Lee Oti, weighing in at a career lightest of 69kg beat Rawiri Wiremu aka David Wiremu (66kg) with a 10th round stoppage to win the vacant New Zealand light-middleweight title on the Auckland Boxing Association's monthly pro-am tournament at their Stadium on September 28th. Wiremu, who won the NSW amateur lightweight title several years ago under the name of David Baird, promoted the show himself and must be congratulated on choosing such a dangerous opponent as Oti to contest the vacant title.
Oti, who never boxed as an amateur and started his career in the much maligned "semi-pro" fights, started slowly as he tried to take the smaller Wiremu out with one punch. In fact Wiremu, with his awkward style, won the first five rounds before the hard-punching Samoan caught up with him in the sixth round with a leaping left hook and dropped him just on the bell.
In the next stanza, Oti, having only his tenth fight ever, started using a good left jab – a skill he uses far too rarely.
In the ninth he dropped Wiremu with a short right and appeared to drop the Maori boxer again with another leaping left hook in the tenth but the referee ruled a slip. However shortly after he dropped Wiremu again with a short right, the referee. Lance Revill, took one look at the downed Wiremu, who incidentally was bleeding badly from the mouth and stooped it.
In the only other pro bout on the bill colorful Guillermo "Pantera" Mosquera (66.4kg) handed Jamie Waru (66kg) a boxing lesson for the six-round duration to win the easiest of points decision. Waru showed a ton of courage in lasting the distance with the veteran Pantera who now heads off to Rome for six months
At the same venue the night after Heartland Promotions staged a big double-header international bill featuring locally based Mohammed Azzaoui and Peter Karuiki against African fighters. Mohammed Azzaoui appears to the kind of fighter who works as hard as he needs to writes Jim Mahoney. On Friday, September 29th at the ABA Stadium he lifted his game to a higher level than I've seen him before.
Ghanaian Aloryi Moyoyo Menash, whose record shows mostly African opponents – and unknowns at that – came into the fight with a 13-win, three loss, one draw record, 8 kayo wins compared to Azzaoui's 19 fights, 17 wins, 2 draws, 6 kayo wins – again against mostly unknowns. Although the records looked comparable, in the ring Menash had no answer to Azzaoui's flash footwork and fast hands. If the Algerian-born Kiwi resident had a punch he would be dangerous. Instead he uses excellent footwork to motor out of trouble and fires potshots from the outside. sometimes dropping his hands and showboating,
By rounds nine and ten the African looked ready to give up but rallied for the last two rounds to at least put on some sort of show
Azzaoui's points win gave him both the Pan Asian Boxing Association and World Boxing Association Pan African cruiserweight titles or top of the PABA cruiserweight crown but not the NZ cruiserweight title as one paper reported
In the other title bout or the double-bill Peter Kariuki stopped 39-year-old South African Mpush Makambi in the ninth round to claim World Boxing Association Pan African and Pan Asian Boxing Association super-middleweight titles
Makambi might be getting on but he proved a rugged awkward southpaw tradesman with power in both hands,
After a bruising bout, the equally powerful but taller and longer-limbed Kariuki knocked down Makambi three times in the ninth round to cause referee Wheti Marsh to stop it.
In a good undercard heavyweight Richard Tutaki boxed well behind a left jab and was unlucky to only draw with Elisara Sii Uta over four rounds and Indian Harry Venka showed good skills in outpointing fellow light-middleweight Faleti Tavui over four rounds. Tall heavy Joey Wilson tkoed ex-kickboxer Ben Matautia in three rounds and in yet another heavy set-to Paul Schwalger and Richard Mason drew over four rounds. Record compilers please note the names of the undercard fighters are correct and not as reported on the internet. In fact don't take too mach notice of any other NZ internet results outside this site
This year's NZ amateur boxing championships were held at Rotorua and saw at 140 nominations the biggest number of entries for many years. Outstanding boxer of the champs was 19-year-old Canterbury middleweight Nathan McEwen He took back home to Christchurch three belts: the Jamieson for the most scientific boxer, the Cleverly for his division and the Bill O’Connor for being the youngest senior winner.
