib, who has chased down second go-rounds in the past.

 

“I had a rematch earlier in my career and destroyed him,” said Dib, referring to his twelfth pro bout when he dominated and stopped Dylan Sendeckyj in the eighth round after previously surrendering his national crown to Sendeckyj by split decision two fights earlier.

 

“I requested a rematch of my only American loss but couldn’t get it to happen. I have a winner’s mentality [and] I have Tony [Tolj] and Angelo [Hyder] and the WBA to thank for getting this fight over the line.”

 

Dib admits he wasn’t at his best in the Vifuaviwili fight but is adamant that he did enough to get the choccies on the night.

 

“The honest truth is I was shocked when they announced him as the winner. I just thought I had the fight in the bag, I thought I lost maybe two rounds maximum and that’s being generous. But during the fight I was told by my corner to keep boxing and the decision is in the bag and I felt comfortable. I hurt him a few times and I was never in any trouble at all,” said Dib, who is working with new trainer Angelo Hyder on bringing out his aggressive side.

 

“It definitely wasn’t one of my best performances or even close, I should have stopped the guy. At the end of the day I blame myself for not knocking Bruno out but with my new team, Angelo Hyder and I are working to do just that.”

 

Dib, the cousin of former IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib, believes that he has recently drifted away from the attributes that had elevated him to number five in the world with the WBO as recently as April last year. With the assistance of his new team he believes he will be able to reconnect with his strength and ring smarts that took him painfully close to a mandatory title shot.

 

The first step in doing that will be reversing the result of the first Vifuaviwili fight.

 

“We are working on specific things and plan on getting this win and moving back into the world rankings,” said Dib.

 

NATHANIEL MAY MAKING AN IMPRESSION IN L.A.

 

IBF #4 and WBO #10 ranked featherweight Nathanial “Cheeky” May 19-1 (11) has been turning heads at the Wild Card Gym in West Hollywood, California during his six week secondment to the United States.

 

The 22-year-old from Bunbury, Western Australia has made an impression on head coach Freddie Roach, who has been putting in time with the young contender to help further develop his abundant natural talent.

 

“The calibre of fighters he’s trained, it’s a blessing to be there and just to train under him,” said May to GWN7 News of the man who masterminded Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao’s rise to the top of the ultra-competitive American market.

 

“The whole trip was great. The whole training, sparring, the pad work with Freddie was insane. Not many boxers get the opportunity to do a pad session with the great Freddie.”

 

Along with numerous Mexican and American fighters around the 126-pound weight class, May has been training alongside Sydney junior welterweight Leonardo Zappavigna 37-3 (27) as he prepares for his June 30 make-or-break bout against highly-touted American contender Alex Saucedo 27-0 (17).

 

May has been quietly working his way up the world rankings. His collection of IBF regional belts has earned him the number four ranking behind Kid Galahad at number three and two vacant spots at the top of the table.

 

“A few other fighters have gotten kicked out of the rankings and I’ve slipped forward, so can’t complain with that,” laughed May, who hasn’t fought since his impressive fifth round stoppage of Aelio Mesquita on the undercard of the WBO welterweight title fight between Jeff Horn versus Gary Corcoran in Brisbane last December.

 

The Mesquita fight was his last bout under the guidance of his trainer Peter Stokes, who tragically passed away from lymphoma, a form of cancer, in early February. The universally well-liked “Stokesy” trained May since he was barely a teenager.

 

May pays tribute to his lifelong mentor every day.

 

“I’m here because of him, so that’s the way it is,” said May.

 

May will head back to West Hollywood in a few weeks’ time for another three months training at the Wild Card. He believes he is just three fights away from a world title shot with Sheffield, England’s Kid Galahad 24-0 (15) the obvious target for a world title eliminator later in the year.

 

The proud West Australian is prepared to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to make his dream a reality, even if that means leaving his beloved Bunbury.

 

“If I have to I have to, but I love Bunbury,” he said.

 

Aussie boxing news
Aussie boxing news

FORMER WORLD CHAMPION SHANNON O’CONNELL HANGS UP HER GLOVES

 

Former WIBA and WBC Silver super bantamweight champion “Shotgun” Shannon O’Connell 16-6-1 (8) has officially announced her retirement from the ring at the age of 35.

 

The popular Queenslander spoke about her career in a video posted to social media last Thursday.

 

“I didn’t want to pick and choose my opponents and have a 20-0 record against bums,” she told her followers on Facebook.

 

“Probably one of my most hated things about boxing now is padded records. There have been times when everyone around me has told me ‘don’t fight that person’. Well, I want to fight that person because you told me not to.”

 

O’Connell wasn’t afraid to fight as an opponent in her opponent’s backyard or to move up a weight class or two to take on a challenge.

 

Never was this more evident than when O’Connell stepped up two weight classes to take on recently crowned WBC super featherweight champion Diana Prazak in Melbourne in 2014. The powerful Prazak was coming off her title-winning fight against Sweden’s Frida Wallberg, who collapsed after the fight due to a brain haemorrhage and never fought again.

 

In a gutsy effort, O’Connell lifted herself from the canvas in the second round and gamely battled on until the fight was eventually stopped in the fifth.

 

“It didn’t go my way, but… I would take the fight again if I was in that position again,” O’Connell said.

 

O’Connell’s willingness to face all comers was her calling card.

 

In 2015 she travelled to Canada to face future world champion Sandy Tsagouris at featherweight; in 2013 she lost a competitive points decision to Hyun Mi Choi for the WBA featherweight title in South Korea; and in 2017 she went the 10-round distance with veteran champion Marcela Eliana Acuna for the IBF super bantamweight title.

 

In 2016 she defeated Tanwarat Saengiamjit to claim the WBC Silver super bantamweight title, successfully defending it twice that year against Kimika Miyoshi and Edina Kiss. In December of the same year she claimed the WBO Asia Pacific title by giving Laura Soledad Griffa her first loss.

 

Her record from May 2014 through to the end of 2016 was 7-1-1 (2).

 

O’Connell admitted there were some challenges outside of the ring too.

 

“I’ve dealt with some great people in my career and I’ve also dealt with some crap people,” she said.

 

The Brisbane mother-of-two admitted that the hard part of the sport often happened outside of the ring.

 

“I could have been a multiple world champion with all the big prestigious belts. It all really comes down to money. Having the right backing behind you – and I have some great people behind me – but the financial side of the fights is the hard part,” she said.

 

“You’ve got girls like Amanda Serrano, she’s got all these world titles but she hasn’t really fought all the top girls in her own weight division for those titles. I don’t believe in those types of records.

 

“I did everything the hard way, and that’s who I am, it’s how I was brought up and I don’t regret any of that. But I’m at a point now, I’m 35 years old, without the financial backing behind us, what’s the point?”

 

Working fulltime, looking after two kids and trying to live the life of a professional athlete was an ongoing challenge for O’Connell, but she doesn’t regret a moment of it.

 

“When you want something bad enough, you just do it,” she said. “And that’s what I did.”

 

O’Connell won’t be lost to the sport though. Her son Cooper is obsessed with boxing and has already had 19 amateur fights for 16 wins at just 12 years of age. Her daughter Taylor has already had three fights too.

 

“I wanted to be remembered as a warrior more than someone who picked and chose her fights. This isn’t the end of me, I’ve obviously got my own gym so I would love to be able to create some fighters with the same type of heart and work ethic I had in my career,” said O’Connell.

 

Maxboxing would like to thank O’Connell for her contribution to the sport as a fighter and look forward seeing her boxers taking out titles in the future.

 

SURE SHOTS

 

Former WBA “regular” heavyweight champion Lucas Browne 25-1 (22) will be looking to bounce back from his recent loss to leading contender Dillian Whyte when he takes on Perth’s Roger Izonritei 12-6-1 (11) in a six round bout at Club Punchbowl in Sydney on July 29. The Paul Nasari-promoted show will also feature big punching world ranked super middleweight Bilal Akkawy 17-0-1 (14) against an opponent to be named.

 

Speaking of Nasari, June 20 marks the 10 year anniversary of his first promotion. His debut card in 2008 featured Jerry Spanidis vs Ernie Gonzales Jr, Dondon Sultan vs Damien Smith and Danny Price vs Alofa Solitua, all in six round bouts, while on August 3 he will be promoting the world title fight between Billy Dib and Tevin Farmer for the vacant IBF super featherweight championship. What a difference a decade makes.

 

Australian junior middleweight champion Samuel Colomban 25-10-1 (11) was set to defend his national crown against rising prospect Tim Tszyu 9-0 (7) on the undercard of Dib vs Farmer but has unfortunately withdrawn. Stepping in to replace him will be the tough and experienced Stevie Ferdinandus 27-15-1 (14) who will be looking to lift the WBC Asia Continental title from the waist of Kostya Tszyu’s eldest son. Ferdinandus, who has a record 2-3 against Aussies, will be looking to even up that ledger.

 

Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr 14-0 (8) has been rewarded for his hard work in camp with a fight on the undercard of Pacquiao’s bout against WBA “regular” welterweight titleholder Lucas Matthysse at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 15. The outspoken Kambosos has been matched with JR Magboo 17-1-2 (8) a former super bantamweight who returned to the sport last month as a lightweight after a three-and-a-half year layoff. The undefeated Sydneysider will join Melbourne’s Terry Tzouramanis 20-3-3 (3) on the card, who will face Filipino Jayar “Hitman” Inson 16-1 (11) in a welterweight bout over eight.

 

The Big Time Boxing show on July 8 featuring the intriguing clash between former IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman 45-14-1 (19) and the in-form Tej Pratap Singh 13-4-2 (7) has been postponed until July 27. Soliman had to settle for a draw in his last bout against Perth’s IBF number 13 Wes Capper while Singh has a stoppage win over Jake Carr and a victory in the Auckland Eights elimination tournament in New Zealand to his name this year. Singh will be defending the WBA Oceania title he won against Carr in March.

 

Cruiserweight KO king Kyle “Big Bad Wolf” Webb 6-0-2 (6) needed less than a round to stop Mathew Freshney 2-5 and claim the vacant Victorian state title at the Belmont Civic Centre in Geelong on Saturday, June 9. Freshney, who was riding a two-fight win streak, was down three times on the opening frame and officially counted out at 2:39. Also on the Tony Salta-promoted show Clint Alderton 8-2-1 (6) scored a fifth round TKO of Alex Brunetta 2-4 (1) after dropping him in the second. All three judges had the fight in favour of Alderton 38-37 at the time of the stoppage.

 

 

 

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