The Oz Report: Carl Frampton victory increases Luke Jackson's chance of title shot, David Toussaint gunning for world ranking, DDP Sports announces the FUTR of boxing, Lucas Browne promises to get serious, Bill Dib impressed by Gervonta Davis
By Anthony Cocks
Undefeated Hobart featherweight Luke “Action” Jackson 15-0 (6) saw his chances of a world title shot receive a boost on the weekend when Belfast’s Carl “The Jackal” Frampton 25-1 (14) claimed the interim WBO featherweight title against former four-division champion Nonito Donaire 38-5 (24) on Saturday night.
WBO number four Frampton, 31, out-boxed the 35-year-old Filipino-American to win by scores of 117-111 from all three judges at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Going in to the fight Donaire was ranked number eight by the WBO, just one spot above Jackson.
The interim title became available after fully-fledged WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez 24-0 (19) was sidelined indefinitely with a broken jaw sustained in his winning effort against Scott Quigg 34-2-2 (25) at the StubHub Center in Carson, California last month. It was the 27-year-old Mexican world champion’s fourth title defence.
WBO number nine ranked Jackson has been chasing a shot at Valdez for the past year, but his broken jaw may well prove to be a blessing in disguise for the 33-year-old Tasmanian.
“I’m confident we can get the fight with Frampton for Luke Jackson,” said Adam Wilcock, who promotes Jackson through his company FightCard Promotions.
“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.”
Frampton put on a strong performance against Donaire winning nine of the twelve rounds contested, but it wasn’t all one-way traffic. Donaire was able to nail the hometown hero with some hard shots that hurt the hometown hero at times, including with his vaunted left hook in the eleventh round.
Wilcock was impressed by what he saw from the Belfast boxer, but says that Jackson’s extensive amateur experience would hold him in good stead against anything Frampton might throw at him.
“Frampton is truly world class, with probably only two question mark performances on his whole career,” he said.
“But we are talking about world champions, there’s no easy fights. That said, Luke has fought at the top of the sport and fought around the world, so there’s no apprehension in taking any fight for him.”
In the wake of his win over Donaire, Frampton and his promoter Frank Warren have flagged the idea of a northern summer return at Northern Ireland’s national stadium Windsor Park. The venue is the least of Jackson’s worries, according to Wilcock.
“We’ll travel anywhere, England or Northern Ireland, it really doesn’t matter once the bell rings,” he said. “Luke is experienced in travelling throughout his career, so that’s no issue. The US is also a possible home for this fight, as is Tasmania.”
If it were a choice between Frampton and Valdez for their next fight Wilcock says it would virtually be a coin toss decision.
“I know from speaking to Luke that he’s happy with either,” he said. “Personally, I’d prefer Frampton, but there’s a hair’s width between them. Both are truly at the top of the division, both very skilled, but both have flaws.”
But all the world title talk will be for naught though if Jackson fails to successfully defend his WBO Oriental title against Javier Herrera 15-1 (8) at the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, Tasmania this Friday night.
CANBERRA MIDDLEWEIGHT DAVID TOUSSAINT FACES TOUGH ASSIGNMENT AGAINST KIWI VETERAN GUNNAR JACKSON
Unbeaten Australian middleweight champion “Diamond” David Toussaint 12-0 (8) will be back in action for the first time in eight months when he takes on 41-fight veteran Gunnar Jackson of New Zealand in a 10-round bout at the Hellenic Club in Woden, ACT on May 4.
The sharp-shooting Canberra southpaw, who has only been past the sixth round once, is expecting the 31-year-old veteran to try to exploit his lack of late round experience.
“I think he will try and take me into deep water and take over in the later rounds, but we’ll see,” Toussaint told Maxboxing on Sunday. “He’s pretty good both defensively and offensively so I’m expecting a good hard fight.”
Jackson, who hails from Tauranga on the north island, has been the distance in each of his losses, including to Anthony Mundine and current WBA “regular” champion Ryota Murata of Japan who has stopped 73% of his opponents. The fight with Toussaint will be just the fourth time the former PABA light heavyweight and WBO Oriental middleweight champion has ventured across the ditch for a professional fight and he will be looking to even up his ledger that currently sits at 1-2.
Meanwhile if Toussaint can stop Jackson it will be a real feather in his cap.
“I never go looking for a KO but that would be awesome,” admitted Toussaint. “He’s been in with some quality guys and gone the distance and he’s no slouch so I’m not expecting one. I’ll stick to my game plan and if I see an opportunity for an early night I’ll jump on it.
“Not a single guy has gone the distance with me in Canberra since my pro debut and I’ve been working hard to keep that run going! I love fighting at home, the crowd goes wild and gives me an extra push.”
Toussaint fought twice last year, edging out Shane Mosley Jr by split decision on the undercard of the WBO welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn in Brisbane last July before claiming the national middleweight crown against Liam Hutchinson in September back at the Hellenic Club in Woden in a fight that went to the scorecards after five-and-a-half rounds due to an accidental clash of heads.
While Jackson 27-10-4 (12) is more of a distance fighter he can also be dangerous early with all but one of his stoppages coming in the first five rounds. It’s another good step in his career path for Toussaint who sees himself world-ranked by the end of the year.
“I had a goal to reach the top 15 in the world with at least one of the top four organisations (WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA) and I’ve been told if I win the next fight, it should give me a top 15 ranking in the WBO, so I’ll be stoked if that happens,” said the 26-year-old who is trained by Garry Hamilton at the Stockade Training Center in Canberra.
“I’d like to defend my Australian title at some stage also, but priority one is Gunnar Jackson on May 4 and we’ll see what happens afterwards.”
DDP SPORTS BRINGING YOU THE FUTR, NOW
Hot on the heels of their highly successful “Evolution” card in Brisbane this month fledgling promotional outfit DDP Sports have announced a brand new platform call FUTR that will help build the next generation of pro boxing talent into household names.
“FUTR is a platform specifically designed to develop young talent by giving them ring-time and acting as a feeder program for our bigger shows,” said Paul Keegan, managing director of DDP Sports.
“Professional boxing has never had a development program to assist boxers get started in the pro game. We believe that by helping young boxers stay busy we can assist them with building their brand, establishing a fanbase, and helping them navigate some of the trickier aspects of the sport.”
The first FUTR show will take place on June 29 in Brisbane at a venue to be announced and will feature amateur standout Joe Goodall 1-0 (1) in his second pro bout alongside his Stretton Boxing Club teammate Nathan Webber 5-0 (2). The full card will be announced in the coming weeks and is expected to be broadcast live on EPICENTRE.tv.
“The FUTR shows are for guys who are not in the top 15 in the world, so either the next generation or guys making comebacks from injuries or inactivity,” said Keegan, who also promotes WBO number two ranked junior middleweight Dennis Hogan.
The focus of the shows will be building boxer’s careers, from state titles to national titles and eventually regional titles.
“The main goal for these shows is for the fighters to be active and build a following as they progress through their career,” said Keegan.
“The best way to determine your future is to create your future. We feel now every young boxer in the country has a vehicle to one day become the best in the world.”
Earlier this month DDP Sports promoted their second pro boxing show headlined by Dennis Hogan versus WBO number three Jimmy Kilrain Kelly and supported by one of the best undercards seen in Australia in years, including the classic boxer versus puncher battle between Damien “Super” Hooper and Renold Quinlan at light heavyweight. The show drew a live audience of almost 1,900 people and was watched online by an estimated 300,000 viewers.
The stated objective of DDP Sports is to return boxing to a leading position in the crowded Australian sports market.
“The only way we can achieve our goal of returning boxing to a tier one sport in this country is by investing in the sport at grass roots,” said Keegan.
“FUTR is about building talent and investing in the Jeff Horns of tomorrow. We have a country full of Jeff Horns just waiting for the exposure and opportunity. FUTR will provide that.”
BIG DADDY BROWNE SAYS NO MORE F#@CKING AROUND
Former WBA “regular” heavyweight champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne 25-1 (22) learned a lesson the hard way last month when he was starched by Dillian Whyte 23-1 (17) in sixth rounds in a high profile bout in front of thousands of fans watching live at London’s O2 Arena and millions more watching on screens around the globe.
The 6-foot-5 former bouncer, who turned 39 years old a fortnight ago, has had a month of soul-searching to decide what his future holds. Earlier this week Browne, who lives in Perth but holds his training camps in Sydney, took to social media to reveal his plans for the future.
“Today is the first day of the new journey for me,” said Browne, who also revealed he currently weighs 124kg (273-pounds). “The journey of not fucking around while I’m here in Perth. Normally I just do my thing over here in Perth and head over to Sydney for training camp and actually get serious then, but this is serious fulltime and unfortunately my last fight showed that I wasn’t doing it fulltime and taking it seriously.
“This is me, day one, taking it completely and utterly seriously. Coming in to the next fight and fights thereafter in the best shape I can be, in the best condition I can be, and actually taking it seriously.”
It would come as no surprise to anyone who saw the Whyte fight that Browne had taken his preparation less than seriously.
At 264-pounds Browne looked flabby and slow. He followed the Brixton “Body Snatcher” around the ring, eating shot after shot with little to no regard for defence. Whyte out-boxed him, beat him up and when the knockout came, it was almost merciful. It was a subpar performance from Browne by any standard.
Browne has made the call that he’s going to take it seriously from here on out. We can only take him at his word and hope he’s telling the truth. He owes it to himself, his team and his fans.
Because if he can’t improve on his last performance, then it’s well and truly time to hang up the gloves.
BILLY DIB IMPRESSED BY TANK DAVIS, CAN SEE A FIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE
Super featherweight veteran Billy “The Kid” Dib 43-4 (24) says he is keen to face WBA “super” champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis 20-0 (19) in a unification bout once he has won the vacant IBF 130-pound strap against former world title challenger Tevin Farmer 25-4-1 (5).
American southpaw Farmer, 27, lost a close split decision to Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa in Las Vegas last December but the result was changed to a no contest and Ogawa was stripped of the title after testing positive to the banned substance androstanediol.
With the IBF’s number one and two positions vacant in their super featherweight rankings negotiations are currently underway to bring IBF #3 Dib and IBF #4 Farmer together to battle it out for the New Jersey-based sanctioning body’s vacant title.
“Dib vs Davis for the IBF Crown, if God wills and I am once again crowned champion [I] will happily face Gervonta in a unification bout,” Dib wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “Davis looked sensational tonight, it is my dream to be involved in a major unification bout. #Destiny Awaits”
Southpaw Davis, 23, steamrolled WBA number one ranked super featherweight contender Jesus Andres Cuellar 28-3 (21) of Argentina on Saturday night, knocking him down three times at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York to claim the vacant WBA world title at 2:45 of the third.
The 32-year-old Dib has found a new lease on his career since changing trainers to work under the watchful eye of triple-world champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Fenech.
SURE SHOTS
Junior middleweight Tommy “The Titan” Browne 37-7-2 (14) made short work out of Carlos Garcia Hernandez 15-18-1 (12) stopping him in the first round of a scheduled eight round bout on a Roy Jones Jr promotion at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada last Friday night. The 35-year-old from Campbelltown in Sydney’s south-west had Hernandez on the canvas twice in the opening round before referee Robert Byrd decided he had seen enough, ending the contest at 1:04 of the first round. It was Browne’s second fight in a row in the United States after scoring a six round decision win over Cesar Soriano Berumen 28-37-2 (17) in Miami, Florida in March.
Jayden “Plugger” Nichols 6-0-1 (1) will now be competing for the vacant Australian cruiserweight title against Uria Afamasaga 2-1 (2) at Hobart’s Wrest Point Casino this Friday night on the undercard of Luke Jackson versus Javier Herrera. Nichols isn’t the biggest cruiserweight going around, but he moves around the ring well, has a good skillset and isn’t afraid to mix it up with bigger opponents when required. Afamasaga’s only loss was a second round stoppage to hot prospect Jai Opetaia in 2016. This could end up being the fight of the night.
Melbourne junior middleweight Joel “CamaKO” Camilleri 14-4-1 (7) has been making the most of his Las Vegas-based training camp ahead of his June 1 return to the ring, sparring everyone from welterweight to light heavyweight at the Mayweather Boxing Club. Amongst his sparring partners over the past couple of weeks have been undefeated welterweight fringe contender “Merciless” Jose Benavidez Jr 26-0 (17), former 154-pound titleholder Ishe Smith 29-9 (12), middleweight Andrew Hernandez 19-8-1 (9) and light heavyweight Lanell “KO” Bellows 17-2-1 (10). And if you’re worried that CamaKO has skipped straight from 160 to 175-pounds, rest assured he’s got sparring lined up with world ranked super middleweight J’Leon Love 23-1-1 (13) later this week.
As reported in this column six weeks ago human highlight reel Leonardo Zappavigna 37-3 (27) will be taking on WBA #2 and WBO #3 Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo 27-0 (17) on the undercard of the WBO welterweight title defense of Jeff Horn against Terence Crawford. Originally scheduled to take place on the April 14 card, the Zappavigna-Saucedo 10-round 140-pound fight has been moved to the rescheduled June 9 date for Horn-Crawford at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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