In a rematch for the vacant Western Australia State Jr. Middleweight championship, Fano Kori scored a fifth round knockout of Joe McCoy in the main event of Dragon Fire Boxing’s Thunderdome 38 event on Friday night at Metro City nightclub in Perth, Australia. A rematch from one of the best fights of 2021 last December at Thunderdome 37, which received global attention due not only to what was an exciting bout, but also the fact that there was a rare double knockdown in the midst of a battle that saw both fighters score knockdowns of each other before the rarity occurred in what was scored a draw by the official judges. This time, the fight was fought at a more measured pace, which favored Kori who used lateral movement and a consistent jab to control the tempo of the combat. Gradually Kori’s approach visibly frustrated McCoy who became more aggressive as the bout progressed. Unfortunately for McCoy, his aggression played into Kori’s strategy as the bout increasingly became a solid Boxing performance by Kori.
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| Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing |
While
it seemed that Kori was on his way to what would be a convincing unanimous
decision in the scheduled six round bout, he had other ideas. Lat in the fifth
round Kori connected with a right hand to the head followed by a flush left
hook to the jaw that sent McCoy down for the ten count. McCoy tried to make it
to his feet, but was unable to beat the count. Official time of the stoppage
was 2:32 of round five. Fano Kori advances to 8-5-1, with 5 Knockouts. Joe
McCoy falls to 1-1-1, with 1 Knockout.
Also
on this card:
In
a bout for the vacant Australian State Cruiserweight championship, undefeated
Glen Austin out boxed veteran Nick Xipolitas over six rounds to win the championship
via unanimous decision. Glen Austin advances to 8-0, with 2 Knockouts. Nick
Xipolitas falls to 4-13-2, with 1 Knockout.
Middleweight
Jude Grant successfully made his pro debut by a first round stoppage when his
opponent Paul Gould apparently injured
his shoulder when attempting to duck underneath one of Grant’s punch and iy
appeared as though Gould's shoulder inadvertently contact with Grant’s chest.
The injury was immediately apparent and the bout was stopped due to Gould being
unable to continue. Official time of the stoppage was :54 of round one.
Light-Heavyweight
Daniel Stewart needed just 1:14 to stop Michael Te Pou. A barrage of unanswered
punches put Te Pou on the canvas in a corner. Although Te Pou tried to get up the
bout was stopped. *Records for both
fighters in this bout are unavailable as of this writing. This article will be
updated with the appropriate record information if/when made available. *
In
a Middleweight bout for the Alan Pond Cup unbeaten prospect Jordan La Ruccia
scored a four round unanimous decision over a very “Game” Habib Kheirkhah. Kheirkhah
began the fight extremely aggressive and pushed La Rucccia back
consistently. In round two, LaRuccia
found his rhythm and began to gradually out box Kheirkhah. It was late in the round that a short
overhand right dropped Kheirkhah and La Ruccia was able to secure the decision
victory. Jordan La Ruccia advances to 3-0,
with 1 Knockout. Habib Kheirkhah falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
Light-Heavyweights
Ahmed Almady and Luke Armstrong fought to an entertaining four round split decision
draw to begin their respective careers. From the opening bell tge two fighters
traded heavy hooks and the momentum continued to shift between the two in what
was a closely fought contest where neither fighter was able to stand out from
the other. Luke Armstrong advances to 0-0-1, with 0 Knockouts. Ahmed Almady advances to 0-0-1, with 0
Knockouts.
In
a clash of Middleweights making their professional debuts, Josh Izatt scored a
four round majority decision over Liam O'Connor. Izatt landed some hard hooks
in the first two rounds and was able to withstand a rally by O’Connor in rounds
three and four to earn the majority decision to start his career unbeaten. Josh Izatt advances to 1-0, with 0 Knockouts. Liam O’Connor falls to 0-1, with 0 Knockouts.
The
evening began with two exhibition bouts, in a Middleweight exhibition bout Bahityar
Sonyol scored a three round unanimous decision over Daniel Desierto. In a Super-Middleweight
exhibition bout, Ryan Daye scored a three round unanimous decision over Joshua Macpherson.
The
thirty-eighth installment of promoter Tony Tolj’s Dragon Fire Boxing’s popular
Thunderdome series continued in what has become a tradition of providing a
solid mix of well-matched bouts as well as showcasing fighters at various
stages of their respective development. While this card, much like the one that
proceeded it last December faced some struggles created in part by the ongoing
global COVID-19 epidemic, the series continues to thrive and this observer has
no doubt that another entertaining evening of Boxing featuring some of the best
up and coming talent the Australian Boxing scene has to offer will occur when
Thunderdome 39 takes place later this year.
“And
That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Photo
Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.
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