Qamil Balla vs. Terry Tzouramanis & Jake Carr vs. Dane Mulivai RBR

Round 5

Carr throws double jabs, right hands, and left hooks up top - always keeping his neutral hand pressed over his face. Very tight compact work by Carr, getting out and not awaiting his receipt. Mulivai is spearing in rights on the body, making Carr's elbows drop instinctively for just a moment. Jab and right on the waist and whipping hook brought up near the chest by Carr. Mulivai is covering up and leaning back as Carr flurries up at him, bouncing a double jab and right cross off the gloves. Left hook, right hand combo by Mulivai as Carr is dancing out.

10-9 Carr

49-46 Carr

 

Round 6

Mulivai is doubling jabs, searching for Carr, mostly keeping his legs planted but edging in, stalking closer gradually. Carr is hurtling in with straight blasts downstairs, finishing with a hook up top. Nice right hand by Carr leaping in and then sitting down and slinking out. Mulivai simply not generating offense.

10-9 Carr

59-55 Carr

 

Round 7

Mulivai is watching Carr from a distance. Big right hand by Mulivai. Another. Carr moves in, turned askew, head down, and hooks the body. Stiff jab by Mulivai. Carr is caught in a moment of inertia with a chopping combination, pushed back as he covers up. Wild up-jab into the air by Carr. Mulivai triples a pawing jab, measuring. Clinch. Uppercut by Mulivai up close, missing. Carr is staying close, smothering Mulivai's power. Right hand by Carr. Mulivai ducks a 1-2 and turns his neck to slip. Long right hand by Mulivai, just grazing.

10-9 Mulivai

68-65 Carr

 

Round 8

Mulivai is chasing after Carr's head with his jab, but unable to connect with Carr ducking and rolling. Jabs and rights up top and hooks on the body from Carr, working busily in spurts. Carr is leading with rights now, ducking and sidestepping with a jab. Mulivai paws a jab from outside. Carr trots around him to his right and wraps a right hand around by the kidney. 1-2 by Mulivai, blocked.

10-9 Carr

78-74 Carr

 

Fox Sports 2 in Australia.

 

Round 9

Mulivai is jabbing in on Carr, looking to set up a big right hand. Carr is leaning back in a crouch, left arm sloped down, countering with unseen left hooks and tagging Mulivai hard. 1-2 by Mulivai buzzing Carr atop the head. Stiff counter jab by Carr as Mulivai brings his arms back low. Nice movement by Carr, dipping and ducking as he goes.

10-9 Carr

88-83 Carr

 

Round 10

Mulivai is throwing jabs and uppercuts on the front-foot. Carr brushes his back on the ropes while blocking and has to sag into them under Mulivai's onslaught. Carr reaches in with left hooks, missing as Mulivai tilts his upper body to his own left. Right hand by Carr up close. Lots of side to side movement by Carr, throwing straight punches from odd angles. Mulivai doubles the jab and throws a right over Carr's back. Jab on the body by Carr moving left, changing direction mid-step and going right.

10-9 Carr

98-92 Carr

 

Official cards

Jim Boland 100-90
Samantha Bulner 100-91
Aneeka Williams 100-90

UD for Jake Carr

 

On the non-televised undercard, Czar Amonsot beat late replacement Thong Por Chokchai by TKO3 in the 2nd defense of his Pan Asian 140lb title.

 

Neither of tonight's co-features was a mismatch. :huh

Balla vs. Tzouramanis was a damn close, nippy contest which could have gone either way despite the wide cards. (although Balla getting the nod is no problem, as he probably would've stolen the swing tenth and thus a 95-93 victory on my card with just one more flurry and probably took it anyway on activity in some people's estimation amid the sloppy collisions and clinches). Transitioning from kickboxing both helped and hurt Tzouramanis - his awkwardness troubled Balla, yet his punches are underdeveloped in power which he sorely needed.

Then you have Carr vs. Mulivai being a great example of "wide on the cards, and justifiably so - but dramatic and competitive throughout". You always had the feeling Carr, while classier and eminently more experienced, was in danger of being put away if the heavy-handed Mulivai planted one flush on him, and there some close as close gets calls. You could tell by his reactions to even partially blocked or rolled-with shots that in order to avoid being KTFO he needed to never stop moving - and, credit to his gas tank, he didn't.

 

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hope Balla vs. Amonsot gets made soon.

Unlike either Brubaker or Tzouramanis, the Pinoy southpaw hits plenty hard with both hands to check Balla's resistance capacity.

He also once held the Aussie 140lbs belt that Balla now holds, vacating it to go after the Pan Asian title. So he is considered the foremost contender should he want to reclaim it - and barring Lenny Zappa giving up his international ambitions they are the clear best two light welters in Australia on the domestic circuit.

Reclaiming the belt would nicely punctuate the comeback of the astoundingly only 28-year-old Amonsot, whose loss to Michael Katsidis in a brutal war in 2007 left him brain damaged and decommissioned for two years. Since his 2009 return he is 9-0-2 (7) against largely middling opposition but has scooped up four minor titles and is 5-0-1 (5) in title bouts, with at least one standout result in his destruction of previously world-ranked Steven Wills. Given his style and his past injuries, he probably shouldn't be in the ring for much longer or set his aim beyond Oz. It would be disappointing if he continues beating up on hopeless Thai victims (Thong Por Chokchai replaced Decha Kokietgym, another Thai journeyman, on 48 hours notice...and in his last outing Amonsot dealt Natthakan Thonglat his fourteenth stoppage) until hanging them up. He and Balla need each other, if either of them wants a challenge. Should he be able to use his youth and speed to frustrate and defeat Amonsot while keeping his wits about him (much like Carr did today with Mulivai), it would bring some legitimacy to Balla and go towards erasing the sour taste of unreasonably favorable scoring in his reign thus far.

 

Balla vs. Tzouramanis:

• [yt]cUr5uuFVxT4[/yt]

Carr vs. Mulivai:

• [yt]cT5dYUafqMI[/yt]

Colomban vs. Cesaire, which took place on the Fox Sports televised card before the above two and was also for a national title, at welter:

• [yt]WWqnsv1nVKg[/yt]

(I've read that Colomban vs. Cesaire was poor viewing and so am neither bummed about not waking up in time for it live nor particularly eager to go back and watch it now...)

​