Tall US heavyweight Kevin "Big Dog" Montiy copped plenty in his bout with NZ heavy champion, Shane Cameron, on Saturday, June 2nd reports Mahoney.
The result at Wellington's TSB Stadium was good news for Cameron's comeback and Montiy's failure to throw enough bombs to even look like opening up his cut-prone rival was even better.
But while Cameron's head movement, range-keeping, footwork and speed looked back to his best, Montiy's apparent unwillingness to chance his arm made it a poor spectacle. Montiy's much ballyhooed left jab materialized as a pawing range-finder with little behind it.
Cameron, fighting well within himself in the early rounds, started loading up in the fourth and after hitting his Yank opponent with a trademark left rip to the body in the fifth, he unleashed a series of head shots which eventually drove Montiy back to, and nearly over, the ropes. At that point ref Ferdie Marsh stopped the fight. The American and his corner accepted the referee's stoppage without protest.
In the best fight of the night, female welterweights Daniela Smith and Nive Moefaauo slugged it out for six rounds. Smith has a good variety of punches, times them well, and when the going gets tough she's not afraid to climb into the phone booth and trade.
Against Moefaaulo she put on her usual gutsy display. Smith has considered retiring several times in the past five years but hopefully we haven't seen the last of her in the ring.
Another good bout saw Moyoyo Mensah outpoint tough Jamie Guy over six rounds at cruiser. President of the Auckland Boxing Association, Tui Gallagher, would be keen to match Guy against recently crowned NZ cruiserweight champion, Soulan Pownceby.
Other results saw Harry Venka outpoint Jamie Waru over six at middleweight and former NZ amateur heavyweight champion, Isikeli Maama Oscar Talemaira also over six.
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On the same night at the Alan Brewster Centre, Papatoetoe, South Auckland, Maselino Masoe stopped Paz Viejo for the NZNBF supermiddleweight title. While former WBA middleweight Masoe definitely deserved to be in one corner, Paz's eight win-28 loss credentials were questionable.
Aussie-born Viejo is a throwback to the Australian boxers based in New Zealand in the sixties. Boxers like Charlie Beaton, Bobby Baglin and Merv Stewart would fight anybody, regardless of weight difference, reputation, ability or location.
Paz was unable to pull many of his normal crowd-pleasing antics as the Polynesian boxer stalked and pressured him from the outset. Masoe finally caught up with Viejo in the seventh and sent him to the deck with a short right hand.
Cheered by rugby union All Black brother Chris and the big crowd, Masoe charged in again straight after ref Gary McCrystal finished his count and waved the fighters back together, just as Viejo's corner threw in the towel, much to Paz's disgust. He kicked it away but referee McCrystal had already stopped it.
In the main support Soulan Pownceby won the NZNBF cruiserweight with a unanimous points over Wilhem (formerly Moroni) Schwalger.
Pownceby impressed with his boxing ability and hand speed but didn't have the firepower to dispatch the outgunned Schwalger.
Pownceby showed there's nothing wrong with his chin when he copped to big rights in the fourth round.
The ref could probably have stopped the bout anytime after the seventh, when it turned into one-way traffic, with Schwalger coping twenty punches unanswered at one stage.
In an earlier prelim former world-ranked Guillermo “Pantera” Mosquera put on his whole show of feints, shuffles, fancy footwork and rope-a-dopes.
The six-rounder was supposed to be at welterweight but Ionatana Puna came in at light-middleweight Puna who landed few punches, was on the end of a controversial knockdown. Many in the crowd thought it was a push.
Pantera tired in the last two rounds but it was too late for Puna, who was on the receiving end of unanimous points loss. In the other prelim Oscar Siale knocked Ioane Taulamago, out 2m 55s into the first round. Cruiserweights.
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Former Olympic and Commonwealth Games representative, Bob Gasio, who admits to being 42-years-old, won the South Pacific Cruiserweight title from Fijian, Sakeasi Dakua, on Tuesday May 12 at the Otara Recreation Centre, South Auckland. Gasio (89.2) defeated Dakua (85.7) on a sixth round knockout. Dakua has wins over two NZ champions, Sean Sullivan and Lee Oti, and has been in with the best Aussies, including Glen Kelly and Sam Soliman, losing to both by KO.
Gasio headlined a well-organised tournament, watched by a well-behaved capacity crowd. In a six-round heavyweight bout Daniel Tai stopped tough Samoan, Seiaute Mailata, in the fifth round when the ringside doctor halted proceedings because of a completely closed eye.
Big Joey Wilson unanimously out-pointed Moyoyo Menash, recently arrived from Ghana, in a four round heavyweight mill, while former world title challenger Mohammed Azzaoui did likewise to former NZ heavyweight title claimant, Amosa Zinck.
Promising cruiserweight Oscar Siale dispatched Robbie Adams in two rounds. Adams fought in Australia as Robbie Ngawaka. In the best fight of the night supermiddleweights Sosaia Vaka and Fale Siaoloa traded punches for four rounds which saw Vaka walk away with the decision.
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The poorest crowd ever attended an ABA promotion (only 200, of which 132 paid) were on hand at their stadium on Thursday, May 29, to witness three hard-fought amateur bouts, two all-action pro slugfests and a sensational knockout.
The cruiserweight four-rounder between southpaw Rhys King and Moses Iouelu looked to be all over after only one minute of the first when King dropped Moses with a straight left hander. However the Samoan-born fighter got to his feet and fought back hard till rounds end. He returned the favour in round four, clubbing King to the canvas with a big left hook. King held on to the bell and took a unanimous decision.
Toa Naketoatama, having his first fight since 2005, attacked the tall man from Ghana, Moyoyo Menash, like he was trying to clear the bar at Markillies and Moyoyo went with him. Menash found his range in the following rounds and won them clearly enough. But in the fourth and final stanza a swinging left hook from Toa dumped him on the canvas Moyoyo stalled his way to the final bell and took a majority decision.
In the final bout, newcomer to the pro ranks, light-middleweight Ray Musson made short work of Kapele Tuala, from Tonga. A clean shot with a left hook from Ray saw him floor Tuala 1m 23s into the first round. When the Tongan regained his feet at eight, Musson ran over and fired a volley of two handed shots at his opponent culminating in a left hook to the temple dropping Kapele by the ropes. As he went down Tuala twisted his back and was in obvious pain. The referee immediately waved it off and the Tongan was carried out of the ring and later stretchered to hospital. Glad to say he was released the next day with a clean bill of health.
