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| Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing |
Also on this card:
Former Australian youth Amateur national champion Ben Innes
made his professional debut in the Featherweight division by scoring a workmanlike
four round unanimous decision over Zainul Hasan. The main story of this fight
was Innes’ lateral movement, combination punching, and a systematic body attack
that only increased with each round. Innes would ultimately be credited with a
knockdown in the closing seconds of the fight when a combination to the body
caused Hasan to drop his mouthpiece for the fourth time in the fight, but this
time the ring ropes prevented him from going down. Ben Innes advances to 1-0,
with 0 Knockouts. Zainul Hasan falls to 1-7, with 0 Knockouts.
In a Heavyweight bout, undefeated Alick Williams survived
a knockdown in the third round to score a four round unanimous decision over a
debuting Makoni Mafi. A fight that was fought at a measured pace saw Williams
generally dictating the combat and landing the cleaner shots. In round three however,
Mafi sent him to the canvas with a short left hook to the jaw. Although
Williams did not appear hurt, in a four round bout, a knockdown can very well
lead to a victory. Any advantage Mafi had was negated in round four when he was
deducted a point for holding. Alick Williams advances to 2-0, with 0 Knockouts.
Makoni Mafi falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
Undefeated Middleweight Jordan La Ruccia scored a first
round knockout of veteran Rin Kobar. Kobar, who was a late substitute for
original opponent Liam O’Connor was dropped by a left hook to the liver that
sent him down in excruciating pain and unable to continue. Official time of the
stoppage was :46 of round one. Jordan La Ruccia advances to 4-0, with 2
Knockouts. Rin Kobar falls to 3-4, with 0 Knockouts.
Also in the Middleweight division, unbeaten Jude Grant
scored a dominant four round unanimous decision over Habib Kheirkhah. Grant,
who made his pro debut earlier this year with a first round knockout at
Thunderdome 38 back in May, appeared as though he was on his way to making it 2
for 2 as he quickly dropped Kheirkhah with a left hook to the liver that forced
Kheirkhah to take a knee. Under most circumstances, a body shot like that
normally brings an end to the fight, but to his credit, Kheirkhah was able to
beat the count and continued the fight. Grant however, continued his consistent
body attack and remained in control the rest of the way to earn the unanimous
decision victory. Jude Grant advances to 2-0, with 1 Knockout. Habib Kheirkhah falls to 0-2, with 0
Knockouts.
Women’s Jr. Middleweight Courtney Martin began her
professional career with a second round stoppage of Tianna McKee. Martin was simply
too much for McKee who took some significant punishment throughout. In round
two McKee was getting hit cleanly that the referee opted for a rare standing
eight count in professional Boxing likely to evaluate whether McKee could
continue. The referee tried to give her the benefit of doubt, but moments
later, a barrage of flush hooks to the head forced the referee to stop the
fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:30 of round two. Courtney Martin
advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Tianna McKee falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
Middleweight Ryan Daye, an ex-Cricket star successfully made his professional
debut by scoring a first round knockout of Bahtiyar Sonyol, who was
also making his pro debut. Daye connected with several hard shots during the
round and put Sonyol on his back and out with a right hook to the head. The bout
was immediately stopped midway through the count Official time of the stoppage
was 1:34 of round one. Ryan Daye advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Bahtiyar Sonyol falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
In the women’s Jr. Middleweight division between fighters
making their respective professional debuts, Sophia Davies-Morgan and Natalie Moeahu
Pehi engaged in a four round slugfest. For four rounds, both women went toe to
toe in a bout that frankly became impossible to score as they met each other
punch for punch. After four physically exhausting round Moeahu Pehi earned a
hard fought majority decision to begin her career. Natalie Moeahu Pehi advances
to 1-0, with 0 Knockouts. Sophia Davies Morgan falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
Featherweight Simon Geberat successfully made his
professional debut by scoring a four round unanimous decision over Amit Thapa.
This fight saw several heated exchanges of punches between the two fighters,
but the main difference was the lateral movement, defense, and cleaner offense
of Geberat. Geberat was credited with a knockdown of Thapa in the closing
seconds of the final round, from what initially appeared to be a slip, but in
fact Geberat did land a short punch to the head. Simon Geberat advances to 1-0,
with 0 Knockouts. Amit Thapa falls to 0-4, with 0 Knockouts.
The evening began with three exhibition bouts. First in
the Light-Heavyweight division Marcus Di Lisa scored a three round unanimous
decision over Max Criddle. Di Lisa forced the fight from the opening bell and
displayed a full arsenal to the body and head of his opponent. Criddle was able
to have moments periodically, but simply had no way to keep Di Lisa off of him.
This was followed by Welterweight Lukas Vanecek who scored a one punch first
round knockout of Zac Johnson. A straight right hand to the head sent Johnson
down hard in the closing seconds of the first round. The bout was immediately
stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round one. Finally, Jr. Middleweights Liam Clayton and
Dominic Kennedy engaged in a three round toe to toe battle. The dynamic of the
fight was Clayton coming forward with constant punches and try to suffocate Kennedy
with pressure, but Kennedy countering effectively with flush hooks and uppercuts
to the head throughout. In the end,
Clayton’s constant pressure were enough for him to earn the nod of two of the
three judges giving him a hard fought split decision victory.
In
previewing this card earlier this week, this observer stated having covered
several previous Thunderdome events that the Thunderdome series has a little
something for every Boxing fan and through its history, the series has proven
to be unpredictable and must see. Simply put, you never know what you are going
to see. Thunderdome 39 certainly did not disappoint as there was no shortage of
knockouts, competitive bouts, and a few surprises as well. Moreover, this
edition in the series shined a bright spotlight on the women competing in the
sport and it is a testament to not only the continuing evolution of Women’s
Boxing in terms of growth, but also in terms of entertainment value that three
women’s bouts were featured on this card including the main event. For Sarah
Higginson, the WBA Oceania regional championship in the Light-Flyweight
division will likely springboard her into a potential world championship fight
in the near future. Whether or not that fight headlines a future Thunderdome
event remains to be seen, but if it can be materialized, based on the action
this card produced, it may not be a bad idea for promoter Tony Tolj and Dragon
Fire Boxing to think of staging a world title fight as part of the series. If
it also continues to focus the spotlight on Women’s Boxing, all the better.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Promotional poster Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.
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