New Zealand heavyweight boxing champion Shane Cameron’s vulnerability to facial cuts was exploited dramatically by Nigerian-born, Las Vegas based Friday Ahunanya at Auckland’s Sky City Casino on November 2nd.
The powerful Ahunanya led with a left hook in the third round that opened a gash near Shane’s right eye. He then opened the other side of Cameron’s face in a later round.
Slightly ahead on points going into the 12th and final round, Cameron only needed to last forty seconds to retain his three belts, but barely able to see he was stunned by a combination, staggered into the ropes and went down. Showing plenty of courage he climbed up but was dropped by a perfect uppercut. Referee Ferdie Marsh could plainly see that Cameron had no chance of regaining his feet and ended it immediately.
While Cameron’s handlers escorted him to his corner Ahunanya looked ready to go another 12 rounds. Any more talk about Shane fighting New Zealand’s leading heavyweight, David Tua, should be shelved.
Weights were: Friday Ahunanya (104kg), Shane Cameron (102kg).
WBA world women’s super-lightweight champion, Layla McCarter, stepped up to welterweight to fight NZ champion, Daniella Smith, and won handily over six rounds. Smith announced her retirement after the contest.
Seiaute Mailata (95.6kg) although losing, staged an exciting toe-to-to clash against expatriate U.S.A. boxer Ed Mahone (106kg), who acted as Shane Cameron’s main sparring partner.
Promising Steve Heremaia (67kg) beat David Wiremu (67kg) over six rounds in a fight that had plenty of needle. And former NZ Olympian, Soulan Pownceby (80.7kg), won his second pro fight with a four round points victory over ex-Pakistan amateur champ, Rasef Mumtaz (79.4kg).
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The best fight of the night at the Micky B. pro-am promotion at the Auckland Boxing Association stadium on October 27th was an exhibition between two amateur light heavyweights, Joseph Parker (Papatoetoe) and Troy Muiwai (Manurewa). Despite referee Paul McSharry twice stopping the action and telling the boys to “cool it”, both continued fighting as if their lives depended upon it. That’s the trouble with a lot of exhibitions, they start out with the best of intentions but someone takes a knock and it is all on. In my opinion they should be barred.
In the main event NZ middleweight champion Daniel McKinnon weighing in at his heaviest yet, 78kg, outpointed Niusila Seuli (77.9kg) over 6 rounds. McKinnon used the ring well, landing frequently, but despite his reputation as a puncher, failed to faze Seuli who kept coming at him in a straight line. While Niusila landed little artillery of his own, he was never rocked, wobbled or buckled, even for a second.
In the main support Fale Sioala Sevelio (76.3kg) took on Vai Aki (73kg) over 6 rounds. Although both boxers are from Samoa, it soon became apparent there was no love lost between the pair. Both rocked each other with hard hooks in the second round. The bout was even until Aki won the last by a big magin and took the decision.
A leading executive in the Tribesman Motorcycle Club, Jay Hepi (127.3kg), fought Junior Pati (108.1kg) in a relatively quiet prelim. Quiet that is until the third round, when a wild slugfest erupted in the neutral corner. Pati landed a big swinging left followed by an equally swinging right, dropping Hepi, then repeated the dose on his prone opponent. While Pati was admonished by the referee Lance Revill, Hepi’s head cleared and he came back to the fourth and final round in decisive fashion and win the fight.
Six amateur bouts and two corporate fights made up the bill.
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A big crowd turned up at the Riverhead Tavern (just north of Auckland) to watch a pro-am tournament held on a Sunday afternoon (October 21st).
In the main event, two metre tall Joey Wilson (116.5kg) had a real fight on his hands when he clashed with Ben Minista (110.8kg) for the third time. The shorter Minista took the fight to Wilson scoring with left and rights to the body. But Wilson withstood the barrage and counter-attacked, using his left hand to devastating effect. Referee, Lance Revill, waved off their bout, scheduled for six rounds, in the fifth.
Aaron Barlett (84.6kg) dropped co-promoter Matt O’Dea (82.9kg) in the second round, much to everybody’s surprise. The knockdown served as a wake-up call to O’Dea, who came back hard in the third round to knock Bartlett through the ropes, unable to continue.
In the other pro fight Mike Lloyd (96.2kg) lost on points but acquitted himself well against Mike Namana (101.4kg) over four rounds.
