Women’s Boxing Shines Bright At Thunderdome 39

 

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing

In a battle for the vacant WBA Women’s Oceania Light-Flyweight championship, Sarah Higginson outworked Charimae Salvador over six rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory in the main event of Dragon Fire Boxing’s Thunderdome 39 card on Friday night at Metro City Nightclub in Northbridge, Australia. A fight that was fought at an extremely high pace from the opening bell and saw several heated exchanges of punches, it was Higginson’s greater work rate that was ultimately the difference in a very competitive contest. Sarah Higginson advances to 4-2-1, with 1 Knockout. Charimae Salvador falls to 5-5, with 2 Knockouts. 

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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The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

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Women’s WBA Oceania Championship Fight Headlines Thunderdome 39

 

One of the hottest Boxing series on the Australian Boxing scene makes its return on Friday, September 2nd at Metro City Nightclub in Northbridge, Australia as promoter Tony Tolj’s Dragon Fire Boxing presents Thunderdome 39. The Thunderdome series has traditionally provided a look at some of the up and coming young Boxing talent that Australia has had to offer and as the series has continued to grow through consistently entertaining events has been able to garner international attention. The thirty-ninth installment of the Thunderdome series, which can be seen on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE figures to be no exception. 

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing

 

The thirteen-bout card features a mix of rising prospects and fighters who will be beginning their professional careers. In the main event, the vacant WBA Oceania Light-Flyweight championship will be on the line as Sarah Higginson faces Charimae Salvador in a scheduled eight round bout. For those who are unfamiliar with the Australian/Pan-Pacific region in the sport, an Oceania championship is similar to what we in the United States see in regard to the North American Boxing Federation, (NABF), and the United States Boxing Association (USBA) who each have affiliations with the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) respectively. Similarly to those regional organizations, the Oceania affiliation with the WBA in essence allows holders of Oceania championships both women and men to be rated higher in the world rankings than those fighters who do not hold regional titles.  

 

In regard to Women’s Boxing, a segment of the sport that has in the last decade enjoyed unprecedented growth and consistent television exposure, the sport for women is still very much growing and as such for women competing for a regional title such as the Oceania title that has different versions throughout Boxing’s respective world sanctioning organizations, a victory to win a title like this could springboard that winner into a world championship fight much quicker than their male counterparts. For Sarah Higginson, this particular fight represents another opportunity to get back in line to possibly challenge for a world championship. 

 

Higginson is coming off of a stoppage loss in her last fight June at the hands of Shannon O’Connell. A fight where Higginson moved up three weight classes to the 118lb. Bantamweight division to face O’Connell and was simply overmatched, but the fact that Higginson found herself with such an opportunity, despite being stopped in that fight, does underscore the fact that Women’s Boxing is still growing and that there are at times depending on a fighter’s weight class where the opportunity to secure opponents can be sporadic or even scarce, which results in scenarios where fighters at times are presented with the option to move up and down the weight scale depending on the opportunity that may be available to them. While no one can discredit what O’Connell was able to do in that fight, sometimes circumstances such as they were going into that fight do play a factor, even though it is certainly not the fault of either fighter involved and more of a consequence of a segment of the sport that is still growing. Prior to facing O’Connell, Higginson suffered a controversial five round decision loss to Taylah Robertson, also in June of this year, a fight where many felt that she deserved the decision. 

 

Although it is not uncommon again when one considers that Women’s Boxing is still growing, to see a fighter competing so frequently, it will be interesting to see if Higginson now a few months removed from those setbacks will be able to get back in the win column. In Charimae Salvador, Higginson will face a veteran of nine professional fights, a slightly more experienced opponent than herself with six pro bouts, and who is coming off of a stoppage win in her last fight in April of this year of Marichu Semillano.  

 

While not necessarily as much a factor as one might think it could be given that this fight does take place a few months removed from Higginson’s two bouts in June, as is the case with men competing in the sport, it will be interesting to see how the move back down in weight to the 108lb. Light-Flyweight division affects her. Although it is not uncommon for women to move up and down in weight, more frequently as compared to their male counterparts, the move up and back down could have an effect whether positively or negatively, so that is something to keep an eye on in this fight. 

 

Also seeing action on Thunderdome 39, undefeated Middleweight prospect Jordan La Ruccia  will compete in his fourth professional fight against Liam O’Connor, who will be looking for his first professional victory in his second pro bout. La Ruccia last saw action in May at Thunderdome 38 when he scored a six round unanimous decision over Habib Kheirkhah in May of this year. La Ruccia now looks to follow that victory, which was the second time he went a four round distance in his career thus far in this fight against O’Connor. Should La Ruccia be victorious against O’Connor, there is a possibility that he could face fellow undefeated prospect Nikita Tszyu, the son of former Jr. Welterweight world champion and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu in the near future. 

 

Two fighters featured on the card will also be making their respective professional debuts. First, twenty-two year old ex-Cricket player Ryan Daye a former league leading batsman, will square off against Bahtiyar Sonyol. who will also be making his pro debut in a four round Middleweight bout. Finally, former Australian Club Amateur champion and former youth and national Amateur champion, Ben Innes will be making his professional debut in the Featherweight division. The twenty-one year old Innes will face seven fight veteran Zainuel Hasan in a scheduled four round bout. 

 

As we saw last December at Thunderdome 37 in the first of what became two bouts between Jr. Middleweights Fano Kori and Joe McCoy, where a rare double knockdown took place over the course of a fight that was ultimately judged a draw, you never know what you are going to see at a Thunderdome event. In the main event of Thunderdome 38 back in May, Kori stopped Joe McCoy in what was an anticipated rematch that generated international attention based largely on the excitement of the first fight. Now the stage is set for Thunderdome 39 for what could be another memorable evening at Metro City. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

Thunderdome 39 takes place on Friday, September 2nd at Metro City Nightclub in Northbridge, Australia. The card can be seen globally on digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE beginning at 7AM ET/4AM PT (U.S. Time) for $16.99. *U.S. Pricing only, pricing and pay-per-view access may vary on country and region. * 

 

FITE is available on mobile, tablet, as well as connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information about FITE including schedules and on and how to download the FITE app please visit: www.FITE.TV. To order Thunderdome 39 go on the FITE app or Click Here.  

 

Photo Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission. 

 

For more information about Dragon Fire Boxing please visit Dragon Fire Boxing’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DragonFireBoxing.  

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison