Australian Boxing/SM Memorial thread

Top bloke.
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/rip-referee-bruce-donald-mctavish.739247/

 

Zerafa will box his ears off; the Butcher only has a punchers chance at this stage.

 

Joe Parker v Fabio Wardley is in the works I hear.

 

Good fight I favor Parker he has the experience and the chin to get the job done.

 

Yes RIP Bruce McTavish. Refereed one of the first cards I went to, Bugner v Bonecrusher Smith. If you go through his record he refereed a lot of great fighters. Fenech, as mentioned, Wongjongkam, Pacquiao, Hozumi Hasegawa, Nonito Donaire and fittingly David Tua v Shane Cameron.

 

Parker is of course the mandatory to Usyk's IBF belt.

Wardley isn't rated by the IBF but interestingly, he has just been dropped from the WBA rankings. Perhaps signaling that he is about to be very conveniently rated by the IBF?

 

Hello lads & lasses – Sandman here bringing you a preview of what the mainstream sports media in this country AREN’T CAPABLE OF PROVIDING – a realistic assessment of our chances at the amateur World Boxing Championships that commence in the UK early Friday morning our time & run from 4 to 14 September (their time). As previously foreshadowed, I think it’s going to be a history making event for Australian boxing. We’ve never won a gold medal in senior competition at this level, but I think we will during this tournament. Having studied the form, ignored the draw (which hasn't taken place yet) & considered the talent of Australian amateur boxing’s best & brightest, I’ve concluded that we have three (that’s right, count them) THREE genuine chances for gold medals.

Our FIRST BIG CHANCE is in the men’s Middleweight division with Callum Peters. He’s only contested one international tournament this year but that’s not necessarily a bad thing b/c he does get hit quite a bit & some of those fights can be very intense. He won the tournament in the Dominican Republic & it was in front of a raucous home crowd. He was very unlucky at the last IBA World Championships where he ‘lost’ a split decision in the quarter finals against a Brazilian. He was equally unlucky at the Olympics where he lost a 3:2 split decision to the reigning world champ fighting up at Light Heavy. Back at his natural weight, he should be able to collect a medal this time around instead of a hard luck story. Gold would be nice.

I reckon our second-best chance of a medal in the men’s is a young bloke who medaled at the Junior World Boxing Championships last year & has made his way onto the senior team less than 12 months later. 18-year-old Lightweight Jacob Cassar looks to be a future star of the amateur team. Fast hands & a high skill level should deliver plenty of bling at international level over the next few years. The real question is whether he’s far enough along to deliver bling this year. I think he is. He’s fought in six different countries so far this year & usually managed a win or two along the way. I think he’s got some momentum with him going into this tournament & could be set to deliver something special. Whatever the result, we will see him improve on it in big tournaments over the course of the Olympics cycle (of which this is year one).

Best of the rest of the men is our 20-year-old Bantamweight rep, Jye Dixon. He had to beat one of last year’s Olympians to make this team along with probably the third or fourth best amateur bloke in the country who he also beat (albeit narrowly). Because of that talent pool, this is really a division we should be mining precious metals from. I’ve seen quite a few of Jye’s international fights & he’s never been done any favours. Not only in close fights, but in not so close ones. Would just like to see this kid get a fair go in this tournament & let’s see what he can do. Asking for a ‘fair go’ in amateur boxing is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt but we can hope.

Our SECOND BIG CHANCE of a gold medal is in the Women’s Light Middleweight division. Lekeisha Pergoliti is currently the best women’s amateur in the country & is a great chance of GOING ALL THE WAY at the World Boxing Championships. Prior to this year, she fought a who’s who of the Women’s Middleweight division. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger b/c this year she’s dropped down a weight division & has beaten the brakes off almost everyone she’s faced. She made the final of both World Cup tournaments this year, with the World Cup events being of a higher standard than the regional tournaments that occupy the rest of the amateur boxing calendar. So she’s coming into this tournament with form on the board & I think that will hold her in very good stead in terms of potentially winning a medal. Is a genuine gold medal chance, imo.

Our THIRD & FINAL BIG CHANCE of a gold medal is in the Women’s Light Heavyweight division. Eseta Flint was originally only a provisional selection for the World Boxing Championships but she went to the World Cup event in Kazakhstan & PUT A WHOOPIN’ on everyone she faced. She then travelled to the opposite side of the world & whooped a bunch of South Americans a week later. Seriously, I don’t see anyone getting near her in this tournament. TOO BIG, TOO STRONG, TOO GOOD sums it up. GOLD MEDAL INCOMING!

Other medal chances in the women’s include a medal winner from the last world championships, Emma-Sue Greentree, & Flyweight rep, Monique Suraci. Both have plenty of high-level international experience but haven’t got the form on the board this year in the way that our other two women have. They’re certainly capable of putting together some big performances but in predicting medals for people at big tournaments, the Sandman likes to see recent form on the board.

Best of luck to all our young people & looking forward to seeing some of them BRING HOME THE BLING! That’s what it’s all about really. Delivering honour, glory & most important of all BLING for your country.

If we benchmark this team against our performance at the last IBA World Championships, we collected three medals in the women’s tournament & no medals in the men’s. Callum Peters was a hard luck story. At the Olympics last year, we collected one medal in the men’s & one in the women’s. Callum Peters & Teremoana were hard luck stories having regard to the draw, scoring & in 50 Caliber’s case, the way the fight was refereed. We’re sending the same number of competitors to this tournament as we did to the Olympics (six men, six women).

In terms of expectation management, it’s worth bearing in mind that only three of the twelve fighters we sent to the Olympics managed to win fights there (officially). Let’s see if this team can improve on that showing. Then we’ll go after the bling.

 

Excited to hear an interview with Mick Francis from Tasman Fighters saying they were looking at doing two, possibly three shows before the end of the year.

He said that also approached No Limit about doing a 5 x 5 show, but No Limit declined the offer.

 

Opetaia-Cinkara set to go after a deal is reached.

Matchroom have confirmed that a deal has been reached and purse bids canceled for a fight between IBF champion Jai Opetaia and #1 contender Huseyin Cinkara. The date and location of the fight to be announced shortly.

 

Good win overnight by 18 year old Jacob Cassar to open our account at the World Boxing Championships. He had a tough opponent in the Irish team co-captain, but got the job done by a 4-1 majority decision. Thoroughly deserved, in my view. Worth giving up some sleep to see it. Foxtel Main Event are covering the whole tournament (for free). Sessions begin at 8pm & 3am AEST. It's also available via online streaming.

 

Thanks Sandman.

 

Hello lads & lasses - an update on our progress at the World Boxing Championships. Our two best chances of medals in the men's draw are out with Callum Peters going out in the first round against a Canadian on Friday night & young Jacob Cassar exiting this morning against a lively Indian. I thought the only Canadians who could fight had the surname 'Hilton' or carried ice-hockey sticks but the bloke Callum fought gave him a very tough fight earlier in the year so perhaps the result wasn't as surprising as first appears. Jacob Cassar faced an Indian who had a bye in the first round & he did seem a bit fresher in terms of energy levels this morning. Getting to a world championships at age 18 & knocking off a very good opponent in the first round is still a fine achievement by him.

Earlier on last night, we took a win & a loss in the Women's events with former medalist at this level Emma Sue Greentree looking very strong against a Korean who she stopped in the third round to advance at Middleweight. I thought Monique Suraci boxed quite well in the first couple of rounds at Flyweight but the judges didn't like the cut of her jib and scored the rounds for her Japanese opponent who ended up winning 5-0. In other results on Friday night Lachlan Lawson won by kayo in what appears to be a Junior Cruiserweight division (85kg). You know the Europeans run amateur boxing when they do away with the traditional men's featherweight division & stick in another Snoozerweight division. As if one isn't enough. Totally self-serving on their part. Those greedy Euros will do anything for an extra bit of bling.

Also on Friday night we had a win in the Women's Welterweight division with a strong performance from Marissa Williamson-Pohlman & a hard fought 4-1 loss in the Women's Featherweight division with Julie Ramadan. The latter appeared very upset with the result but gave a good account of herself I thought against a physically stronger opponent.

More action tonight with 20 year-old Jye Dixon fighting against a Turk in the Bantamweight division at the civilized hour of 8:30pm AEST & Lekeisha Pergoliti going up against a Brazilian at 4:00am. We found out the Turks could fight at Gallipoli many years ago while any win against Brazil in amateur boxing is a good one. Hoping we can go two from two tonight & keep a couple of our very best fighters in the medal hunt.

Edit - Light Heavy Marlon Sevehon also fights tonight against a Dane at approximately 11:30pm (in Ring B so might need to go online for that one rather than rely on the Main Event coverage).

 

Just watched big daddy putting the beat down on some young punk in bare knuckle. Let’s go Lucas!!!

 

Three good wins overnight for our young people at the World Boxing Championships. Jye Dixon was much too good for his Turkish opponent at Bantamweight winning 5-0, Marlon Sevehon dropped a hammer on his Danish opponent in the first at Light Heavy while Lekeisha Pergoliti squeaked home against the Brazilian at Junior Middle (3-2). Jye & Marlon are through to the Round of 16 in their respective divisions while Lekeisha Pergoliti fights for a medal next up in the Quarter Finals. Some tough fights coming up but so far so good.

 

Great win for Marlon.

The blood nuts always know how to throw.