Cornerman Magazine January 2013

AMATEUR BOXING PRO BOXING KICKBOXING MMA JANUARY 2013

ISSUE 06

101 WITH RICHIE ‘VAS’ VACULIK CORNERMAN’S

MUNDINE VS GEALE 2

A tale of two great fighters

COMBAT 8 Boxing vs MMA

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ON WINNING FIGHT MOVES

BRACE FOR WAR 17

Australia’s first female cage show

THE

AUSSIE

There’s a new kid on the UFC block

PLUS

THE USE AND ABUSE OF PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS

$7.95 (incl GST) ISSN 1839-98900

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9 771839 989002

JANUARY 2013

ringside view

09

05

CONTENTS AMATEUR BOXING

5-19

QUEENSLAND STATE TITLES

6

Wayne Tolton was ringside where he discovered new national talents

PCYC REPORT

9

Cornerman’s take on the PCYC scene

YOUNG STARS IN THE MAKING

15

Tszyu Academy produces some great amateur boxers

PRO BOXING

20-34

FIGHTER PROFILE: JOEY WILLIAMS

18

Joey tells Cornerman the lessons he learnt in 2012

MUNDINE VS GEALE 2

28

36

24

A tale of two great fighters

CONTROLLED AGGRESSION 3

26

Boxing veterans and emerging stars fight it out in Windsor

FIGHTER PROFILE: SHANNON O’CONNELL

31

One of the few female boxers to make their mark on the sport

kickBOXING

35-45

JNI-MADE FOR WAR

35

Female kickboxing action in Hurstville

CONQUEST 3

37

World title Muay Thai from Wellington

FIGHTER PROFILE: SHELLEY DOBLE

38

The kickboxing champion tells Cornerman what keeps her going

REAL DEAL THAIBOXING

42

An explosive action-packed night at Lemon Tree Passage

mixed martial arts THE ULTIMATE AUSSIE

46-59 46

An exclusive interview with the first TUF champion Robert Whittaker

BRACE FOR WAR 17

50

Australia’s first all-women MMA event on the Gold Coast

COMBAT 8

52

Boxers slug it out against MMA fighters in Newcastle

dvd catalogue

2 www.cornerman.com.au

62

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

58 Matt Spooner’s functional strength and conditioning barbell circuit

DIRECTORY

60-61

www.cornerman.com.au

JANUARY 2013

ringside view

From the

Editor: Tomas Vysokai Sub-editor: Allb Etsareoff Creative director: Nathan Wynyard

Corner

Contributing journalists: Penny Pryor Keeta Nova, James Cooney, Hakan Saglam Sarah Ngo, Kiara Brooks, Matt Spooner, James White, Joel Keegan, Anja Stridsman, Sam Atkinson, Janice Yee, Sean Castle, Christian Baker Contributing photographers: Milos Lekovic Hakan Saglam Marcel Jendruch Louie Abigail Werner Kalin Shelly Barnes Boris Knapcik Stephen Walton Ross Mailer Phillip Wheeler Wayne J. Tolton Leigh Taafe Jay Christiaens Peter McDermott

L

AST year was truly a great year for combat sports with so many shows around the country.

Many new promotions emerged, some of which have already proved they are here to stay. PCYC ran great tournaments throughout the year and this issue we bring you reports from the Muswellbrook, Campbelltown and Newcastle contests.

To highlight just one of the many boxing promotions we followed, Controlled Aggression 3 (page 26) had a good mix of amateur and professional bouts on its card, featuring exciting fighters like Dib, Lewis, Mawson and Borg.

Printing: Hero Print Australia Distributor: Wrapaway For all advertising enquiries: 0415490963 or sales@cornerman.com.au For all editorial inquiries: tomas@cornerman.com.au

The whole boxing nation is eager to see Mundine versus Geale 2 and Sean Castle has written an excellent piece on these two fighters on page 24.

UFC has come to town again and with it, for the very first time, so has the Australian Ultimate Fighter. The young explosive warrior Robert Whittaker took everyone by storm and tells Cornerman about his experience as well as his plans for the future on (page 46) Another great MMA fighter Richie ‘Vas’ Vaculik has shared his know-how on page 54 and on page 58 Matt Spooner brings us a barbell circuit in his regular strength and conditioning column.

It’s been two years now since our first issue and from day one we’ve had a lot of support from local businesses, which I’d like to sincerely thank, as we couldn’t have come this far without them.

We may have started with baby steps, publishing two, then three issues per year, but we now plan to print every quarter in 2013. So if you are fan of Cornerman you can get your magazine mailed right to your doorstep by showing your love and subscribing to four or eight issues. Many of the fights that we write about are available to view on the Cornerman website and some are exclusive to our VIP members. So check out our website packages too.

It will be another massive year in 2013 with multiple Controlled Aggression shows planned for the next few months, Nationals for our best amateurs in South Australia and Storm MMA in Canberra. Tim Drury, Reinhardt Badato and Phill Bennett also have shows planned for February.

So fight fans, put the dates from our calendars on page 22,43 and 54 in your diaries and we will see you around the ring or cage.

And if you are promoting a show in the near future, make sure you let us know and send your poster and any information to media@cornerman.com.au Yours truly,

a ing mm g kickbox Issue 06 pro boxin ur boxing amate 2013

munDine VS geaLe 2 great fighters A tale of two

corner step-by-step guide on winning fight moves

combat 8 A Boxing vs MM

br ace For War 17

Australia’s first female cage show

THE

Tomas Vysokai tomas@cornerman.com.au For everyone that lives and breathes ring sports.

h 101 Wit ’ as ‘V ie ch Ri Vacumalik n’s

January

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There’s a new

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the use abuse of ut pre-worko ts supplemen

Cover photo: Milos Lekovic www.southsidestudios.com.au

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HIGH ACHIEVERS READY FOR THE NATIONALS After the Olympics in 2012, many familiar names in the amateurs - like Damian Hooper, Cameron Hammond and Jeff Horn joined the professional ranks.

W

HAT means that the line-up at the Australian titles in Adelaide from February 10 to 16 will see a lot of new faces and make room for some of the younger boxers that are really starting to shine.

At 12-years old and weighing in at just over 40kg Tyeisha Palu has had just two fights but has been training for nearly four years. She comes from a family of boxers and according to her trainer, Mark Grech, all she has ever wanted to do is box.

“Ty has been training for three or four years, her father was a boxer and she has always been around boxing. She trains every day, five days a week,” he says.

It’s through no fault of her own, or her trainer’s, that she hasn’t had more bouts.

Merely that in such a light weight class and young age division it is difficult to find opponents. She is hopeful of finding a match in Adelaide, and Grech says they have heard of someone in Western Australia who is in the same weight class.

“She mainly spars boys only, there are hardly any other girls her weight and her age,” he says.

And she can spar rings around many of those boys too. Grech says the day she walked into the gym she had skills and knowledge that many boxers struggle to develop throughout their careers.

He anticipates she will soon be old enough for Australian Institute of Sport Training camps. She currently trains with Shelley Watts, a NSW and Golden Glove champion and currently ranked 14th in the world.

“Rio – that’s her goal,” says Grech “We’re just trying to work that [if she’ll be old enough] out now, it depends.”

In the male ranks the 64kg and 69 kg weight classes have been two of the most competitive and the decisions by Olympians Jeff Horn (64kg) and Cameron Hammond (69kg) to join the professional

ranks, will make way for other exceptional fighters.

George Kambosos is a well-known name in NSW amateur boxing circles and has been boxing for over 10 years after taking it up for fitness at age 9.

He has been NSW state champion seven times in a row and Golden Glove champion five times.

For his preparation for Adelaide the 19-year-old has been sparring the likes of Anthony Mundine and Joel Brunker.

“After the national titles, I want to go to Kazakhstan in October – I’d like to have a crack at the world championships,” he says.

After that he will consider going professional. He also would like to get more international experience. He made the trip to the US last year to box at the Ringside World Championships in Kansas where he finished third out of the 32 contenders in his weight division.

Daniel Lewis is another 19-year old planning on contesting the Australian titles and he will be going to China for an AIS training camp as part of his preparation.

He lost to Cameron Hammond by just two points at the NSW State Titles last year.

“I won’t be fighting him again and I’m planning on the Olympics,” he says.

Lewis has recently returned to the sport after an injury.

“I broke my jaw in 2011 and I’ve come back after 10 months off a different fighter,” he explains.

“Even over the years my boxing style has always been changing.”

Lewis trains in his backyard at Londonderry with his dad but has also recently been receiving coaching advice from Johnny Lewis.

These fighters are just a few of the NSW names that will be well worth the ticket price at the six day event in Adelaide.

George Kambosos

Daniel Lewis

www.cornerman.com.au 5

Reagan Dessa ix vs Jake Gould

amateur boxing

NEWCOMERS NEWCOMERS SHINE SHINE THROUGH THROUGH W

convincingly on the scorecards, it was a spirited Wayne Tolton was ringside at performance from Salquist who withstood some the Queensland State Titles late heavy punches from the talented and classy last year and while many of the Waterman. old names have left the amateur Moving through to the elite males, Queensranks to join the pros, he was very excited by land have real prospects of national success in some of the new talent he saw on display and has Adelaide. high hopes for the Nationals this year.

Having just returned from a boxing tour of the Clubs as far afield as Palm Island, Toowoomba UK, Stretton’s 75kg boxer, Sam Banney, showed and Kilcoy all attended the Queensland State why he shouldn’t be overlooked. Punching from Titles at the Acacia Ridge Hotel, Brisbane over the unusual angles he completely dominated Robert weekend of the 30th November 2012.

Williams from Inala. His unorthodox style will It was a smaller attendance than usual, but make him a difficult opponent in Adelaide. that was to be expected after an Olympic year.

Everybody loves the heavyweights and when Queensland has lost a few of their bright amateur one with the full package comes along, it makes stars to the paid ranks - Damien Hooper, Jeff Horn everybody take note. The heavily muscled J.Cox and Ozan Craddock to name but a few. But it’s from No Deal, trained by former World Champion way too early to write off Queensland’s amateur Phil Holiday, had no answers to the power, boxing boxers for national honours just yet. skills and aggression of Joe Goodall from Stretton.

There is much promise on display amongst the After two 8-counts the referee called the fight off. newcomers. For example, the four Rayfield boys A good decision as Goodall’s heavy shots rocked fighting out of the Albert Boxing Club show much Cox regularly. potential, three of the boys, Guy, Zak and Theo Although Goodall will have to beat some top won Queensland state titles in their first year of class 91kg boys in Adelaide he may be up boxing. Whether they can win national honours in their first season remains to be seen but look out for them in the future.

Lachie De Santis, fighting in the junior section at 75 kilos, is also one to watch. Lachie is an exciting rman vs Clay Wate uist lq Sa n heavy puncher who comes to fight.

Aaro Moving up from schoolboy to junior is a difficult task but look out for two-time national champion Allan Nicolson who will be sure to shine at the Nationals in the 60 kg division. Another schoolboy moving up is James Beazley. James lost at the Nationals last year but has since beat his then conqueror Sam Goodman.

He’s a determined boy and wants the 48 kg crown.

Queensland has some real top quality juniors moving up to the Youth section who were all previous national champions. Reagan Dessaix of Briz Box, trained by his father Clem, completely shut out Jake Gould of Ashmore PCYC in their fight. It was a game effort by the lesser experienced Gould.

Liam Wilson of Caboolture fought Mitchell Hardie of Kurbingui. The hardhitting Wilson completely dominated Hardie, stopping him in the second round with some heavy right hand body shots.

Former World Champion at 46 kilos, Clay Waterman from Bethania fought Aaron Salquist from Kilcoy. Although Clay won fairly

6 www.cornerman.com.au

Joe Goodal vs Jonathan Cox

Sam Banney vs Robert Williams

to the task. In the aforementioned trip to the UK, Goodall beat the current English ABA Champion comfortably.

It would be remiss of me not to round up the best of the females. Unfortunately three of our top female boxers had no opponents and were crowned state champions without a bout. Skye and Beth Nicolson along with Cherneka Johnson from the Albert Boxing Club, all former national champions, are hot prospects to take out gold in their respective divisions.

One girl who did fight was Angel Rushton from Stretton. Trained by her father Glen, she avenged a previous defeat by K. Robinson from The Boxing Shop. Now that’s a sweet way to gain revenge.

The icing on the cake being the 64 kg Queensland Title.

It would be a foolish move to overlook coach Mark Wilson’s boxers. Mark from Bethania has a number of boxers who will achieve honours in Adelaide. Papa Utia, Huni Huni, Bryce Hanson, Peter Lazarus, Brent Rice and J.Mataele. All except Huni Huni winning their titles in the ring.

NO. CLASS

RED

JANUARY 2013 BLUE RESULT

1

69kg

N. Webber (Matrix)

A. Phillips (Rebels)

WIN

2

34kg

K. Kidner (Palm Is)

R. Gleebow (No Deal)

WIN

3

81kg

B. Stewart (Matrix)

M. Preston (Kurbingui)

WIN

4

91kg

N. Brown (Matrix)

G. Kolo (Inala)

WIN

5

75kg

D. Kovacs (Attila)

L. DeSantis (Albert)

WIN

6

57kg

M. Rayfield (Albert)

G. Hornery (Smithys)

WIN

7

Ex

H. Huni (Bethania)

P. Kovacs

N/A

8

56kg

L. Wilson (Caboolture)

W. Moses (Inala)

WIN

9

69kg

J. Gould (Ashmore)

A. Bowly (Redlynch)

WIN

10

70kg

J. Huni (Bethania)

P. Kovacs (Atilla)

WIN

11

64kg

N. Leidel (Redlynch)

K. Robinson (TBS)

WIN

12

64kg

E. Carruthers (Gladstone)

A. Rushton (Stretton)

WIN

13

64kg

T. Dang (Bundaberg)

P. Clarke (Palm Is)

WIN

14

64kg

M. Coomer (TBS)

R. Naylor (Inala)

WIN

15

69kg

L. Nicolson (Gladstone)

M. Anderson (TBS)

WIN

16

75kg

D. Colivas (Stretton)

R. Williams (Inala)

WIN

17

75kg

S. Banney (Stretton)

T. Hine (Team Hine)

WIN

18

81kg

S. Cooper (Stretton)

N. van Maanen (No Deal)

WIN

19

38kg

R. Paulos (TBS)

S. Mulford (Aftermath)

WIN

20

28kg

C. Evers (Palm Island)

Z. Rayfield (Albert)

WIN

21

32kg

L. Baira (Palm Island)

B. McGaughran (Kawana)

WIN

22

34kg

A. Aird (Cardiff Impact)

R. Gleebow (No Deal)

WIN

23

36kg

C. Jones (Impact)

J. Barlow (Caboolture)

WIN

24

36kg

B. Nairn (TBS)

B. Gardner (Kawana)

WIN

25

48kg

C. Hissy (D Bay)

G. Vogel (Kingaroy)

WIN

26

Ex

P. Aird (Cardiff Impact)

S. Nicolson (Albert)

N/A

27

Ex

T. Rayfield (Albert)

B. Cameron (Hands Impact)

WIN

28

Ex

S. Cameron (Hands Impact)

M. Mackie (Bundaberg )

WIN

29

Ex

K. King (Albert)

J. Mataele (Bethania)

WIN

30

38kg

J. Tolvanen (Bundaberg)

T. Walker (Caboolture)

WIN

31

44kg

B. Hanson (Bethania)

D. Corson Crook (Gladstone)

WIN

32

50kg

W. Te-tana (Inala)

J. Muller (Bundaberg)

WIN

33

57kg

P. Utia (Bethania)

M. Rayfield (Albert)

WIN

34

80kg

S. Teremoana (Inala)

J. Moynahan (Northside)

WIN

35

56kg

D. Degeorgio (Impact)

M. Hardie (Kurbingui)

WIN

36

56kg

B. Whittaker (Smithy’s)

L. Wilson (Caboolture)

WIN

37

64kg

P. Lazarus (Bethania)

M. Stipevic (Ashmore)

WIN

38

64kg

P. Clarke (Palm Island)

M. Coomer (TBS)

WIN

39

81kg

Z. Bacigalupo (Stretton)

M. Gadaleta (Caboolture)

WIN

40

81kg

S. Cooper (Stretton)

M. Preston (Kurbingui)

WIN

41

Ex

L. de Santis (Albert)

H. Huni (Bethania)

N/A

42

Ex

A. Copland (Stretton)

S. Hewett (Sheenz)

WIN

43

64kg

P. Lazarus (Bethania)

P. Clarke (Palm Island)

WIN

44

52kg

J. King (Phantom)

J. Dawson (Caboolture)

WIN

45

56kg

T. Blanket (Palm Island)

B. Rice (Bethania)

WIN

46

56kg

M. Hardie (Kurbingui)

L. Wilson (Caboolture)

WIN

47

60kg

C. Kuhn (Kubingui)

T. Ingram (Mansfield)

WIN

48

64kg

C. Waterman (Bethania)

A. Sahlqvist (Kilcoy)

WIN

49

69kg

R. Dessaix (Briz Box)

J. Gould (Ashmore)

WIN

50

36kg

C. Jones (Impact)

B. Nairn (TBS)

WIN

51

64kg

K. Robinson (TBS)

TBS (Stretton)

WIN

52

60kg

E. Bon Cos (Stretton)

M. Zalewski (Caboolture)

WIN

53

69kg

L. Nicolson (Gladstone)

A. Phillips (Rebels)

WIN

54

75kg

R. Williams (Inala)

S. Banney (Stretton)

WIN

55

81kg

Z. Bacigalupo (Stretton)

S. Cooper (Stretton)

WIN

56

91kg

J. Goodall (Stretton)

J. Cox (No Deal)

WIN

57

91+kg

R. McPhee (Caboolture)

N. Brown (Matrix)

WIN

JANUARY 2013

Amateur boxing

WORLD SUCCESS FOR YOUNG TAMWORTH BOXER Lynken Dickson surprised a lot of people when he competed at one of the biggest global amateur competitions in Kansas last year.

H

E may just be 15-years old but Lynken Dickson from Tamworth has already boxed against some of the best in the world in his weight division and surprised the thousands of spectators and competitors at the Ringside World Championships – one of the biggest amateur boxing competitions in the world – when he walked away with the 60kg junior lightweight world title in Kansas, US in August.

Dickson has won three Golden Glove titles and two NSW state titles since he took up boxing in 2009 and will be spending plenty of time at boxing training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra this year after being selected as part of their junior development program.

To win his US title Dickson had four tough bouts in Kansas. First off he faced a Canadian, who he managed to knock out in the first round. The second fight against a Puerto Rican was much tougher. Although he injured his hand during that bout he went on to win

Cornerman takes a closer look at the PCYC boxing scene.

The Muswellbrook PCYC boxing tournament, always a brilliant showcase of country boxing talent and hospitality, featured some incredible bouts and potential Olympians in 2012. Photos by Hakan Saglam

NSW PCYC ACADEMY ID TRAINING CAMPS

N

SW PCYC will be holding two new training camps for January - 12/13 at Umina PCYC and 19/20 at Sutherland PCYC where any boxer training out of a PCYC can look to be added to the NSW PCYC Academy Team, which was formed in 2012. These Talent Identification camps will include boxers from all ages, whereas the focus for 2012 was on junior development (10-16 years).

The concept behind the NSW PCYC Academy is to offer club coaches some support and assistance when they begin to develop their higher achieving boxers for state and national teams. Regular training camps that concentrate on skills and conditioning with regular competitive partner work/sparring is the cornerstone of Academy camps. All NSW PCYC Academy boxers will be in line for interstate and International tournaments that will coordinate individual boxer’s preparations for state, national, Oceania and world championship events.

The Academy program ran exceptionally well in its first year, with 10 boxers identified and supported. These boxers are at all stages of their boxing careers, and range from Oceania and national champs, to boxers with one fight but a big future in front of them. The club

PCYC PCYC

against an American in his third fight and outsmarted a tough Mexican in the final.

“I was nervous, but I’ve fought the best I’ve ever fought over there,” Dickson says of his time in the US. He also said the crowd were a little bit shocked when an Australian managed to walk away with the title.

“They were pretty surprised,” he says.

Dickson, trained by Mick Abra, will also start a school-based traineeship at a bank in Tamworth this year as he looks towards the Australian titles in South Australia.

His long-term goals include the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and potentially a spot on the team for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

“I’m looking at the Olympic games, but I’m only 15,” he says.

He comes from a family of indigenous boxers and took up the sport when he was 12. Up until then football had been his sport of choice.

BOXING REPORT

coaches have been very supportive, and understand the process and the point of challenging the boxers to achieve at a high level.

The program will look to regionalise some training camps next year at Orange, Wollongong and Muswellbrook PCYC, as well as utilise some of the great metro venues such as Hornsby, Sutherland and Umina PCYC. The Academy team will travel up to Golden Gloves, Qld Novice Titles, WA, SA and ACT before embarking on an international trip later in the year.

There are some great coaches out there doing some great work with these kids, and if the PCYC Boxing Academy can give them the hand up to national honours and in to Boxing Australia (BA) programs then we are supporting our clubs and the dreams of our members.

These coaches are great people doing amazing things with remarkable young people, and PCYC is happy to support where it can.

The program will look to add another 10 boxers from these trials, and is open to male and female, 10-34 year old boxers, who must be ready to compete and commit to a big year of competition and training.

For further info contact, Joel Keegan Director PCYC Boxing Program jkeegan@pcycnsw.org.au

Local boy Shelby Stevens was expected to give state champion Brady Robinson a real contest in front of a parochial crowd, and certainly gave it his all in a bout that featured two bright stars of the future. Robinson had every reason to be confident, after a comfortable victory six weeks earlier at the NSW State Titles against reigning national champion, Eddie Kuras of Coonabarabran. Robinson went into the bout both more experienced and almost two years older, with the only advantage for Stevens being in weight. Stevens wasn’t to be deterred, after showing some good form despite a one-sided loss to the young dynamo Satali TeviFuimaono, also at the NSW State Titles.

The bout was entertaining from start to finish, with Stevens doing most of the work and Robinson doing most of the boxing. But it was a clear victory for the Wyong-trained Brady Robinson, who was able to use his defensive skills at will against the strong charges from the Muswellbrook lad. Stevens will develop in time, and has potential to be more

Shelby Stevens vs Brady Robinson

effective in both attack and defense. He will learn plenty from bouts like this, as did his opponent at a similar age. Expect Robinson to surprise at nationals this year.

Anja Stridsman(60kg) trained by Tomas Vysokai, took a risk and stepped up a division to get a fight with Carmen Thompson(64kg), trained

by Vito Guidiuso. Both of these girls are the respective NSW champions in their divisions, but with a lack of fights for female boxers, such matches are required for the fighters to keep active. This was tipped to be a ripper from the start of the night, with both girls willing to mix it and not shy to throw a punch. Thompson followed the script and looked to force the action and try to dominate the bout by pushing forward behind her usual tight defense and willingness to throw plenty of punches. However, it was Stridsman who showed a real change in the way she boxes, using a strong and long jab to consistently pick off Thompson. This jab, along with some much improved footwork, proved too

much of a hurdle for the game and valiant Thompson who never stopped trying. It was a great bout and good indication of Stridsman’s potential, who is also heading to the nationals in February.

Other standouts bouts included young Ryan Covi, Umina PCYC, edging out Tamworth PCYC’s Josh Moncaster in the tightest of contests. Moncaster could certainly make the case for a victory, after he threw a lot more punches in the opening two rounds, and was clearly the aggressor. It quickly became apparent though that Covi was very deliberate with his defense and the judges had to ask whether Moncaster’s punches were landing? The bout had rematch written all over it, and both boys have big futures written all over them.

Local boy Rick Scholes took on Cessnock PCYC’s Ryan Grant in a very entertaining bout, where both boys got stuck into each other, and the crowd appeared more on their minds at times than their opponents. By the end of the bout, it was a clear victory to Scholes, who had begun to find some real rhythm and form, beating a strong Cessnock boy who will do much better next time out.

Shawn Bevan, Umina PCYC, with only six fights under his wing, stepped up and took on former state champion Ryan Betts in a light heavyweight contest, that was as good as they get. Betts took it straight to Bevan, landing a couple of nice left hooks early that would have reminded Bevan he had left the minor leagues. In great style Bevan fired straight back and had begun to dominate his opponent by the time the first bell rang.

It was all Bevan in the second round, as he continually pushed forward behind a strong jab against his taller opponent, and then let go with some telling body and head combinations while Betts lent on the ropes.

Betts rallied in the last round however, and the momentum swung from both boys in a strong final round. The judges finally gave it to Bevan in a great bout, and a real sign of promise for the boy.

www.cornerman.com.au 9

JANUARY 2013

Amateur boxing

FIGHTING FLAIR AT CAMPBELLTOWN PCYC TOURNAMENT It may have been a smaller line-up at the annual tournament this year but the quality of fighting was just as good, if not better than previous years.

T

HE Campbelltown PCYC tournament, held at the Wests Leagues Club, hosted a smaller fight night in November but some outstanding matches, including wins for local stars Brendan Saunders, David Hill and Ibrahim Martins. These and other exceptional bouts featuring some of the better young boxers in the state rounded off a great night.

First of the local boys to fight was the super talented Ibrahim Martins, who took on Fairfield’s tough bantamweight Paul Ho. Martins has talent oozing out of him, but was beaten pretty convincingly at the same tournament last year when he lacked the conditioning to finish the fight well. This time he was also going to face someone who would ask him the tough questions all night, so it was a pleasure to see a better conditioned and prepared boxer, who was able to support his talent with effort. Martins was able to comfortably deal with Ho›s advancing style, and strong punches, while still scoring very effectively with his own leads and more often counters.

It would be great to see him kick on after such a good win.

Cody Barnwell, the tear away from North Sydney PCYC, is ripping a hole through the novice section of the middleweights at the moment. Recently having won the NSW state titles in the novice section, both fights by KO, he had another impressive victory against the much more experienced Jordan Thomas from South Sydney PCYC. While there is plenty of room for improvement, you have to admire the work

no

Satali Tevi-Fuimao

trainer Mark Pitts has done with him already.

His win against Thomas was already a lot more controlled, against an opponent who was tough, willing and smart enough not to punch with this natural puncher.

Michael Volyavyer, from Allsorts gym thought he was hard done by against local boy David

Call us on (02) 9715 2083 and get started NOW or email us at joe@joesboxing.com.au for more information 20/118 Queens Rd Five Dock, NSW www.joesboxing.com.au

Hill, in a very tight contest. Volyavyer looked in control early, for sure, but as the fight wore on Hill seemed to want the bigger trophy more, and rallied to the cheers of the crowd to come home hard for what had to be a very, very close win.

A little surprising that Volyavyer is not finishing what he starts, as he is a natural puncher and seems to not complete a lot of the good stuff he creates.

In a good win for the Allsorts team, Brayden Birket, won again in the rematch with Sean Norton from Orange PCYC. Both of these contests have been very willing and very close, but Birket is starting to show some signs of developing as a fighter, learning the art of being a southpaw as well.

Fight of the night, had to be watching young gun Satali Tevi-Fuimaono at just 15 years old take on Fijian international middleweight Jesse Ravudi. Ravudi, who at 20 years old is the son of former Fijian National Champion Joe Ravudi, has a 10-3 record.

With his very heavy hands and southpaw stance, Ravudi was going to be a tough test for the youngster from Umina PCYC who struggles to find matches anywhere near his own age and weight.

From the start of the bout, Tevi-Fuimaono looked to dominate his older and stronger opponent with superior skills, using footwork and counterattacks to bamboozle the heavy hands that Ravudi was throwing with bad intentions. Tevi-Fuimaono is remarkably fearless when you consider what might happen if he gets his plan wrong but it worked for him at the start of the fight and was still working for him at the end. He even managed to get an 8 count on his opponent.

: E N N Y A E D O T L L E W E R A F

NEWCASTLE TOURNAMENT

Boxers from around the state joined forces to say goodbye to a generous coach from Newcastle.

I

T is not often appreciated how well our boxing people serve their community, but the Newcastle Boxing Tournament was a small acknowledgement to the debt that the Newcastle community owes Deaynne Short for 25 years of coaching kids in the community. She has decided to hang up the gloves as a coach, but she will be well remembered by all who knew her as a very passionate, dedicated, knowledgeable and always approachable coach, who loved to laugh and help people. The night was attended by many of her former boxers, plenty who went on to win state and national titles, and who hold her in the highest regard.

The first bout between Jay Cook (Maloneys gym) and Albert Nolan (Binnaway) was a rematch over a year in the making with a different winner this time round. Both boys have wonderful promise, and real representative potential and this fight showed everyone just what might be with Cook edging Nolan in a pure boxing match. Both boys are well trained, and would do well to stay focused, as national honors are well within their grasp.

The second bout was an interstate match, with the current ACT champ, Amaeze Enyi and NSW champ Brady Robinson locking horns in what might be a precursor to the Nationals in February 2013 in South Australia. Enyi has a very unique style with a lot of movement and

a lot of unpredictable punching efforts, which makes him strangely effective. Robinson improves every time out, and he seemed in control at most stages of this bout although he certainly struggled with Enyi’s style. Robinson could have converted a lot more opportunities if he wanted too, but seemed hesitant and this cost him in the end as the fight was a draw, and went to count back, which Ameaze won. Good luck to both boys at Nationals.

Brock Shelly, trained by Gary and Chris Large from Kandos, had a terrific victory over his Cessnock PCYC opponent Bryce Trudgett. Shelly dominated from the start and overwhelmed Trudgett, who was older but had a few less bouts. Nevertheless, Shelly’s performance is a credit to the work that he and his coaches, both former amateur champions themselves, have put in. Shelly heads of to Nationals as well full of confidence and hopefully ready to bring back a gold medal.

Young Umina charge Damon Brady had his hands full when he stepped up in weight and age, to take on Grafton’s Liam Reynolds. Brady must have had some confidence though with two impressive victories at the recent NSW state titles in the novice section of the junior 63kg division, and did look the better boxer early in his bout against the strong Grafton boy. However, by the

third round Reynolds had begun to dominate the bout physically, with Brady hanging on with better skills. The judges gave a very close decision to Brady, who if he dedicated himself a little more to the sport might see some representative honours.

Luke Henry, from Final Round Boxing and Slade Scriggins from Mannix Boxing went after each other for three rounds with a winner hard to pick. In the end the judges went for Henry, and that may have been best as his conditioning was certainly better than Scriggins, who had let a promising start slip away. Entertaining from the start, the night was worth attending for this bout alone. Both coaches have got some work to do with the boys, but not when it comes to courage which was outstanding.

Camden Boxing Club’s Nathan Sanfeed, faced with no possible match, stepped up and fought Cam Glass who had had many more fights than him. Sanfeed, a kid with real promise knew he would have to fight out of his skin, and he did just that. He took the fight up to the very willing Cam Glass, attempting to beat him at his own game. It worked for him in patches, but he was unable to sustain it and Glass began to dominate for longer periods and force the fight to the ropes where he does better. A clear win for Glass, but a real sign of what’s to come for this kid from an up-andcoming gym.

www.cornerman.com.au 11

JANUARY 2013

amateur boxing

September

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64kg

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A close, well fought fight between southpaw Ben Dimitrioski from Wollongong gym and well-composed Molly Sui from Redfern PCYC. Boxing fans watched a great display of technical boxing as both fighters tried to outsmart each other.

Dimitrioski kept his lead foot on the outside and stayed off the ropes for most of the fight, which resulted in a well deserved points victory.

Bondi FBI gym’s John Halabi used his speed and wide stance in the opening round to unsettle Bankstown PCYC’s Jessie Ravudi. Both fighters looked for an opening using their counter punching and head movement in order to take the lead. Ravudi managed to connect with a few good straight lefts but got hit in the process. In the last round a point taken off Ravudi

gave John Halabi the lead and a win on points.

October 2012 81kg - Molly Sui vs David Linsen Trained by world champion Daniel Geale, David Linsen was too strong for Molly Sui from Redfern PCYC. He kept Sui in the corner and on the ropes for most of the fight, squaring up and connecting with big hooks to the head and body.

But it wasn’t until the end of round three when the referee decided he had seen enough and stopped the contest.

55kg - Billy Mannix vs Andre Marciniak Another referee stoppage occurred when Andre Marciniak from Lion’s Den Boxing overwhelmed Billy Mannix with short sharp punches to the body and head. His constant pressure saw the referee give his opponent two eight counts in one round before calling the fight off and awarding Marciniak a winner

by RSCO.

November 2012 88kg - Ash Sutton Davies vs Emosi Solitua Solitua from Southern Cross Boxing had the upper hand in round one,

Armin Srour vs Andrew Wang Edward Hart Brown vs Youseff Dib Harry Nguyen vs Anton Dearnley

60kg

Alper Ozmen vs Nowric Amin

76kg

Mamdouh Sabbagh vs Steve Gardner

Winner (Pts) Winner(Pts)

Winner (Pts) Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts) Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

October

Cornerman takes a closer look at the AMATEUR boxing scene. he monthly Tuesday boxing nights at South Sydney Juniors continued to showcase some great talent from both newcomers and experienced boxers in 2012. We outline the highlights of the last three months of the year.

You can watch all the fights at www.cornerman.com.au

Matthew Johnson vs Nathan Nicolls Mickey Pengue vs Phillip Doak Padraig Dennehy vs Brad Abbott

muscling his way in, throwing big bombs and not allowing Davies from Bondi Boxing gym to use his reach. Davies got back into the fight when his opponent got tired in the later rounds but it wasn’t enough to take the lead and the judges awarded a points victory to Emosi Solitua.

64kg - Harry Nguyen vs Youseff Dib Youseff Dib has been one of the busiest amateurs of 2012 in the state and used his skill and experience well in this fight against the keen Harry Nguyen who has also been stepping up in 2012 and fighting any elite boxers in the 64kg division.

Nguyen’s relentless pressure wasn’t enough

as he was falling short and missing the mark thanks to Dib’s constant movement and smart boxing throughout the opening two rounds.

Dib’s body shot, which is starting to become his signature punch, was landing quite often, as he was able to set it up with great use of angles. The style of both boxers would suit the pro ranks and add to an exciting lightweight division.

AIBA Technical and Competition Rules When a boxer receives a referee’s warning which a majority number of judges concur was warranted, then the warned boxer’s opponent will have two (2) points added to the score by the judges pressing the appropriate button on the pad of the AIBA Scoring System.

Andre Marciniak vs Billy Mannix

70kg

Chris Ambrose vs Blake Lazich

60kg

Adam Chebib vs Jayden Vella

48kg

Justin Coelho vs Emmitt McKoskery

71kg

Philip Doak vs Padraig Dennehy

Winner (Pts)

62kg

Sarah Jalonen vs Diana Chirinos

Winner (Pts)

64kg

Alex Bolodurin vs Andrew Wang

Winner (Pts) Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

November 64kg

Ricky Catto vs Kai Dixon

72kg

Andrew Carter vs Dion Lalor Padraig Dennehy vs Jimmy Gaurdia Anthony Sgro vs Philip Doa

Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts) Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

66kg

Luke Delvecchio vs Keegan Moriarty

57kg

Jayden Vella vs Ty Telford

91kg+

Ben Battle vs Alex Trafton

52kg

Austryd Aurgate vs Eleanor Boden

Winner (Pts)

77kg

Cody Barnwell vs Michael Fisher

Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts) Winner (Pts)

Winner (Pts)

www.cornerman.com.au 13

JANUARY 2013

amateur boxing

YOUNG STARS IN THE MAKING

Rob White vs Mick Malone

Tszyu Academy put on a great display of boxing at the Croatian Club in November last year.

Natalie Cerda vs Kayleen Toohey

Pete Calvet with promoter matt Gardner

CHARITY FIGHT NIGHT

The Inglis stables in Randwick was filled with more than thousand spectators who came to support a great cause and to witness 30 males and females test their stamina, fitness and skills gained over 8 weeks of training.

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OUTHPAW Justin Weeks was pressing forward from the opening bell, trying to find the gap in Ben Johnson’s guard.

He kept the distance close but at the cost of eating some leather towards the end of round one. Both fighters looked like they had some power, but couldn’t connect clean due to their good defense. Ben Johnson was moving well outside his opponents lead foot and was able to get few scoring punches in. Judges had this contest in favor of Justin Weeks.

Transport Manager Rob White had a good reason to join the Charity Fight Night. His mum had a breast cancer and she beat it so he couldn’t say no when he was asked to join.

He was up against Mick Malone who came from Muswellbrook PCYC and was also a big supporter of the two charities.

Both fighters tried hard and wanted to win.

Headgear was an issue in Malone’s camp as it was getting undone constantly. That forced the stunt coordinator from Hunter Valley to lift his chin, which cost him the fight, as he was floored in the final round.

Airlines worker Natalie Cerda was battling with a banker named Kayleen Toohey in a well-matched contest. Both girls worked behind their jab, taller Toohey controlled the distance well. In round two Cerda stepped up the pace and connected well with a number right hand punches to the head and body. After an action packed six minute fight, judges had the scores in and awarded Kayleen Toohey a winner.

14 www.cornerman.com.au

and silver sponsor Duporth along with loads of In another exciting fight, Shannon Mullins others,” said Gardner took on Matt Lawler. Shannon Mullins was the He is very passionate about helping others less aggressor from round one, using his straight fortunate. punches to push Matt Lawler on the back foot.

“The original idea was to raise some money Lawler was looking for openings while moving for children’s hospital and the kids of Kokoda to back. Using his left hooks and short rights give them any help we could. We had normal impeccably, Lawler scored well deserved points childhoods and these kids don’t usually get that victory. Security manager Ben Battle came to so we thought lets do what we can. The second the fight well prepared and kept his composure show we though a high number of people are against a very keen to win Jarrod Byron from affected by cancer in some form in their lives.

Port Botany. Battle kept his guard up well and We really want to make a difference. That is the had vicious body shots and good uppercuts. aim, we don’t make money from these events. All Byron swung big constantly with his right hand profits go to the charities” until the last round but had to pull out with a Gardner plans to put another show in hand injury in the final round.

October this year and raise more money for two Electrician Grant Walker went toe to toe new charities. with Pete Calvet, a graphic designer. Both men did their best and judges were undecided and called it a draw after three rounds.

Promoter Matt Gardner was pleased with the night especially as they raised money for two great Nick Rudder defeated Ben Thompson charities.

Vicki Flint defeated Lauren Allen “We raised $73K that go to two Pete Wilson drawn Pete Weller charities; McGrath foundation for Simone Hairs defeated Olga Papageorgiou breast cancer and Bowel Cancer James Rees defeated James Findlay Australia. We sold out the VIP areas Joseph Podvorec defeated Garry MacGregor and had over 1000 people in total Liam Harte defeated Jason Peterson as spectators. To date the Charity Phil Watt defeated Johno Crawley Boxing Challenge has raised over James Price drawn Liam Prior $111K. The night was a big success thanks to our gold sponsor Euromaid

RESULTS

Nikita Tszyu in action

I

T is rare that boxing fans at local promotions appreciate the amateur fights more than the pros. However, that was certainly the case on this occasion with one particular bout between two Australian representatives George Kambosos from NSW and Luke Woods from Tasmania. Both boxers had just missed out on Olympic team selection in 2012 and had something to prove not only to the crowd and the Australian public, but also to themselves.

A fight of three, three-minute rounds was to determine their reign over one another. In the opening round both fighters quickly showed just why they are considered the elite of their sport with a display of speed, grace and tenacity.

Woods was slightly put off by the home crowd and made his first move with an overhand, which missed its mark. The crowd got worked up and Kambosos moved into retaliate. Kambosos, with his pit-bull demeanor, tried to advance by slipping the punches but got in close into a clinch where he narrowly missed getting a hook on Woods. The referee broke them up but off they went again, testing each others form until it fell apart.

In the second round Woods opened with a jab

then a cross to the body. Undeterred, Kambosos fired back with a right hook that landed on the money but didn’t cause much harm. The pace picked up a gear as Kambosos set up a nice hook to the head after a right body shot. The crowd went wild.

Kambosos was starting to look very comfortable and was controlling the fight at this point. He drove Woods into the corner and wore him down with moves he must have drilled a thousand times over. Woods went back to his corner looking frustrated.

In the third and final round, Woods started to sense he was falling behind and began chasing the points, but he tripped and found himself on the canvas due to Kambosos’ elusive twists and turns. That happened more than once and Woods’ frustration was visibly rising.

At this point Kambosos moved in and really started pushing his muscles around and cutting loose with some wild blows. But Woods didn’t give up by any means and met Kambosos punch for punch, unfortunately he wasn’t landing nearly as many as his opponent. Both fighters were searching desperately for the killer blow right up until the final bell rang. It was amateur boxing at

its best. Both fighters deserved victory but it could only go to one and that was the one who kept his composure and was determined to win from the very beginning - George Kambosos.

Another great amateur fight which the crowd was dying to see was the young Nikita Tszyu against South Australian Sam Ferro. Young Nikita is an absolute pleasure to watch. Although a southpaw, his style resembles more of his legendary father Kostya’s than his older brother Timothy’s. Also, his aggression is a lot more astute, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it works to his advantage and really puts his opponents on the back foot. At times he did eat a couple of unnecessary punches but that can be forgiven as he is still a little raw. He has all the attributes of a great fighter in the making. Time will tell if he can even be better than his celebrated father.

Young Nikita ended up winning convincingly, which was no surprise to the crowd.

Nikita has his sights set on the Ringside world amateur championships in the US. If you’re the betting type, it would be worth putting some money on the young up and comer. He’s definitely one to watch.

Written by Hakan Saglam.

www.cornerman.com.au 15

RESULTS

amateur boxing

FIGHT CLUB Cronulla Sharks was packed to the rafters in November when 26 amateur and two professional fighters took the ring.

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HE main event of the evening was between the local boy Jack “The Ripper” Brubaker and Chad Roy Naidu and was scheduled for six, three-minute rounds. Brubaker had fought an unblemished record of three wins prior to this fight with one knockout.

But he couldn’t find the rhythm from the opening round due to Chad’s unorthodox style of swinging haymakers and keeping his head low. The firm, but fair, referee Charlie Lucas needed to warn the shire fighter for punching the back of the head of his opponent.

It wasn’t the most technical fight from the start as there was a lot of holding and wrestling, but both boys came to win. The gap between the fighters narrowed even further after a point was taken off Brubaker in the last round which meant it could go either way.

Jack Brubaker knew he needed to step up and he did, putting the pressure on Chad who looked hurt in the corner. It was at that point that Charlie Lucas stepped in

to stop the fight.

According to the promoter and trainer Ryan Waters it was a learning curve for Jack. “There are a few things in the pipeline.

Hopefully a State Title and then an Australian Title,” he said.

A match with up-and-coming fighter Tony Bates, which the Australian public would love to see, could also be on the cards.

The semi main event was between another local, Toby Nash and Adam Blue from White Collar Boxing gym.

Adam had the reach but couldn’t keep the relentless Toby at the end of his punch. Toby, who also had two of his brothers fighting on the same night, kept his guard up and with shots from all angles to the head and body, slowly but surely started to break his opponent down. Most of the fight was fought with Adam on the ropes. Referee Fred Camp put a compulsory 8 count on Adam at the end of the round two, but after another knock down at the beginning of round three he stopped the fight and a TKO victory was awarded to Toby.

Joel Grove defeated Josh Beh (RSC rd3) Mitch Nash defeated Andy McCallum Josh Creely defeated Jason Barnes (TKO rd3) Corey Muntz defeated Nathan Jamieson Lara Rowlands defeated Kellee Purcell Matt Conroy defeated Peter Doncas Greg Duffen defeated David Tucker Johno Moody defeated Peter Joseph Tui Schwarze defeated Jodi Smedley Nick Nash drawn Angus Neil Luke Mancuso defeated James Reece Kirsten Ryan defeated Tui Schwarze

Jack Brubaker

Anja Stridsman vs Patricia Riesco

SHADOWS

IN THE NIGHT`

RESULTS Josh Creery defeated Chris Hansen (TKO) Jarod Byron defeated Colin Finnie Damien Carter defeated Jerry Carrington (TKO) Alex Bolodurin defeated Don Jansen Mat Haeusler defeated Rick Moylette Toby Nash defeated Ben Ramajam (RSC) David Garcia defeated Kevin Broderick Daniel Moser defeated Erick Tang Patricia Riasco defeated Anja Stridsman Koen Mazoudier defeated Troy O’Meley

At an event that included a farewell to a young fighter whose life ended tragically way too soon, 26 amateur boxers stepped into the ring in Bondi for another Shadow Boxer promotion in December last year.

T

HE main event of the evening was between the two distinguished amateur boxers Koen Mazoudier and Troy O’Meley.

Both fighters displayed the superior skills and technique that made them the main event the minute they got into the ring. Both were tidy punchers with good defences and both were strategic in their boxing.

During the first round O’Meley looked to be more confident and comfortable with a high volume of hits that appeared to push his opponent’s head back – something the judges are always looking for when awarding points.

O’Meley came into the second round swinging hard, which put Mazoudier off his game for a few seconds but he managed to cover up until he regained his composure. He started to come into his own and get some good shots on his opponent towards the end of the second round.

Although O’Meley came into the third round all guns blazing again, it was Mazoudier who controlled the fight from that point onwards.

Even from the ropes, Mazoudier was punching and scoring and moving his opponent around the ring.

The first round might have been O’Meley’s but the judges awarded the fight to Mazoudier.

The semi-main event between Anja Stridsman and Patricia Riesco was the only female bout of the evening.

The fight was a comeback of sorts for Riesco who has been away from the ring for almost a year.

Both girls used their high levels of fitness and went into the fight hard.

Stridsman seemed to get the better of her opponent towards the end of the first round and was pounding in the body shots with Riesco on the ropes. She also managed to land a few hooks as Patricia extricated herself from the ropes.

Riesco got a good shot on Stridsman mid way through the second round that sent her head back while she was on the ropes. Stridsman’s volume was much higher but when she did strike perhaps Riesco’s punches were hitting their mark more often.

The second round got a little scrappy towards the end as both girls started to tire.

But the third and final round was very entertaining with lots of clinching and simultaneous punching, as both girls realised how close the fight was and how much they had to give if they wanted to win it.

In a split decision Riesco was awarded the victory.

In other fights the third bout of the night was definitely noteworthy and the MC was right when it called it “highly entertaining”.

Not only did it include a number of warnings to both parties for repeated misdemeanours but a one-point deduction to Chris Hansen, while Josh Creery received an 8-count, for punching after the referee said stop. Hansen was obviously remorseful and didn’t contest the decision.

The third round saw Hansen receive a number of 8-counts and the referee eventually stopped the bout in Creery’s favour as his opponent started stumbling around the ring.

The fight between Alex Bolodurin and Don Jansen saw Bolodurin’s patience and thoughtfulness pay off against what appeared to be a stronger opponent. After a scatty first round, he cleverly ducked and weaved his opponent’s attack and was in and out as soon as he scored the points.

In the quickest bout of the evening Jarod Byron had Colin Finnie flat on his back with a hook in what felt like less than 10 seconds after the first round bell had rung. Finnie wasn’t out cold and tried to convince the referee that he could continue, but no to avail.

Look out for the next Shadow Boxer promotion.

www.cornerman.com.au 17

JANUARY 2013

amateur boxing

FIGHTER PROFILE:

JOEY WILLIAMS

Competing in two sporting disciplines is difficult for any athlete so this year Joey Williams is going to concentrate on boxing, he tells Cornerman the lessons he learned in 2012.

W

HAT made you to switch from footy to boxing?

I have grown up in and out of boxing gyms and always had a great interest in boxing. In 2007 I was out of form and approached Johnny Lewis for a bit of extra fitness training. I guess from that point on I gained further interest and momentum. I had a really poor season in 2008 where I started with the Penrith Panthers and then made a mid-season switch to the Bulldogs. Midway through that 2008 season, I was mentally drained from rugby league, and wanted a switch. I approached Johnny again and began training full time. Since that time I have still juggled football during the season and boxing pre and post football season. Not having any amateur fights, it is a tough way to learn on the job. In 2013 I am concentrating solely on boxing - to see how far I can go.

How different is training for boxing compared to footy?

The training is very different. Boxing is a lot more cardio based where rugby league is about strength and power with the modern game. Size is a major difference. I played in the NRL at 82kg – and I won my recent title at 63.5kg.

How would you sum up your boxing year in 2012?

My 2012 was great - I only had three fights due

to coaching a local Rugby League team in Dubbo (Dubbo CYMS). I had two wins and one draw. The last win was the WBF Australasian title and was a great step in the right direction for me.

That was your first title fight, did you find it different to prepare for 10 rounds compare to the previous fights?

Preparing for a 10-round fight was a great challenge. Not only because of the physical preparation but because I was coming down to the 63.5kg limit for the first time so I had to be fully focused for a long period of time. My preparation for the title fight was around 10 weeks. Juggling boxing training and the end of the rugby league season was difficult. It all worked out in the end so I was happy. I got the win so that’s even better!

How did you feel in the fight? Did you feel in control?

I felt in control with the fight, however I was cut fairly badly in the third round. I became impatient and started to chase the knockout punch. I became worried as I was the promoter and had put a lot of time and effort into the event also, I didn’t want to see the people leave on a sour note with a draw (as it was ruled by AHC). Once I got past the fourth round I began to get back to my plan of slowly wearing my opponent down (I knew he hadn’t been past five rounds) as I had the stamina to go 10 rounds. My jab was working well and

when I hurt him on the ropes with a straight left hand, I went on to finish him. I was relieved when the ref waved it off, as this was a great reward for the hard work and sacrifice along the way.

Have you been hurt at any stage?

Twelve months prior the title win, I suffered my first defeat against Brendan Bomber Batty when I was knocked out in the second round. Looking back I know my inexperience cost me dearly. I rushed the fight and went looking for the big shot when I thought I hurt him. By far my biggest lesson is to be patient and don’t chase the knockout.

What is planned for JW team in 2013?

In 2013 we plan to have a bigger year than we have yet. Whilst still learning, I am planning on testing myself in deeper waters. I have a title defense locked in for April 20th. I am not playing rugby league in 2013 so we are planning of having at least six 6-round fights and learning along the way.

Oscar Peppitt victorious

WITH GLOVES

On Friday December 7th Corporate Fighter held another spectacular evening at the Roundhouse, inside the University of NSW.

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HE night began with a heavyweight explosion bout, featuring Ben Wright and Brad Hardman. In Hardman’s first fight back since his teenage years, he stuck it to the taller Wright in the first round, who did a good job holding off Hardman with his lengthy jab. Hardman, who tragically lost his leg in a car accident as a teenager, showed he still has what it takes to be in their with one of NSW’s best amateur fighters. In the end Wright’s experience won him a very close split decision victory.

Third fight of the night was a battle of the masters, whereby 41 year old Chris ‘the Brighton Bomber’ Georgopolous, and 47 year old Mike ‘Spike’ Hughes showed nothing but youth, as they traded blows from start to finish.

A definite contender for fight of the night, and a real spectacle to show the younger boys how it’s done. The ‘Brighton Bomber’ was too relentless in his offense and took a well-fought victory with a unanimous points decision.

An international bout followed with Englishmen Gareth Linnard taking centre ring to battle the Australian Nick Hughes Jones.

In a bout that resembled a hard fought 5 day ashes test match, the Aussie boy, with a huge local fan base getting behind him, used his enormous reach to tap away at the Englishmen.

The Pom had other ideas, as he moved towards his opponent ferociously swinging with knock out intent. After 6 minutes of back and forward

18 www.cornerman.com.au

action, the Aussies reach proved too much, and his hand was raised in victory.

The Australia v England flavour continued in to the later bouts, setting the crowd in to a patriotic frenzy. In a fight that had the Aussie, ‘Slippery’ Will Tomasetti tipped as favourite, the crowd were stunned when Englishmen Matty ‘The King’ Fisher came out on top after the first round, with a display that showed his intent was to not let the judges decide this one. True to his name, ‘Slippery’ Will dodged and weaved the merciless attack of the determined Fisher, as his counter punch took its toll, the Englishmen ran out of puff and the Australians put another victory on the board.

In the third installment of the Australia v England Series, local boy Oscar Peppitt and recent import Tom ‘Electric Shock’ Watt put the icing on the cake, with the best of the international fights. In the usual Pommy fashion, ‘Electric Shock’ Watt came out swinging with definite bad intentions. Peppitt panicked in the first round, though after a minute in the corner with Master trainer Johnny Lewis and the rest of Team Peppitt, he soon found his rhythm, and put on a lovely display of boxing. Tom Watt, coming off a recent victory was certainly not going out without a fight, however his fitness let him down in the third and deciding round. Peppitt’s patience and superior fitness earned him a wellfought victory.

England needed something special to claw

back at least one victory for the evening, and it was going to take a little touch of magic. That magic came in the form of Michael ‘The Mayor of Magic Town’ Steele. In another grueling battle, both Steele and his opponent Phillip Manwarring put it all on the line and didn’t leave any questions unanswered, as they peppered one another in 6 minutes of toe-to-toe action.

The Magic Man proved to well prepared for the older Manwarring, and had answers to everything the Australian through at him. Steele did enough for the judges to award him the unanimous points decision, and the England fans breathed a sigh of relief as they finally put a win on the board.

The night took a dramatic turn, when 3 gorgeous dancers graced the square circle with a Vegas style cabaret show. This was only setting up what was to come, as Corporate Fighter featured their first ever-female fight. If this fight was anything to go off, Corporate Fighter will be searching Sydney for more female participants, as this bout was voted ‘Fight of the Night’, and for good reason. Both Lisa ‘two time’ Townson and Clara Chua deserved every second of the standing ovation they received from the 500 strong crowds. In another split decision, the local girl from Kogarah did enough to earn her the victory. Townson dedicated the fight to her grandfather, who had only passed away days before the fight.

www.cornerman.com.au 19

JANUARY 2013

PRO boxing

BORG

READY FOR BIGGER FIGHTS

In just his third fight Valentine Borg is looking to wrap his NSW first professional belt around his waist.

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FTER a successful amateur career, Borg switched into the paid ranks last July and in only two fights, fought fighters with a combined record of over 70 fights.

First he was up against Kane Buckley at the Bonnyrigg Serbian Club, where he won unanimously on all three cards over four rounds.

Then a few months later he fought Roberto Oyan on Controlled Aggression 3 in a six rounder.

Oyan has had over 50 fights. Borg was once again too strong, too good and we can’t see any other up-and-coming professional holding a flame to this young NSW prospect. (watch both fights on www.cornerman.com.au) His trainer Mark Grech explained to Cornerman

that it was extremely hard to match him.

“We’ve had to get him hard fights as it seems like everyone tries to protect their record,” he says.

In his upcoming eight rounder for a NSW State Title, Borg is scheduled to fight Philippine-born Allan Jay Tuniacao who has had 17 pro fights, fought and won a PABA title and drawn a fight with another Australian representative Qamil Balla.

Grech is very confident. He has high aspirations for Borg and wants to keep his fighter busy in 2013. The strategy is for another three to four good fights before aiming for another title.

“Our goal is by the end of the year to have a crack at the Aussie title” Check out our April issue for more about this hot new pro.

At the JNI show earlier last year

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nother very promising fighter is young Glen Purvis who is well known on the Thaiboxing circuit. Glen is going to make his professional boxing debut on February 9, on the Controlled Aggression 4.

His boxing trainer is Mark Grech, so he will be well prepared.

‘We’ve been training boxing for the last 4 to 5 months and he is looking really good. He’s been getting good sparring with Val (Borg) and can hold his own with him and dominates most of the guys that have been boxing for some time.’

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JANUARY 2013

PRO boxing

KATSIDIS STRIVES FOR A WORLD TITLE

Michael Katsidis got into boxing in order to defend himself against his brother. Now he is seeking out the best in his field to train with to give him the right skills to defend himself against the best in the world.

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OOWOOMBA-born lightweight boxer Michael Katsidis spent every morning of his holiday period being put through the paces under the supervision of legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, preparing for his warm-up fight on February 21, 2013 in Melbourne.

“There’s sacrifices in life you have to make and I believe boxing is the hardest trade in the world and this is the sacrifice so as long as it takes I’m going to be here,” he says.

Holding his arm straight out, mimicking how he used to defend against his brother who passed away suddenly in 2010, he explains why he started with boxing, “My brother kept beating me up, he was only a little guy and he used to be very aggressive, he was a jockey see,” he says, “Once he got hold of you he’d do anything to win.”

He has relocated from sunny Queensland to training with Johnny Lewis in Sydney. The veteran trainer has given the young Katsidis a new understanding of the sport.

“Now I see the way he holds the pads, he gets the mind thinking and it’s the repetitive stuff that he does and the consistency with his work. You know, he just brings a lot of wisdom, so I believe from what I’ve noticed he’s going to keep my natural aggression, but just add a few changes to polish me off.”

Katsidis believes that he can give the sport a boost by fighting big fights on home soil in order to bring fight fans to the stadium.

Lewis has been successful in training six of his fighters to win World titles and he feels the 32 year old has the goods to deliver.

EVENT

“I don’t think it’s beyond him, I do believe that your gym work has a big bearing on the fight nights and what Michael has given us, even in the very early stages, shows he’s a glutton for

working hard and he is surrounded by good blokes at the gym. I think it is still a chance for Michael being a legitimate World Champion,” Lewis says.

Katsidis training with his master trainer

PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS R

UPCOMING EVENTS

DATE

VENUE

CITY/SUBURB

Mundine vs Geale 2

30th Jan

Sydney Entertaintment Centre

Sydney

Daniel Ammann, David Aloua, Jamie Pitman, Zac Awad

Controlled Aggression 4

9th Feb

Windsor Function Centre

Windsor

Val Borg, Leroy Brown, Kye MacKenzie, Glen Purvis

Australian Championships 2013

10-16th Feb

Magic Milion Sales Auditorium

Morpettville SA

All the best selections

All Sorts Fights

15th Feb

All Sorts Gymnasium

Alexandria

Garth Wood

Barry Michael Boxing

21st Feb

Melbourne Pavilion

Flemington VIC

Czar Amonsot, Samuel Colomban, Michael Katsidis, Qamil Balla

J-N-I

22nd Feb

Civic Centre

Hurstville

Junior Talipeau

Bad Intentions

29th Feb

Greek Club

West End VIC

Mark Flanigan, Daniel McKinnon, Shannon ‘Shaggy’ King

Controlled Aggression 5

9th March

The Roxy

Parramatta

Jack Brubaker, Shane Quinn, Aaron Lai

Elite Fight Night 19

29th March

St Marys Band Club

St Marys

TBA

Shadowboxer

6th April

Bondi RSL

Bondi Junction

Ranee Ganoy

22 www.cornerman.com.au

F O E S U B A D N A E S U THE

HIGHLIGHTS

EMEMBER the first time you ever took a pre-workout supplement?

Which one was it? No Xplode, Super Pump, Jack3D? Whichever it was I bet there’s a good chance you ran around in circles like a little girl telling your friends that you’d discovered the greatest supplement in the world And then what happened?

One day it just didn’t feel the same You took your usual one scoop, waited a few minutes and then ... A little bit of a buzz but certainly no “high” feeling like you used to get.

Then you went to two scoops.

And for some of you, even three scoops or more.

And then came the crash...

If you relate to the above scenario: you are not alone.

More people are burning out everyday from the use and abuse of pre-workout supplements than ever before.

I’m not here to tell you that they are bad, screw that, I love taking pre-workout supplements!

What I am here to do is teach you why you’re burning out and what you can do to make sure you bounce back and are able to take these supplements for many years to come.

Why are you burning out?

Most pre-workout supplements contain high doses of caffeine and other stimulants such as the now illegal: 1,3-dimethylamylamine or “DMAA” which is so strong that is has been compared to the drug “speed”.

When you consume stimulants a message is sent to the brain to allow the release of adrenalin.

Adrenalin is produced in the “adrenal glands” which sit just above your kidneys.

Think of these two little glands as your body’s “fuel tanks”.

By consuming more and more caffeine you put stress on the adrenal glands but these poor little guys can only produce so much adrenalin each day.

Therefore the reason most of you are burning out is because you’re not giving your body enough time to put “fuel back in the tanks”.

Now the million-dollar question is: “How do we keep the tanks full avoid burnout?”

The simple answer is: “cycle” your pre workouts.

Doing a “cycle” to some people can mean taking certain illegal substances but for the purposes of this article a “cycle” simply means a short period of time lasting four to six weeks.

By taking your pre-workout supplements for one cycle followed by one week off, during which you take in almost no stimulants you will allow your body to fill the tanks back up and get you ready to kick ass in the gym once more.

In this “off week” you need to use some discipline: No energy drinks, no pre-workouts, no thermogenics, nothing with caffeine whatsoever.

That being said, this situation usually leads to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, anxiety and low energy.

So to find the perfect balance let me introduce you to my friend Ricky: Ricky loves pre workouts So much so that there was one stage when he was taking the following every morning: - Two scoops of Jack3d - Two scoops of 1MR Both of these contain caffeine and DMAA in BIG doses This morning cocktail of Ricky’s had 1,200mg of caffeine as well as a sh*tload of other stimulants.

The guy was taking over a gram of caffeine in one go!

To give you an idea of how extreme this is: one cup of coffee has approximately 80mg of caffeine

per serve so Ricky was taking in the equivalent of 15 cups of coffee!

Needless to say Ricky was burning out So I pulled him aside, made him drop all supplements for one week and take only a double espresso each morning Within a few days he was literally a new man, he no longer had dark circles under his eyes, he had way more energy, his skin was a lot healthier and he still performed well in the gym.

Ricky was saved, and he now enjoys doing short cycles of his favourite pre workout: 1MR, but now he takes one scoop instead of four and he still gets a good buzz.

So pay attention to the above story and make sure if you ever start heading in the direction of becoming another “Ricky” you pull yourself aside, end the cycle and take a break.

You will stop burning out, you will get your energy back and your body will love you for it.

Christian Baker is the co owner of 3 GNC nutritional supplement stores located in: Rockdale, Bondi Junction and Birkenhead Point NSW, Australia.

He is also the founder of www. preworkoutsecrets.com You can also follow him @www.twitter.com/ ChristianB1986

www.cornerman.com.au 23

PRO boxing

: H S A C S V Y T I L I CREDIB

JANUARY 2013

THE TALE OF TWO FIGHTERS

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HE IBF Middleweight world title clash between Anthony “The Man” Mundine and reigning champion Daniel “The Real Deal” Geale at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 30th January sees two fighters pitted against each other at vastly different stages of their careers. For Mundine, the former two-time WBA Super Middleweight champion, it is undoubtedly his last chance to gain the long-desired credibility he has craved on a world stage and for Geale, it is his opportunity to make some serious money after some modest returns in his previous world title defences.

At 37 years of age, Mundine, the former rugby league star, seems past his best and is desperate to turn his stalled career around by defeating the well-regarded Geale. To see where Mundine’s career is heading it is worth looking at his career so far. By the time of the fight, Mundine will be entering his thirteenth year as a pro fighter with a respectable career record of 44 wins from 48 fights. Three out of his four defeats have come in world title fights, with just the one major blimp against fellow Aussie Garth Wood that came at a time where Mundine himself readily admits that he had other priorities.

It was in the early trailblazing years of his fight career that Mundine almost singlehandedly revived interest in Australian boxing through his celebrity status as a former football champion.

Switching sports mid-career, Mundine’s goal was to fulfil his life-long ambition of being a professional boxer and emulate the deeds of his father Tony Mundine, the highly regarded champion of the 1970s.

The brashness of Mundine has been one of the factors that has resulted in the Australian public either loving or hating him and it was this characteristic that saw the cocky Sydneysider step into the ring against world champion Sven Ottke in Germany very early in his career. The 10th round KO loss against Ottke has often been used by his critics as a demonstration of Mundine having a suspect chin, but it fails to take into account some of the key facts surrounding the fight. The reality is that Mundine was fighting against an undefeated world champion who was competing in his 13th world title bout, two more than Mundine’s entire fight career to that point. Ottke enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an amateur,

24 www.cornerman.com.au

By Sean Castle

competing in 3 Olympic Games and winning a bronze medal at the world amateur championships in a 308 fight amateur career. Mundine had less than 5 amateur fights and had no real right to even be in the ring with a fighter of the calibre of the German at that stage of his career. It puts things into perspective when you consider that Ottke went on to finish his career as an undefeated unified world champion (IBF and WBA Super Champion) who defended his belt on 22 occasions and it is worth noting that for a good section of the fight, Mundine threatened to cause a boil over when he dominated the early to mid stages of the bout.

Many critics have labelled Mundine as finished and that is exactly what “The Man” thrives on. He loves to prove people wrong and he will be motivated to do so against all “the haters” who thrive whenever he fails. This bout is shaping up as the biggest local fight in Australian boxing history, surpassing even the Mundine versus Green clash in 2006 for interest and revenue, and has one of the most prestigious belts up for grabs for the winner. Mundine will again be looking at raising his game to a level many believe he has not reached since the Green fight, when he steps into the ring against Geale and he will need to do just that to have a chance. He will need to be able to vary his tactics and come at Geale off the front foot and also rely on his counter-punching speed when in trouble if he is to win the famous red IBF belt.

When this pair last met, Mundine pipped Geale in a dubious split-decision victory in Brisbane in 2009. On that occasion Geale went into the fight holding the lightly regarded IBO belt and was looking to make Mundine the first big scalp on his record. But it wasn’t to be.

Queensland boxing cards have a long reputation for delivering questionable outcomes and many thought Geale was robbed of his IBO title with some unsubstantiated reports that Mundine supporters were pressuring the judges.

The aftermath of this first fight included an IBO investigation into the outcome of the bout which resulted in an order for an immediate rematch to occur. Mundine opted against another fight and vacated his newly acquired belt.

Since 2009 the careers of both fighters have gone in vastly different directions.

Mundine, recently split from his long-time manager and mentor Khoder Nassar, has made some questionable choices that have impacted his long-stated desire to fight the best in the world and take the American boxing scene by storm. This has included his choice of opponents and his unsustainable decision to drop down to the junior middleweight division.

For a fighter on the wrong side of his mid-30s who successfully campaigned as a super middleweight, attempting to drop down two weight divisions led to people questioning the path Mundine’s management was leading him down. His choice of opponents in this period has also left Mundine open to the charge that he was just taking a lend of the boxing public and was more content to make money against outclassed opponents, than challenge himself on the world stage.

Locals Robert Medley, Ryan Waters and Garth Wood, all well regarded domestic fighters, were lined up as well as lowlyranked international fighters Xavier Toliver and Carlos Adan Jerez. None of these bouts reached any great heights and Mundine also lost his only fight to an Aussie when he was sensationally knocked out by Wood in 2010. Even in the rematch Mundine looked far from his best as he laboured to a tight points win over the limited Wood.

A convincing win over the WBA top-ranked Mexican Rigoberto Alvarez for the WBA interim World light middleweight title failed to reignite Mundine’s career. This was followed by a 7th round TKO win against 41 year old American Bronco McKart in front of only a handful of fans in Las Vegas back in July and left Mundine’s career going nowhere until Geale’s management came calling.

Contrastingly, the career of Geale has gone in the opposite direction since his first contest against Mundine. The former Commonwealth Games gold medallist went about building his world ranking by winning the regional IBF Pan Pacific belt against the credible Brazilian Samir Santos Barbos. Geale’s management team at Grange Old School Boxing deserve credit for their plotting of the path to a world title shot via a recognised IBF title eliminator against the tough Russian Roman Karmazin in Sydney in late 2010. Karmazin, a former IBF

light middleweight champion, had just lost a highly controversial world title bout against then champion Sebastian Sylvester via a split-decision in Germany.

The 12th round stoppage of Karmazin proved to be the perfect preparation for the Tasmanian who defied all the odds and boxing history by venturing into the shark-infested waters of Germany and pinching Sylvester’s belt via a split decision. It was often remarked until this point that you needed to knock out a German to walk away with a draw in Germany but Geale proved he had the mettle of a champion by becoming the first Australian-born fighter to go overseas and return home with a recognised world title.

Two successful defences in his home state of Tasmania against tough Nigerian champion Eromosele Albert and a mandatory bout against No 1 contender Osumanu Adama followed. Geale then proved that he was serious about taking on the best of the best by venturing back to Germany to challenge long-term WBA title holder Felix Sturm in a unification bout in September. With both his IBF belt and Sturm’s WBA title up for grabs it was again the Australian who came home with all the goodies. Immediate challenges made to the great Argentine Sergio Gabriel Martinez, the WBC Champion, went unanswered, leading Geale to look at his short-term options.

The idea of giving Aussie boxing fans the fight they craved against Mundine, and the obvious financial benefits, appealed to the reigning world titlist. And it also provides Geale with the opportunity to correct the only blemish on his record.

For Mundine, who has often spoken of his own greatness and his desire to be the best, it gives him the opportunity to gain the credibility he craves and finally put all the doubters in their place by defeating a recognised world champion who is at the top of his game.

For Mundine, the chance to hold a belt that once belonged to some of the modern era’s most prestigious champions including “Marvellous” Marvin Hagler, Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins, has the former rugby league champion primed to deliver the performance of his career. He will need to do just that if he is to wrest the world championship away from the very worthy Daniel Geale.

www.cornerman.com.au 25

JANUARY 2013

PRO boxing Photos by Milos Lekovic.

Val Borg vs Robert Oyan

CONTROLLED

3 N O I S S E R G AG

stood out most was between Daniel Lewis and Tom Watson. Lewis started the first round a little slower than his usual explosive opening but it didn’t take him too long to find his pace. In the second round he exploded with a flurry of punches and the referee gave Watson an eight count. Watson had a hard time trying to keep his mouthguard in place and after a number of warnings by the referee, the fight was stopped and Lewis was awarded the victory.

Another cracker fight on the amateur cards was between Brendan Saunders and Youssef Dib. Saunders, who looked like a puncher, wanted to stand toe-to-toe and just bang it out but Dib’s elusive style of working the ring with elegant footwork and lateral movement made it difficult for Saunders. It was obvious that Dib was throwing what seemed to be three times as many punches as Saunders. The judges appeared to agree and Dib was awarded the victory by points.

The next Controlled Aggression fight night is scheduled for February 9, 2013. Expect more quality amateur and pro boxing bouts, with names such as Leroy Brown, Val Borg and Kye McKenzie likely to feature. Be sure not to miss it.

Hard hitting Daniel Lewis in action

Boxing fans from around Sydney made the long journey to Windsor to watch some of the best boxers that Sydney has to offer from both the professional and amateur ranks. Hakan Saglam reports.

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HUNDER Boxing held its third consecutive boxing promotion late last year which consisted of a very exciting fight card.

The highly entertaining Gairy St Clair – a veteran of the sport and former world champion was the main event, fighting against the younger 27-year-old Filipino Joel De La Cruz. This fight was scheduled for 10 rounds.

St Clair came out in his usual flamboyant fighting style with his hands low, ducking and weaving De La Cruz’s punches. St Clair was making De La Cruz second guess his attacking

strategy as he was constantly changing his stance from orthodox to southpaw.

It took De La Cruz a few rounds to get a handle on his opponent’s style. De La Cruz was finding it difficult to land a punch, as St Clair was sly, at times escaping deftly out of his opponent’s reach.

From the mid rounds it was obvious St Clair was having fun and putting on a show for the crowd.

It’s clear that this boxing veteran has got plenty left in the tank and has more to offer boxing fans.

St Clair clearly won by a unanimous decision on points.

A recent newcomer to the pro-boxing circuit is Gairy ‘Superman’ StClair on the front foot

Val Borg. In only his second pro-boxing fight, he took on Robert Oyan, who is a more experienced international boxer. This was supposed to be a tough fight for Borg, but his power was already on display in the opening rounds. He really put Oyan in his place. Borg’s relentless jabs severely dented Oyan’s confidence. The only time Oyan had the upper hand was for a few seconds in the third round where he had Borg cornered and landed some hard blows. But, displaying that he has a hard chin, Borg pivoted out of the corner and continued his jabs and body blows.

Borg won this fight unanimously with the judges scoring it 60-54, 60-53, and 60-54 in his favor.

Keep an eye out for this fighter, as this is sure to be just the beginning of a great pro-boxing career.

Borg’s next scheduled fight is for the vacant NSW lightweight title.

Also on the card was another lightweight bout between Aaron Davies from Tamworth and James Kinsela from Sydney. On the books Kinsela was going in as the favourite with a record of 2-0, whereas Davies’ was yet to win his first pro boxing bout (0-2). Kinsela opened the round strong but got caught with a body shot in the second round.

The mandatory eight count was given to Kinsela and he boxed on. It wasn’t too long before he found himself on the canvass as Davies targeted the mid section. Unable to recover the referee stopped the fight ruling it a second round TKO. On the amateur cards, one of the fights that

Aaron Davis victorious

www.cornerman.com.au 27

JANUARY 2013

PRO boxing

A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL DANN “THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES” Michael Dann was a father and a husband with a big heart, and had a personality that was larger than life. Hakan Saglam writes. Photos by Milos Lekovic

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TRUE ambassador for boxing, Michael will always be remembered for his contribution to amateur boxing as well as in the pro boxing scene for his partnership with the infamous Bill “Break Even” Mordey.

On 24 October 2012, the who’s who of boxing gathered at South Sydney Junior Leagues Club for a fight night in tribute to Michael Dann.

The main event, Ben “The Juicer” McCulloch vs Les “Diamond” Piper, was the fight that stole the show.

McCulloch opened the round nicely with perfectly placed straight punches. At first it appeared he had the upper hand, but Piper finished the round with an outburst of combinations.

Piper felt the power of his opponent’s right hand in the second round when McCulloch slipped the jab and

countered with a cross. Piper hit the deck for the mandatory 8 count. He was clearly dazed, struggling back to his corner as the round ended.

Piper, realizing the fight was slipping from his grasp, had to dig deep in the third round.

His combinations started to show desperation.

McCulloch tried to end it with some big shots but narrowly missed his target.

The middle rounds saw both fighters change their game plan, with McCulloch switching to southpaw and Piper attacking with diagonal movements. It seemed to be working for McCulloch as he dropped Piper for the second time. In the sixth round a cut opened above Piper’s left eye, possibly from a head clash.

McCulloch saw the opportunity to finish him off and unleashed a relentless onslaught.

Piper’s fighting spirit

Les Piper down for the count

MEET

” R E C I U J E H “T Ben McCulloch made his professional boxing debut in 2008.

Since then he’s had 11 fights and 11 wins. He talks to Cornerman about his passion for the sport and the future.

prevailed with his primal instinct to survive. He was one tough cookie and would not go down easily in what was the best round of the fight.

In the ninth, Piper was walking straight through

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McCulloch’s punches. Piper was taking a chance, wanting to even the score in old school fashion– toe to toe. Two minutes in, McCulloch was lining Piper up with his left, and when he saw that window, BANG! The Juicer unleashed his killer right and knocked Piper out cold.

It took about a minute for Piper come back to earth; as soon as he regained consciousness he jumped to his feet and congratulated his successor. It was a testament to Piper’s toughness that looked like he wanted to continue fighting!

The mongrel in Piper was best put by McCulloch.

“He’s a very tough, ugly, vicious fighter.”

McCulloch said in good jest. “Every time he went down I was praying that he stayed down.”

The undercards were quite a spectacle and had the fans pumped for the main event.

James Beard finished his opponent Kashif Mumtaz after four rounds of oneway traffic. The referee stopped the fight after giving Mumtaz the 8 count in the fourth.

Zac “The Shaker” Awad outclassed and outmuscled his opponent, Dechapon Suwunnalird from Thailand, dropping the Thai fighter with a body jab in the first round.

When asked if he took this fight too lightly, Awad replied, “You can’t take anyone lightly. I learnt my last lesson with Les Piper and I paid the price.

So I need to be my best for every fight.” “Shotgun” Shannon O’Connell defeated her opponent Pimchanok Ruamwong with consummate skill in a third round victory.

Kurt Barham won via unanimous decision against Dan Roy Russell and Adrian Campbell defeated Rob Whaley, also by unanimous decision.

All in all, it was a great night of boxing that would have surely put a smile on Michael Dann’s face.

In memory of Michael Dann.

OW did you get started in boxing?

I remember my first training session. I had a keen interest in boxing for years and had trained at home for about a year solo just attacking a punching bag! I walked into the gym for the first time and the trainer, the living legend Mick Magnay, threw some gloves on me and I began sparring that day.

How before you had your first (amateur) fight?

Two months How did you feel before your first fight? Did everything go according to plan?

I remember telling my dad on the drive down to the fight my seasoned game plan - dance like Mohammed Ali, jab and move, jab and move. Then I went out there with my chin up in the air, throwing haymakers and getting hit lots until I stopped him in round three.

I was so nervous before the fight. I urinated in my pants about two minutes before I went out there! These days I feel focused and a little angry - really focused. I operate like a surgeon.

Do you think that anger is important in this game?

Not anger. But a bit, or a lot, of a violent side.

I love putting people down and out with perfect knockouts. But it’s not just the knockout, it’s the timing and the set up from hard work. It’s not about seeing people hurt.

Outside of the ring I hate seeing people hurt. Street fights and general violence sickens me. But in the ring I love it!

Have you ever been worried for your opponents in the ring?

I quit boxing after my second amateur fight for three months. I won by another KO but this one was really bloody. I wasn’t used to it. But since then no [I haven’t been worried for opponents] We’re in the hurt game. We both know what we’re in there for.

How did you get your fight

name “the Juicer”?

I gave it to myself! It was at height of Choc and Greeny’s popularity.

Their nicknames are boring. Mine’s funny. I’m funny. My one concern, in retrospect, is with the steroid craze that’s exploded since I first started calling myself ‘The Juicer’ is that people might think I take steroids!

As a full time pro, can you make living from boxing?

I certainly hope so. Where there’s a will there’s a way. And when you are talented, marketable and a bit of a hottie you can - I hope. I have aspirations to get much, much better, so I think I can make a living from it.

Who is behind Team Juicer’?

Tony Del Vecchio - the fast-talking Italian stallion is my trainer and guides my career. Lee Webber helps manage me and Gary Mason is my manager.

What is next for you in 2013?

This year I will defend the titles I earned against international opponents. I’m looking forward to it.

Who and when I can’t say exactly but it will be in the next few months. That’s why I’m busting my arse over here in the states with Sakio (Bika), getting ready, getting better and training harder than ever before.

Can you walk us through the Les Piper fight for the title?

I’d never seen him fight except against Nader. He was what I’d expected. Coming forward and tough, angry, competitive. But I didn’t expect such relentless and strong recoveries from my flush right hands on his chin. It was impressive. I set him up well with counter right hands and my power was up, but my punch count was crap and my balance a little off. I was inexperienced having not fought past 6 rounds before. I will be so much fitter for my next fight.

Is there anything you would like to add for our readers?

Thank you for the support. Bang bang bang - The Juicer is knocking on the international door. Whatever I do, I do with conviction. I believe in God unfalteringly and leave the rest to him.

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JANUARY 2013

PRO boxing

FIGHTER PROFILE:

GREEN NOT DONE YET

SHANNON O’CONNELL S

He might be 39 years old but ‘The Green Machine’ showed he was still capable of winning a word title when he took on Shane Cameron in November last year.

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FTER losing his IBO Cruiserweight Title to Antonio Tarver and an unsuccessful bid to get the WBO Title off Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Danny Green showed fans that even at one year shy of 40 he is still a champ, after a points decision over the tough New Zealander Shane Cameron.

In a very emotional post-fight interview, he

thanked his trainer Angelo Hyder but wasn’t able to tell the audience he’d had his final fight.

“I’ve been through the tough times. I’ve been knocked out. I’ve taken on the best fighters in the world. I’ve just taken on a heavyweight and I’m just a blown up light heavyweight,” he said.

Cameron, who came down from heavyweight for the fight, couldn’t showcase his power or skill over the 12 rounds in Melbourne’s

Hisense Arena.

In the main supporting bout Wild Will Tomlinson defeated Panama’s Irving Berry in a unanimous points decision. Tomlinson kept the fight on the inside and by working his hooks and uppercuts he managed to convince the ringside judges to award the fight in his favour -120105, 117-108, 119-106. It was the second defense of his IBO Featherweight Title.

HANNON O’Connell from Queensland was one of the first female boxers in Australia to really make her mark on the sport, but family commitments made her realize it would be difficult to spend the necessary time away from home. She tells Cornerman how her decision in 2012 to go professional re-ignited her passion for boxing, and explains the controversy surrounding the call-out to Suzie Ramadan.

How did you get started in boxing?

I had a back injury with netball and my physio told me to have a season off, so I went down to the local boxing gym down the road and got hooked.

What do you love about it?

I love how hard it is and that it is always so testing. You can always get better and learn more in boxing, and it never gets boring.

Why did you decide to go professional?

I went professional because I couldn’t handle to be away from my kids. I went on a four-week trip through Europe in September last year, which was prep for the Olympic trials with the Australian team, and I couldn’t cope. After three weeks I just needed to get home to my kids. Having that time away made me realise that I couldn’t be away for the amount of time that was required for the Olympics.

What has been your highlight so far?

So far, the highlight to me is how much support I have received. In the amateurs you don’t really get a lot of support because no one knows you

exist. Since turning pro it has been awesome and makes you want to train harder knowing that what you do is being recognised.

What are you goals and plans for this year?

In 2013 I am planning to have at least one World Title belt. Discussions are being made about a possible title fight coming up in the first few months of the year.

Do you find it difficult competing with a young family?

Yes and no. It was difficult because I had to be so strict on myself and make sure they didn’t suffer from it, but no because my kids absolutely love boxing. They love coming to training and complain if I am ever having a break.

Have you ever thought about quitting?

Absolutely! It is the hardest sport mentally and physically, and sometimes you get to a point where you just want to feel human again, but then I realise that I don’t feel human unless I’m boxing.

What was the controversy last year surrounding a potential match with Suzie Ramadan?

The fight was definitely spoken about and I am super keen for it to happen, but her team want me to build my profile a little more before it’s agreed to. I tried so hard not to disrespect Susie and her team, but that whole Facebook incident was ridiculous as they had contacted me initially about

the fight and then turned it around as if I wasn’t worthy. I think I have proved myself enough and all I want to do is fight. Good on her for wanting to protect her belt because I would most definitely be the biggest threat in her career so far and she knows it....

What advice would you give to young (or older) girls wanting to compete?

Have a go. It is an amazing sport but it is hard, very hard, so be ready for it but keep it fun. The harder you train for it the more you can enjoy yourself in the ring. I think the future of Australian Boxing in the amateurs and the professionals for women is only going to keep growing.

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Photo: SouthsideStudios Photography, Milos Lekovic

www.southsidestudios.com.au

SAM AH-SEE VS MIKE WANPRASERT

J.N.I.

MADE FOR WAR

E

VERY fight promotion has challenges with their fight cards, which are always subject to change. In this case some of the highly talented fighters that were originally scheduled to fight, couldn’t get a fight on the night due to unforeseen circumstances. Fighters such as Tony “Psycho” Bates and up-and-coming MMA fighter, Giancarlo Embradora, were just a couple of the scratched fighters.

Nonetheless there were two very special female Muay Thai fights that had the crowd on their feet.

This time they were fighting for the National Titles with Leonie Macks from SRG Thai Boxing Gym in Sydney taking on Dina Sokol from Riddler’s Gym from Western Australia. Carol Earl from No Limits Gym in Sydney was also up against Kim Townsend from Riddler’s Gym. The main event was the fight between Dina Sokol and Leonie Macks. Both fighters started with checking each other’s leg kick. A front push kick by Sokol sent Macks off balance but she regained her Muay Thai stance and the round ended fairly evenly. In the second round, the girls found themselves in the clinch trying to score with knees. It wasn’t until the third round that Macks was getting the upper hand. Her boxing skills,

JNI Promotions had their last show for 2012 on Friday 23rd November at the Hurstville Entertainment Centre. in conjunction with kicks to the mid section, were serving her well. In the last two rounds the girls really picked up the pace. Each time Macks had some space she would score with punches and kicks. To nullify this attack Sokol would come in for the clinch. At the end of the fight Macks was way better on the day and defeated Sokol on points 49-46,49-47, 48-47.

The semi-main event was the women’s title fight between Carol Earl and Kim Townsend. The crowd really got behind these girls as they have a reputation for being tough as nails. The opening round was a feeler to see what each fighter had and was quite subdued. It wasn’t until the third round that things really started smoking. Earl was scoring well with jabs, crosses and leg kicks while Townsend was trying to get in for the clinch. Earl used the ring superbly and did not fall for her opponent’s game. In the following two rounds Earl played it smart and kept on the outside picking her shots. This strategy paid off for Earl as she won by a split points decision. The fight was scored 48-47, 45-50, 48-47 in favour of Carol Earl.

It was just about an all ladies affair at the JNI show as another crowd-pleasing fight was

between two very striking ladies who could have easily been pin up models rather fighters. This bout was a three times two minute round K1 fight between Sarah Toohey and Janice “Ling Ling” Yee. As soon as the bell sounded Yee came in with a flurry of punches to the mid section. Scoring a well placed front push kick Yee then continued with her flurry up top. Toohey had no answer but to clinch and negate Yee’s attack. Soon after the referee split them up Toohey threw a front push kick that put Yee on her hind side. It was a very exciting round!

In the second round more of Yee’s boxing skills prevailed, earning her valuable points. Toohey tried to explode into Yee’s defense but could not get it going her way. In the final round Toohey started well with leg kicks but Yee soon kept her distance and saw the end of the fight without giving away anymore unnecessary points. The judges scored the fight a unanimous win to Janice “Ling Ling” Yee. It was great to see the crowd getting behind the female fighters who proved that they could put on a show which was every inch as good as their male counterparts, if not better.

Written by Hakan Saglam

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JANUARY 2013

kick boxing

If you are setting up a gym or would like information on how to increase your income through merchandising, please call SMAI for the most competitive quote.

CONQUEST 3 In a remote part of NSW, in a town called Wellington (50 km’s from Dubbo), 14 fighters gathered to take part in a conquest to become the best in their chosen discipline. Cornerman writer Hakan Saglam was there too.

A

MIXTURE of boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, MMA and even karate bouts were on the cards to entertain the country crowd at Conquest 3 in September last year.

The main event was a Full Thai Rules MASA World title fight between Rick Campbell and Thailand’s Petchtanong “Mr Perfect” Angelgym.

Campbell had his work cut out as Petchtanong’s confidence consumed the ring when his fight record was announced (142 fights – 116W, 21L, 5D). In the opening round Campbell delivered a leg kick, which Petchtanong checked and smiled back at Campbell while rubbing his shins to mock him. The crowd witnessed everything from the Ali shuffle to the moonwalk by Petchtanong in the first round. He kept a smile on his face throughout the first half of the second round until he found himself on the canvas, caused

by Campbell’s front kick. He got caught while showboating to the crowd.

Petchtanong’s smile disappeared and a change in his demeanor was now evident. The third round saw some nasty elbows being thrown by both parties but none of them caused any real damage.

Petchtanong’s experience and fighting skill was now prevailing, as the welts on Campbell’s back

and legs were clearly visible. In the fourth round Petchtanong’s smile returned and he started with his antics again. He displayed some impressive aeronautics by executing a double flying knee.

The last round was merely icing on the cake for Petchtanong, as he kept playing with his opponent.

It was an obvious victory to a more experienced and classy fighter – Petchtanong.

Promoter Phill Bennett, who also trains Petchtanong, thinks that he underestimated his opponent Campbell.

“He got the shock of his life. I’ve seen Petchtanong fight guys that were ten times better and he wiped the floor with them, but he just didn’t expect much of Ricky. He watched the couple of fights on Youtube and I think he got a good wake up in the first round.

“Between the rounds I was yelling at him ‘I’ll give you $2000 bonus to stop f*#@ing around and knock him out!’ Any Thai would go crazy and Petchtanong was trying but he just couldn’t.

“On my next promotion I have Kampan fighting Ricky Campbell in February and I will guarantee you Kampan will knock him out.”

Also on that line-up will be Daddy Cool, Joe Concha, Bruce ‘Preacher’ Macfie and Nonsai Srisuk.

The undercards consisted of one amateur boxing exhibition bout between Brock Shelley and Chris Hillet. Both fighters came out of their corners pumping the jab. Shelley added a three-punch combo to his jabs and scoring points early. In the second round Hillet landed a well-placed left hook to Shelley. Shelley took a few steps back to compose himself but soon after continued with his three punch combo.

Hillet was successful a few more times with that left hook in the remainder of the round. The third round saw more of the same tactics from Hillet, throwing that left hook. By the end of the round you could see the frustration on Shelley’s face. It was a great exhibition bout that showcased the excellent boxing skills of both fighters.

Another crowd pleaser was the four-man eliminator final between Blair Bennett and Brayden Mirabell. This was a modified MMA bout where no striking to the head or striking while on the canvas was allowed. Both fighters had to earn their spot by defeating their opponents in the semi-finals just only moments before the final.

There were some impressive judo throws and grappling skills displayed. Mirabell caught Bennett in a submission hold in the first round that forced Bennett to tap out.

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JANUARY 2013

kick boxing

FIGHTER PROFILE:

Mark Payne vs Nick Martin

SHELLEY DOBLE

Daniel Goo sh lifting Sc ott Bullock of th e ground

Shelley Doble may have started in kickboxing just three years ago but already has four titles under her belt. She answers a few questions for Cornerman.

vs Danielle Vass e Shelley Dobl

Photos by Shelly Barnes

Age: 28 Marital Status: Married Fighting Name: Don’t have one, yet.

Fight Record: 8 Wins 1 TKO 1 Loss Trainer: Peter Vassily Gym: Elite Martial Arts & Fitness Centre – Minchinbury Occupation: Customer Service Coordinator

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OW did you get into kickboxing?

Through a mutual friend of my husband and I. He’d been training for about one year and kept asking us to come and try it out. We kept putting it off. When our local gym membership was up for renewal, we said we’d go and try it out. On day 1 in Jan 2009, I was the only girl in the class, and I remember Peter Vassily and Bren Foster watching us. Peter said to Bren, “She’s got good technique”, Bren Said “Yeah, she won’t last.” At the end of the class, Bren asked what we thought of the class, I replied “We’ve just signed up for one year, we’ll see how we go.” And I’ve been there ever since.

How long had you been training before your first fight?

Approximately one year.

Can you remember your first fight?

Yes, I don’t think I’ll ever forget, I still get that same feeling. I’m excited and scared all at the same time, it’s crazy! But that’s what makes it so addictive.

What were you thinking when you stepped into the ring? Can I do this? Am I going to forget everything?

Peter said “Make sure you listen to me!”

I remember thinking to myself, that’s a lot of trust you’re asking me for, I hope I can trust you. Then I remember thinking I’m here now, I’ll try my best, here goes....

What keeps you going?

My hunger to improve, whether it be by a little or a lot. I love that there’s always something new to learn. All I have control over is being the best I can be.

How do you keep up with work and training?

It’s hard. There’s never enough hours, in the day. But if you are disciplined and if you really want to do something, you find a way

38 www.cornerman.com.au

to make it work. You make it part of your lifestyle.

What was your hardest fight so far in your career?

That’s a tough question. I don’t consider any fight easy. I’d have to say equally both Anja Stridsman (WKA NSW Super Lightweight Title bout) and Danielle Vass.

(WKA Australian Lightweight Title bout)/ Both ladies were very skilled and technical opponents.

With three titles so far, what is next on the list?

It’s four titles now. The first was a WKA NSW Super Lightweight Title, second was WKA Super Featherweight Title, third was an ISKA Australian Super Lightweight Title and the forth was a WKA Australian Lightweight Title. From the start I’ve been interested to see how far I can get. I never expected one belt, let alone four. Goes to show anything is possible, when you believe in yourself.

NO BULL FIGHT NIGHT Paul Grima put on another action-packed line-up of kickboxing fights at his promotion in October.

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N Sunday 7th October, Paul Grima had his 45th fight promotion. If you have been to one of Grima’s show you will expect to see a “no-nonsense” action packed show that will last your entire Sunday - a day of 14 quality kickboxing and muay thai fights consisting of fighters from different skill levels.

In October the main event was for the WKA Australian Light Heavyweight Title between Danielle Vass and Shelley Doble.

Doble, who fights out of Elite Martial Arts, still considers herself a beginner in the sport but came out with a flurry of leg kicks. Vass caught a few of the leg kicks and returned some of her own. It wasn’t long before the fighters started placing their combos of kicks and punches together. The second round saw

both girls clinching. But Doble was able to break away and started scoring points by countering Vass’ attack. She kept on the outside while Vass remained in the middle of the ring trying to get past Doble’s long reach. In the third round Doble kept using the ring to her advantage, finding good angles to score great kicking points. Vass desperately tried to clinch again but found herself wearing Doble’s knees in the mid section. In the following final two rounds Doble’s confidence grew stronger and stronger, and at times she was obviously looking for the opportunity to finish the fight with a flurry of punches. By the end it was clear that Doble won the fight, crowning her the new Australian Light Heavyweight Champion.

The semi main event was a battle between

Scott Bullock from Phoenix Kickboxing and Daniel Gooch from Pitbull. Bullock found Gooch’s unorthodox style difficult from the get go and eventually also found himself on the canvass a number of times in the second round. Gooch continued the relentless pressure that again put Bullock on the canvas.

By the end of the third round the expectation was that this fight would not go the distance but at the same time Gooch was looking like he was punching himself out . At the opening of the fourth round Gooch delivered a perfect front kick straight to Bullock’s chin. Bullock refused to be knocked down again and dug deep to fight back. The fight did see the end of the fifth and final round and was awarded to Daniel Gooch making him the

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WKA NSW Welterweight Champion.

The other semi main event was the WKA NSW Super Welterweight title between Mark Payne and Nick “Butcher” Martin. Mark Payne, who looked considerably larger than his opponent, found himself on the canvas followed by an eight count in the second round. It seemed that the Butcher found a way to bypass Payne’s reach and was keen to fight in close and in the clinch. Payne’s long limbs made it easier for him to land the knees.

The Butcher was struggling; at times resorting to aerodynamic kicks to land some much needed points. Payne fought well and scored enough points to win by a unanimous points decision making him the new WKA NSW Super Welterweight Champ.

Written by Hakan Saglam.

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JANUARY 2013

J.N.I. A

FEMALE kickboxing fight between Carol Earl and Jenny Cavanagh was one of the highlights of a JNI promotion in Hurstville late last year. Anja Stridsman was there and gives us the lowdown on the main events of the evening.

Carol Earl versus Jenny Cavanagh Carol Earl with all her experience quickly took control of the fight, finding her range early and putting Jenny Cavanagh on her back foot, stalking her against the ropes.

In the second round Earl really found her rhythm, catching Cavanagh nicely with the jabcross-lowkick combination. Cavanagh seemed apprehensive at first and didn’t quite commit with any of her attacks until the round four. Her sudden aggression caught Earl by surprise. Unfortunately she didn’t manage to keep the intensity up for more than the beginning of the round, after which Earl again seized control of the fight, finding her distance and moving out of the way of Cavanagh’s attempts at attack, not being forced into anything.

The win went to Carol Earl with a unanimous points decision.

Sreten Miletic versus Ezra Nilon

Ezra Nilon with trainer John Wayne Parr Siamchai executes a roundhouse kick with style

ON THE WARPARTH

Sreten Miletic chased with a hungry look in his eyes, swinging his overhand right and chopping the leg kicks, whilst Ezra Nilon was composed, displaying very good use of his long reach and superior boxing. In the second round Nilon showed a bit more of his aggressive side. He started out with long combinations, again using his boxing and long reach, finding the holes in Miletic’s defense. But Miletic got the upper hand on the round once Nilon left his jab out a bit too long, and he seized the opportunity to swing with that unpredictable overhand right of his, hitting Nilon straight on the chin, knocking him down for the 8-count.

In round three Miletic again got desperate, reaching and launching in after Nilon, who repeatedly caught him at the end of his reach, comfortably picking his shots, boxing nicely and putting that kick on the end. Referee called a time out to have the doctor look at Miletic’s cut on his head, which had been bleeding increasingly since the first round.

Against the protests of Miletic, the doctor decided to stop the fight. Ezra Nilon got the win.

Siamchai versus Roy Willis Round one started as many thai fights do, with

both fighters squaring up, almost taking turns, showing each other what they’ve got. Siamchai appeared confident and relaxed, as if he didn’t fear anything that Roy Willis could bring. It seemed he could see Roy Willis’ attacks from a mile away, leaning back to evade his kicks, and coming in quick to counter. It may be that his southpaw stance was putting Willis off, but even so, he was doing everything right, keeping Willis at bay with long straight punches, and throwing those relentless kicks characteristic of the Thais.

In round three Willis sustains what seems to be a cut to the eyebrow, but after a quick look the fight goes on. Siamchai kept control of the fight, getting out of the way of Willis’ attacks and exploding in with his own counters, controlling Willis in the clinch, turning him where he wants him.

Siamchai came into this fight seemingly with the attitude that there is nothing to fear from Willis and eventually Willis seems to believe the same thing. Although he keeps trying to attack, he has nothing that can break through the composure of Siamchai. He owned the fight from start to finish, never even letting Willis have a go.

Siamchai wins the fight with a unanimous 50-45 points decision. Watch these fights and much more on www.cornerman.com.au

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RESULTS

kick boxing

Shelley Doble defeated Jade George Kalon Milne defeated Eden Kenny Jodie Palozzi defeated Jenny Lau (TKO rd1) Jarrod Coughtrie defeated Jai Hansburgen (KO rd1) Daniel Brown defeated Daniel Fawkes Corey Lazzar defeated Dean Rowan Jai Williams defeated Ryan Bartlett (TKO rd2) Josh Doncevic defeated Jesse Carmichel Greg Brown draw with Jem Laquian Daniel Gooch defeated Dan Trifogli Kaine Scott defeated Brett Rawlings (KO rd1) Nathan Sallah defeated Markell Garas Shaunus Brousch defeated Dan Wilson

REAL DEAL THAI BOXING Australian Titles were up for grabs in the double female title fights at Lemon Tree Passage, Tomas Vysokai writes.

T

HE main event on the Real Deal Thai Boxing program late last year, was the super lightweight bout over five twominute rounds between Shelley Doble and Jade George.

Both girls went straight into the first round with a good number of kicks. Jade used her footwork well, while Shelley looked a little flatfooted but both girls had their moments. Shelley’s hands were connecting cleaner as she had the lower stance out of the two. Both girls kicked well, but Shelley looked stronger, pressing forward and closing with strong straight punches.

It was round three when Shelley put her foot down and really pushed her opponent and in doing so she kept Jade on the back foot, while she scored at will.

Shelley jumped on Jade from the opening of round four and kept the pressure on till the referee, Rob Murdoch Jr., put an 8 count on the fading Jade.

Bleeding heavily, Jade George had no answer

JANUARY 2013

Shelley Doble crowned the new Australian champion

to Shelley’s strong punches but she managed to finish the final round. The decision went to Shelley Doble after a well fought fight and she took the Australian Super Lightweight Champion belt home.

The semi main event was an interstate contest in the super welterweight division between local Kalon Milne and Eden Kenny from Queensland.

Kalon was the taller of the two and it took him only a minute before he managed to get Eden in a clinch where he executed a series of strong knees into the mid section of the very hyped Queenslander. Kalon took the lead in the first half of round two again with a strong clinch and knees, but Eden came back in the second half with good punch-kick combinations.

Eden Kenny kept pushing till the last seconds of the final rounds but Kalon Milne showed that he is well conditioned and technically sound. He fed his opponent with knees from every angle and won the bout by a large margin on points.

In another exciting contest Jodie Palozi faced

up to Jenny Lau from Bulldog gym Manly. It was for the Australian Super Flyweight title and scheduled for five rounds, but Jodie was too strong. She broke the posture of Jenny early and kneed her in the head hard. She had her opponent hurt and in trouble by the end of round one and even though she managed to finish the round, the experienced coach Nick Stone threw in the towel to protect his fighter.

Another stoppage was in the super cruiserweight division. It took less then 30 seconds for heavy-handed Jarrod Coughtrie to send Jai Hansburgen down and out with only hand combinations. It was a great win for Jarrod who looked well conditioned for his weight division.

All and all it was a successful night for promoter Rob Murdoch Sr. and congratulations to all the winners.

Kalon Milne’s devastating knees

EVENT Aftermath 6

21st April @ Castle Hill RSL Club 20th October @ Castle Hill RSL Club

UPCOMING EVENTS

DATE

VENUE

CITY/SUBURB

8th Feb

St Marys Band Club

St Marys

Michael Badato, Joe Concha, Franz Sanches

HIGHLIGHTS

Conquest 4

Feb

Orange

Orange

Joe Concha, Daddy Cool, Bruce Macfie, Nonsai Srisuk

Next Generation

16th Feb

Wyong Memorial Hall

Wyong

Blaine Molony vs Makk McNaught

J-N-I

22nd Feb

Civic Centre

Hurstville

Junior Talipeau

Capital Punishment 7

23th March

Convention Centre

Canberra

Ben Edwards vs Paul Slowinski, Steve Mckinnon

Elite Fight Night 19

29th March

St Marys Band Club

St Marys

TBA

No Bull Fight Night

21st April

Castle Hill RSL

Castle Hills

TBA

War on the North Shore

3th May

North Sydney Leagues

Cammeray

TBA

J-N-I

19th April

Civic Centre

Hurstville

TBA

www.cornerman.com.au 43

JANUARY 2013

Mixed martial arts Photos by Milos Lekovic

THE GRILL FACTOR John and Pauline Halkitis have been in the custom mouthguard business for over twenty years.

They tell Cornerman how and why a fitted product is important.

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DISARMED & DANGEROUS

PROCEED WITH PUNISHMENT

Proud Warrior Productions 5 entertained the best of the best from the Sydney MMA scene, delivering some incredible battles with crowd-lifting submission and TKO victories. Nathan Wynyard describes the experience.

I

CAME out to make a statement, and that is exactly what I did. I will challenge anyone at this weight division,” declared Shabe Kafo after his win at PWP 5 on September 14 at Cronulla’s Sharks Leagues Club. Weighing in at 58kg they were the lightest fighters on the card, but the keenly anticipated bout starring Kafo of KMA Liverpool and Greg Penazola from Integrated Martial Arts lived up to all expectations.

This flyweight battle-royale was the most entertaining fight of the evening, bringing the crowd to its feet in excitement as the two fighters delivered everything to be expected in a speed division.

In the opening round, crowd favourite Kafo leapt forward, with both opponents aiming to land the first strike. Kafo threw a couple of headhunting kicks only to see Penazola slide to counter with a cross, followed by a right leg kick of his own. Then Kafo shot in for the takedown.

Gaining full mount, he looked for the arm bar, but Penazola was able to roll him off and gain the top position. The tough struggle covered most of the cage, Kafo switching from one submission attempt to another. Like a croc barrel-rolling a gazelle in the water, he was in his element inside the cage that night.

Recovering the mount after escaping a triangle, Penazola unleashed a few swift punches from above. Eventually Shabe was able to catch a loose arm and secure the lock, and moments

44 www.cornerman.com.au

later, it was all over.

In the lightweight bout and feature of the night, Bernado ‘Trekko’ Magalhaes of TP/Double Dragon Gym took on Sonny Brown of Langes Manly MMA. Both fighters were equally hungry, very strong and technical athletes. Raising his hand and circling the cage, just minutes into the opening round, Trekko stopped his opponent with a stunning knockdown and TKO. The Brazilian-born Australian created some distance in the beginning, cautiously testing Brown.

Both fighters began with some vicious hooks and counters, but Trekko took the upper hand in the opening round and was able to land some impressive blows from his left.

Moments after some bruising exchanges, Trekko launched a massive right hook that instantly dropped Brown, and without hesitation, leapt upon his downed opponent for a ground and pound victory.

The ecstatic fans in the crowd gave tremendous support for the incredible win.

Scheduled fight number four on the cards displayed two of the hardest hitters in the event – Ben Lewis of TP/Double Dragon and Jon Marco Sanchez of Full Circle MMA. Sanchez showed no hesitation despite his shorter reach, trading solid shot for solid shot. Right hook, left jab, left hook – the exchanges went for most of Round One. Sanchez flicked a left leg to

the head, but it was deflected and Lewis let fly with a pounding left leg kick of his own. The pace began to slow in Round Two as the impact of some of the more devastating attacks set in. Both fighters were beginning to tire, but after gathering strength and landing some heavy-handed blows, Sanchez got the takedown, and managed to posture up to slam his way to a stoppage win.

Other bouts on the night saw Oriol Gaset submit Jacob Pettit with an armbar in the beginning of Round One. This semi-main event created a huge buzz, and after driving Pettit into the wire and launching some damaging knees, he showed great forward aggression to seal his win.

Zein Saliba entered the cage to Eminem’s ‘Name in Lights’, and that’s exactly what he did, with an impressive victory by unanimous decision over Marc Gehret. Adam Sarkis gave early arrivals a fitting welcome to the event with his TKO victory over Damien Carroll in the first round of the first PWP 5 contest. Raja Shippen also defeated Glenn Taylor Smith by guillotine in Round One, and Richard Walsh beat out Amir Hussein in another Round One TKO. Making his debut in the second bout of the evening, Sam Wright, was pitted against another MMA newcomer, Zoran Stopar.

Whittaker thanked his legions of fans and paid tribute to Juarez, “He took some of my biggest hits and was very tough.”

CHILDREN’S story about a rhinoceros read by their three-year old daughter had an unexpected outcome for John and Pauline Halkitis; it inspired the name for their business, Rhino Mouthguards in Clovelly, Sydney.

“My daughter, who was three at the time, pointed to a rhino as being tough, and we trademarked [the name],” says John.

John began a career as an amateur boxer over two decades ago. He always remembered the good mouthguards as being prohibitively expensive for most of the boys he was boxing with.

“So we had to settle for a 50 cent mouthguard,” he says.

When he eventually became involved in dental work, he realised there was a real need for quality protective mouthguards at reasonable prices.

Consequently, he has always aimed to keep Rhino products at around half the retail cost of other high-end fitted mouthguards.

“We’re still half price. We do everything inhouse,” he explains.

A consultation at Rhino Mouthguards includes creating a mouthguard mould from a dental impression and designing the look and colour of the mouthguard with the client. The cost remains at $160, which can be brought down even further if clients can claim rebates via private health funds. In this way, a custom Rhino mouthguard can end up costing as little as $36, depending on the customer’s health fund.

“These are all hand-crafted mouthguards,”

says John Halkitis.

A professionally fitted mouthguard has many advantages over the “boil and bite” product available from a chemist or sports store, some of which can cost as much as $70.

John believes these “do-it-yourself” products can actually be dangerous.

“They give people a false sense of security,” he says, warning that “boil and bite” mouthguards can often be ill-fitting. “If you’ve got mouthguard that’s flopping down, then you’re fighting with your mouth clenched. If you get a hit to your face you’re more susceptible to injury because everything is clenched.”

As such, John is a big advocate of the professionally fitted product which he believes gives users 10 to 15 times more protection than a “boil and bite” mouthguard.

Rhino caters for all kinds of sports, from ultrathin waterpolo mouthguards right through to the more robust mouthguards needed for hockey and football.

And of course, a big demand for Rhino mouthguards continues to come from combat sports such as Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian-JiuJitsu, kickboxing and boxing, and that market is continually growing. “I’ve realised that boxing has made a massive comeback in the last six years...there’s been around a 500 per cent increase in girls in boxing,” says John.

The increased demand from combat sports helps John and Pauline with the seasonality of the business. They supply many of the major

NRL teams with mouthguards but that tapers off around July.

“We do over 50 gyms and we do mobile fittings. We do group fittings in the evening and then return with the mouthguards at the end of the week,” John says.

The first few years in business were tough but the couple always stood by their belief that quality fitted mouthguards should be affordable for the average punter.

“In the early days people said ‘you’re not going to make a living out of it’, but we’re a sporting nation and it was silly [of them] to think there wasn’t a market,” John recounts.

Not only is there a market but it continues to grow. The extra attention to graphics provided

by Pauline is also a drawcard, with customers able to personalise their mouthguard with their own choice of design. John says some of the more unusual requests include 1950s style pinup girls and postcodes, to a client who wanted the footprints of his two new twin babies on his mouthguard.

“You don’t often get to customize a sporting product,” says John.

But it is clear for Rhino that the opportunity to do so is a point of difference and one of the keys to their success.

Rhino Mouthguards is located at 50 Burnie Street Clovelly, NSW 2031.

For more information, contact (02) 9664 9335. www.rhinomouthguards.com

The process An impression of your jaw is taken (takes around 5 minutes) Then you chose your colour and/or graphics Product is ready to be picked up 1-2 weeks later, or delivered to your gym.

Custom Rhino Mouthguard

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JANUARY 2013

Mixed martial arts ROBERT WHITTAKER Age: 22 Fights out of: Sydney, Australia Record: 11-2-0 Weight: 77kg / 170lb (Welterweight) Height: 180cm / 5’11”

THE ULTIMATE AUSSIE Robert Whittaker won a six-figure contract with the UFC when he beat Brad Scott in The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes last year. But that victory was not nearly enough, and he tells Janice Yee why he needs more.

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HERE’S no doubt about it – Robert Whittaker is a unit. In a good way, of course. But currently weighing in at around 95kg, the 22-year-old mixed martial artist makes for an intimidating welterweight.

“I haven’t trained for two weeks,” he admits, casually aiming kicks into a heavy bag. “I can’t wait to get back into it tomorrow.” Indulged over the Christmas period? “Nah, I broke my hand, so I’m really letting it rest,” Rob explains, and it’s apparent that, like many high level athletes, his inactivity is a reluctant necessity rather than an ordinary case of holiday glut and hedonism.

The young fighter is itching to move around and quite possibly punch things, restlessly shadow boxing and throwing absent-minded elbows as the photographer sets up the shoot at Whittaker’s gym, PMA MMA in Padstow.

The swollen right hand remains a legacy of Whittaker’s last fight against British Brad Scott in The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight finale on the Gold Coast on December 15, 2012.

It seems a small price to pay, with Whittaker defeating Scott by unanimous decision and winning a coveted six-figure contract with the UFC. It was, thus far, his most career-defining fight

46 www.cornerman.com.au

- a victory that launched Whittaker straight into the elite of the MMA world. He has been offered a rare and privileged position, bypassing the many rungs of small time fight cards - a climbing process that could potentially take years - to be granted a stronghold in every budding fighter’s dream castle - the UFC Octagon.

But although Whittaker’s win has placed him in the limelight and earned him an equal standing amongst the world’s best welterweights, he does not accept his TUF success as any kind of major achievement, and refuses to stop for a second to bask in smug self satisfaction.

“I won it, but I still believe I haven’t accomplished anything,” says Rob earnestly. “[Winning The Ultimate Fighter] was a small stepping stone to jumping into a bigger pond. That’s not enough for me to be proud of, I need more.”

Whittaker is hypercritical of his performance in all aspects of his training and fight game, constantly demanding more and better from himself in a perpetual quest to be a superior fighter and athlete. He came to prominence throughout the TUF series as a powerful striker, dominating his TUF finale opponent Brad Scott with punches and combinations in each round. But Whittaker is adamant he won’t become complacent in his

ability or success.

“For every fight up till now, especially the last one, my personal bar has been raised,” he says with quiet conviction. “For my physique, my cardio and fitness, my standards are very high.

I’m nowhere near where I want to be. I wasn’t particularly happy with the way I fought (in the bout against Scott). I saw a lot of holes and a lack of discipline in my game. I’ve got to refine it until I’m a sharp edge and can’t be broken.”

Indeed, the young fighter typically maintains a gruelling schedule, training six days a week, twice a day, for up to three hours per training session in order to hone his skills and fitness.

The lifestyle of an MMA fighter such as Rob is anathema to that of a typical 22 year old, but he believes the ultimate reward makes the challenge of staying disciplined worthwhile.

As a welterweight, Whittaker fights at 77kg, a significant drop from his naturally beefier physique, meaning he faces a weight cut of up to 18kg in the 14 to15 week lead up to a fight.

“The sacrifice is huge,” concedes Rob. “You have to give up stuff that your age dictates you shouldn’t or that you really don’t want to.

Sometimes you’re going to be torn, but being a successful professional fighter...it’s all about the

CFC19 December 2012 Rob Wittaker vs Ian Bone

end game. You can’t go out with your friends every weekend, you can’t be drinking, eating Tim Tams when you want to. You have to stay strict.

Everyone around you isn’t going to have to cut the weight, they’re not the ones who have to fight the bloke trying to beat you up.”

Whittaker acknowledges that in order to be successful, one must often experience hardship, and accepts his lot with stoicism. It is his mental strength that he believes helped him persevere throughout the TUF experience and to eventually come out on top.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t particularly enamoured of life in the TUF house, viewing it only as a means to an end – attaining that UFC contract.

“The Ultimate Fighter house was absolutely horrible,” he recounts. He describes the six-week stay, where the contestants were not allowed access to media or the outside world, as the worst experience of his life. It was a day in, day out repetition of not eating and waiting for the next training session.

“I really disliked the whole term of my indenture. That was the idea of the show, to take a fighter out of his element and try to break him, to see if he could handle the pressures of what they were throwing at you for six weeks. It was hard, and I believe a lot of the boys couldn’t handle it mentally.”

Whittaker threw himself into his team with enthusiasm, but was at odds psychologically with the idea that a fellow team member could end up as an opponent.

“Even though we were in teams, the potential of fighting your own teammate is a reality... what does that do to your mentality?”

Luckily, he prevailed over all the challenges the competition sent his way, with one minor setback.

“I think I made an enemy of England, to be honest,” he says laughing.

“That whole country isn’t happy with me! But in terms of friends, I left the house with all of [the other contestants] being my friend.”

Back in the real world, Whittaker insists the experience hasn’t changed him much, admitting that he even went back to work at his full time

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Mixed martial arts

JANUARY 2013

electrician job, just to get some routine back into his life.

“The biggest change is the amount of food I’ve had!” he says with a chuckle. “I went a bit mental. But I’m the same person. I’ve got the same goals, the same dreams. Just bigger obstacles in the way now.”

Of course, as an ambassador for a sport that some still view as bloodthirsty or loutish, Whittaker still has to deal with negative attitudes, but this doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

“Everyone thinks MMA fighters are thugs. Truth be told, we are thugs!” he says somewhat bemusedly.

“What are we doing – [we’re] in a cage, bashing each other!

People are going to judge you no matter what you do. Let them.”

For a so-called “thug”, Whittaker is quietly spoken and expresses himself with an articulate intelligence that might be surprising if he were indeed, a thug. But beneath the calm, self possessed exterior lies an aggressive passion and hunger to reach the pinnacle of MMA at all costs, and to crush all adversity in his path.

“My goal is to be the best,” he says, simply.

“I want people to be afraid of me. I want people to decline fights [with me] when offered, because they’re afraid of what I’m going to do to them. A lot of other countries underestimate Australia in terms of MMA. I know we’re a bit behind, but I think if you underestimate us, it’ll be your undoing. I believe mentally I’m stronger than [everyone]. I’m just not going to stop working. I’m just going to walk through people.

Let’s just see if they can keep up.”

ROBERT WHITTAKER’S

FAVOURITE THINGS Movie: Dungeons and Dragons Book: Anything Forgotten realms Band/Mucisian: Mixed...

TV show: Tosh.0 Game: As long as it’s an RPG – it’s sweet.

Sports Team: South Sydney Rabbits!

Food: ALL Post weigh-in meal: Hungry Jacks Training exercise: Sparring MMA move: Anything that works!

Fighter: GSP – to fight him would be absolutely amazing!

Quote: “I could feel his muscle tissues collapse under my force. It’s ludicrous these mortals even attempt to enter my realm” - Mike Tyson Superpower: To live forever. I want to see how the world ends. I like reading the end of the story.

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JANUARY 2013

Mixed martial arts Photos by Darren Burns

BRACE FOR WAR 17RLS MMA fighter Janice Yee was ringside at Australia’s first all women MMA promotion on the Gold Coast in October last year.

BRACE GI

Alex Chambers with her

F

IRST, Australia gave women the right to vote.

If that wasn’t controversial enough, on the 27th of October 2012, BRACE Australia further championed women’s rights to pummel, kick and choke the babymakers out of each other while trapped in a cage.

The history making event was Brace for War 17 on the Gold Coast, Australia’s first ever professional cagefighting event featuring a full complement of 22 female MMA fighters.

If a glass ceiling ever existed, it was ceremoniously shattered on this evening by the pitter patter of tiny fists encased in strapping tape and four ounce gloves.

Facetiousness aside, BFW 17 was a landmark event for Australian MMA. Everyone knows girls can do stuff. These days, one can rarely justify using womanhood as an excuse to get ahead or fall short in life.

Indeed, the recent widespread boom in the fitness industry and physical training culture for both sexes has ensured that if it wasn’t already mainstream for women to shine in physical pursuits “traditionally” undertaken by men, it certainly is now.

The fact that girls can fight in MMA, and do it well to boot, isn’t a big deal. However, opportunities in Australia for female MMA matches remain sparse compared to countries such as the USA and Japan, who host high level, all-female fight cards like Invicta FC (US) and Jewels (Japan).

In a country where the pool of active fighters is already relatively small, the lack of exposure

50 www.cornerman.com.au

or public acceptance of women fighting doesn’t encourage many women to try the sport or think of fighting as something they can do.

Disappointingly, the result is that the female hopefuls looking for an MMA fight grow disillusioned by the limited opportunity for a match up.

BRACE promoter Kya Pate took a large risk by choosing to host an unorthodox all girls’ fight card, but the gamble paid off, with girls from all over Australia jumping up to take part, many of whom anticipate using the BFW 17 as a stepping stone to a professional MMA career in Australia and overseas.

With the success of BFW 17, comes an exciting future for female fighters and new protégés in MMA. The bottom line is, to women in the cage, Australia says YES! BFW 17 – The Highlights The night saw some solid performances in the 62kg – 71kg divisions. Featherweight Fiona Muxlow of Townsville added another win to her seven fight (6-1-0) record, taking out a unanimous points victory over Sydney’s Leanne Reid, and cementing her name as one of Australia’s leading female pro MMA fighters.

But it was the tiny strawweights and atomweights that really stole the show, with debut fighters such as Natalie Gonzales-Hills, Samantha Manderson, Shauna Carew and Gina Cardillo displaying incredible ring prowess, technical ability and bloodthirsty, entertaining

team

fury in the lead up to the co-main events.

50kg – Natalie “The Kilapino” Gonzales-Hills (Lange’s MMA, Sydney NSW) vs Samantha Manderson (Dog Factory, Townsville QLD) Gonzales-Hills’ striking background and Muay Thai fight experience was evident in the heavy handed confidence of her punches, complemented by sound takedown ability. The Kilapino’s aggressive style and comprehensive skill set controlled the fight, with an early takedown and barrage of punches from mount early in the first, forcing Manderson to defend from bottom guard position for the majority of three rounds.

Manderson, weighing in at 47kgs to Gonzales-Hills’ massive 50kg, displayed nimble ground defence and ability to work actively from her back to minimise damage from ground and pound. However, the fight belonged to The Kilapino, who took Manderson’s back in the third after a scramble for leglocks, tapping her out to rear naked choke.

of all time” - some might say EVER - Cardillo and Carew fought a stomach-churningly close battle.

The girls set a relentless pace, with a number successful takedowns by Cardillo thwarted by Carew’s stellar defence and counter-attacks from the ground. Both girls showed versatility in an array of submission attempts and counters, punctuating their frantic scramble with plenty of explosive strikes. Carew ended the second round with a cut eye, only to be staggered by a mighty jumping push kick and right hook by Cardillo at the start of the third.

It was a mark of both fighters’ exemplary athleticism and evenly matched skills that both lasted the distance in a fight where the intensity never flagged. It could have gone either way, but Shauna “Little Thunder” Carew took the win via unanimous decision. This atomweight bout also won Fight of the Night, and deservedly so.

48kg – Shauna “Little Thunder” Carew (Impact MMA, Capabala QLD) vs Gina Cardillo (Black Dragon MMA, Coffs Harbour NSW)

52kg - Claire Fryer (Advance Martial Arts, Brisbane QLD) vs Rina Tomita (AACC, Hokkaido Japan)

The smallest fighters of the bunch proved to be possibly the most entertaining of the night, their raw aggression topped only by their power to weight ratio. In a gruelling bout declared by BRACE to be “one of the top two or three fights

This eagerly anticipated co-main event pitted Aussie strawweight Claire Fryer against more experienced Japanese fighter, Rina Tomita, of Jewels fame.

It was a brief but exhilarating victory for

Brisbane-based Fryer.

Tomita secured an early double leg takedown, her only successful attempt in the match, but was stymied as Fryer made a deft escape and later rocked Tomita with a hook. The Aussie’s superior striking and takedown defence allowed her to control the fight, dominating the Japanese fighter in the 2 minute 37 seconds it took for referee Jason Green to call stoppage.

Fryer finished her opponent by sprawling on a final takedown attempt, gaining mount and assailing Tomita with a storm of punches for the ground and pound TKO. In a poignant moment, Tomita openly wept in the cage as Fryer’s hand was raised in triumph, the devastated Jewels fighter adding another loss to her then 3-6-0 record. Tomita has since announced her retirement from pro MMA, losing her last fight to fellow Jewels veteran Mika Nagano via armbar in December 2012.

Main event – 52kg – Alex Chambers (VT-1 Gym, Sydney NSW) vs Mika “Future Princess” Nagano (Core, Gifu Japan) The worst thing about this headline bout was that it was over in just 42 seconds.

In the fourth fight of her MMA career, Aussie Alex Chambers faced off against Japanese

seasoned wrestler and submission specialist Mika “Future Princess” Nagano, with the Future Princess claiming 17 fights and 10 wins to her name, 8 by submission.

Having tactically trained to defend against the grappling proficiency of her opponent, Chambers kept Nagano at bay with a constant feinting jab as the Japanese fighter searched for the takedown.

Chambers caught Nagano with a stinging right head kick, at which point the round went downhill for the Future Princess. She struggled to regain her composure and attempted to take back control by shooting in for the takedown, only to be dropped with a perfectly timed knee to the face by Chambers.

From then on, it was the furious Alex Chambers ground and pound that finished the Future Princess, with referee Peter Hickmott stopping the fight at just 0:42 of round one.

It was a disappointing night for the two Japanese fighters, who never got to work their highly touted grappling magic.

But, for Australian MMA it was a grand event on all fronts, with a little bit of all our favourite things – pretty girls, competitive sports, loads of bare skin, a cheering crowd, and a whole heap of unbridled violence. What more could Australia want?

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JANUARY 2013

Mixed martial arts

FIGHTER PROFILE:

COMBAT 8

COMBAT 8 RULES

BOXING TAKES THE MMA TEST Not all boxers can grapple and not all MMA fighters can box but Combat 8 showed that fighters don’t have to limit themselves to one discipline with many traditional strikers making their mark on the MMA stage, Tomas Vysokai writes.

Photos by Hakan Saglam

H

OPOATE, Ndou, Capper, Blyth, Foley are names well known on the boxing circuit. But these fighters were happy to change 10-ounce gloves for much smaller leather mitts in a hybrid MMA event promoted by ex-boxer Nathan Swadling.

Combat 8 rules are fought over 3-minute rounds in a ring, which has four corners compared to the usual MMA cage. At first glance the rules appear simple - boxing is the only stand-up fighting technique allowed and only 30 seconds of grappling is permitted once the fighters hit the ground and after the whistle is blown.

Rules, that is, that should favour a good striker with a basic grappling defense. Simple enough on the drawing board, but the first show earlier in 2012 showed that only one boxer was able to win a fight. The rest went to those with strong grappling skills.

Those fighters discovered that many bouts can end up on the ground and even 30 seconds can be enough to finish a fight. Striking isn’t the sole domain of boxers either, MMA fighters can produce a decent KO punch with their much smaller gloves.

The main event of the evening was between controversial ex-rugby league player turned boxer John Hopoate and young MMA up and comer Tai Tuivasa.

Tuivasa is known for a knockout punch and came

52 www.cornerman.com.au

out strong in the opening rounds with a barrage of hooks and uppercuts. He soon had Hopoate leaning against the cage and obviously hurt.

Referee Steve Perceval stopped the fight early awarding a round one TKO victory to Tai Tuivasa.

In his post-fight speech Hopoate admitted he was confused by the rules, and thought he would be getting an eight count as happens in boxing.

Supporting the main fight was the bout between Jai Bradley from the Gold Coast and NSW fighter Rob Lista. This was scheduled for 5, 3-minute rounds for the Combat 8 lightweight title. Bradley had the height and reach while the stockier Lista looked like he had lot of power packed behind the small MMA gloves.

Both fighters were happy to stand and exchange blows but when on the ground they looked confused about the rules and directions coming from the referee.

Bradley connected solid with uppercuts and hooks in round two and was able to shake off Lista in the clinch. Lista couldn’t find his rhythm in the opening rounds and looked tired. Bradley kept the pace in round three and four, turning the contest into a boxing match. He was faster with punches, boxing on the backfoot.

It wasn’t until the final round that Lista came back connecting and landing better shots. He wasn’t able to hurt Bradley and the judges awarded Jai Bradley a win by unanimous decision.

The most exciting and entertaining fight of the evening was between UFC fighter and former CFC champion Bernardo Trekko from NSW and WKBF champion Wes Capper from WA. After the spectacular customary entry of Capper dancing into the cage it was all business. Trekko - a BBJ blackbelt - went straight for the takedown and after the heal hook. Capper defended well and dominated in stand up with lightning fast hands and a constantly switching boxing stance. Both fighters were true professionals as they knew the Combat 8 rules well and used them to their advantage in the strategic fast-paced fight.

In each round Capper defended Trekko’s takedowns and boxed well for the rest of the time left on the clock. The more the fight progressed, the more Trekko was frustrated, and the more Capper got on top of the game, while entertaining the crowd at the same time.

In the fifth and final round Capper controlled the stand up to the point where he managed to launch an attempt to take down the BJJ specialist. It didn’t go completely as he planned but he still managed to stand back up.

Wes Capper won comfortably by a unanimous decision. At only at 23 years of age this talented athlete calls himself a “slut” as he fights in kickboxing, boxing and MMA, has the most original ring entry and all he cares about is entertaining the crowd.

Every round is THREE minutes in duration with an extra 30 seconds down time added per round when the fighters opt to go down and with a one minute rest period in-between rounds. Non-title matches generally don’t exceed three rounds. Title matches can be sanctioned for five or seven rounds.

- Fighters must use approved 6-ounce gloves that allow fingers to grab. Fighters may have their wrist and knuckles bandaged with 1.8 metres of approved wrap material and this may be covered in sticking plaster tape across the knuckles, back of hand and wrist for support.

- The ten-point must system is in effect for all fights. Three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. The fewest points a fighter can receive is seven. Judges base their decisions on: 1. The effort made to finish the fight via KO 2. Damage given to the opponent 3. Striking combinations 4. Successful slam downs, throws 5. Aggressiveness and ringcraft 6. Controlling the fight

fight results Lovemore Ndou vs Aswin Cabuy

Choke (Rnd 1)

Rod Staader vs Otto Merling

Winner (Pts)

Kerry Foley vs Steven Kenedy

TKO (Rnd 2)

Sam Blyth vs Paul Daniel

KO (Rnd 1)

Jon Leven vs Steve Douet

Guillotine (Rnd 1)

Matt Stapleford vs Warren Tressider

TKO (Rnd 2)

Simon Osborne vs Brandon Sosili

G&P (Rnd 3)

SHAUNA ‘LITTLE THUNDER’ CAREW Discipline: MMA Age: 32 Fight weight: 48 KG / 105LB (ATOMWEIGHT) Gym/Coach: IMPACT MMA, MAL VANDERAAR Hometown/Location: BRISBANE AUSTRALIA MMA fight record: PRO RECORD 1 – 0 – 0 Amateur Record: 1 – 0 – 0 Twitter: @Aussiefightgirl Facebook: Shauna Carew

W

hat did you want to be when you grew up?

(Laughs) Honestly, it changed day to day! Never did I imagine I would be fighting in a cage, though. Being the only girl in my family I spent many a day fighting with my two brothers, so maybe it was inevitable!

How did you choose MMA as your sport?

I’d never done any sort of martial arts before starting MMA. I developed a love for watching it and going to events, so pretty soon I decided I wanted to be the one inside the cage, not outside watching. I did a couple of months’ private Muay Thai sessions and then started training at Impact MMA in Capalaba. Ever since I started I’ve been addicted to training and fighting – it’s my life.

What are your interests outside of MMA? I don’t really have a lot of interests outside of MMA. But I love spending time with my friends and loved ones, chilling out at the beach and sleeping – I’m a big fan of sleep!

What are your strengths as a fighter?

I love all aspects of the game, from stand up to ground work. Without having a background in any particular martial art prior to starting MMA, I’ve been lucky to develop skills equally across all areas. Must admit though I love striking from mount – my favourite thing to do!

What does a typical week of training look like?

Whether I have a fight booked or not, I train like I do. I’m ready to go at any time should something short notice come up. Typically, my training involves hill sprints and weights, and MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling two hours every night, six days a week. The only thing that gets in the way is my shift work, but if I’m not at work, I’m training. In the lead-up to a fight, the intensity and focus of this basic outline increases to ensure I’m in peak condition.

Do you follow a diet or nutrition plan when training for a fight?

I follow a pretty strict diet! Tuna, chicken, salmon, green veggies and brown rice basically cover my daily nutrition plan. Makes cooking a whole lot easier because I don’t have to make decisions about what I feel like – tuna for breaky, chicken

and salmon for lunch or dinner – simple! And my performance and endurance are greater and body functions so much better when keeping to a clean strict diet. My diet combined with awesome Syn-Tec Supplements from my sponsor Fitness Innovations in Upper Mt Gravatt QLD, ensure that I’m in peak condition for training and fighting.

What goes through your mind when you are about to step into the cage?

Not a whole lot, really! I’m pretty focused on the job at hand. The nerves go and I just concentrate on what I have to do. I love every minute of it and thrive on the crowd and adrenaline.

What is your ultimate goal as an MMA fighter?

Now that women are in the UFC, thanks to Ronda (Rousey) opening the door for us, if they ever develop an atomweight division – I’m there!

In the meantime, Invicta Fighting Championship is my goal. They have a well-established 105 lb division and I want in! Primarily, I just want more fights, whether it be here in Australia – which is tough as there are no other girls my weight coming to play at the moment – or overseas, I just wanna fight! Anyone, anytime, anywhere! Where are all the under-50kg girls hiding?

If you could fight one person, living or dead, who would it be?

Jessica Penne is currently Invicta’s 105 lb champ, so one day I would love to fight her. Pipe dreams, but hey, gotta aim high!

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Mixed martial arts

1

101 ith wRICHIE

‘VAS’ VACULIK EVENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

DATE

VENUE

CITY/SUBURB

Storm Damage 2

2nd Feb

Southern Cross Basketball Stadium

Canberra

8 Man Heavyweight Eliminator

HIGHLIGHTS

Brace 19

16th Feb

Lunapark

Sydney

Oriol Gasett vs Sonny Brown

J-N-I

22nd Feb

Civic Centre

Hurstville

Junior Talipeau

Elite Fight Night 19

29th March

St Marys Band Club

St Marys

TBA

Combat 8

April

Star City

Sydney

Wes Capper vs Jai Bradney

J-N-I

19th April

Civic Centre

Hurstville

TBA

54 www.cornerman.com.au

The first photo shows me defending a takedown attempt from Rory by using my whizzer and turning side on to him. This leaves him with only 1 leg to attack, which I am anticipating.

2 Rory is going for a single leg and myself stuffing his head down under my hips. This breaks his posture, and I eventually want to get his head on the outside of my hip where I can attack for a guillotine choke.

3 I’m locking on my guillotine choke, making sure my shoulder is on the back of Rorys neck. I also place my right knee on the outside of Rorys right knee to set up the next step.

4 I sit back, apply the choke, keep my head and shoulder on the back of Rorys neck and shoulders. I keep Rory on my right side to finish the choke, I lift my hips and extend my right leg against his hip, preventing him jumping to my left side.

5 Rory knows he has to get over my left to survive. As he attempts to jump over, I keep my hips high, leg extended and roll with him always keeping the choke on.

7 I catch one of Rorys legs. This prevents Rory from getting away or back onto his knees and now allows me to push my hips forward, extending my back and putting all the pressure on his neck, forcing him to tap.

6 As we roll, I switch my grip to an arm triangle or RNC grip. I use the momentum of the roll to come up onto my side and chase Rorys legs with mine. I’m adjusting my grip, always keep pressure on the back of Rorys head and neck.

RICHIE ‘VAS’ VACULIK Richie ‘Vas’ Vaculik, 29 yr old surfer from Maroubra, Sydney Australia. He is current PWP Bantamweight Champion and contestant on ‘The Ultimate fighter, The Smashes’ with an MMA record of 9-1. Richie fights out of TP Gym. http://www.facebook.com/thecrewtvshow?group_id=0 www.fightingfearthefilm.com twitter@richievaculik instagram@richievas

JANUARY 2013

Mixed martial arts

The Fighters

h Andrew Brandon Sosoli wit encounter t firs ir the in Machin

Photo by Leigh Taafe

Heavyweights Running the Gauntlet BRANDON “THE ZILLA” OR “WARMASTER” SOSOLI

MMA record: 3-1-0 Gym/Trainer: Freestyle Fighting Gym/Joe Lopez Fight weight: 118 - 120kg A bit about yourself: I’m 20 years old, I love to paint, read and play musical instruments. I’m addicted to the gym and being fit. I’m also really calm and told I’m too nice to people! You’ll find me prepping for a fight out the back, reading a book while getting ready to walk into the cage.

What are your best weapons? Determination, and an unorthodox fighting style for a heavyweight.

Describe your fighting style in 5 words: Unorthodox, freestyle, tactical, and smart rather than aggressive.

What’s your favourite way to end an MMA fight?

TKO - a knockout is too quick. I’d rather savour the feeling of knowing (my opponent) can’t defend themselves any more.

Any words for your opponent/s? Good luck!

There’s one person in the eliminator I really want to fight. I owe him a loss...he knows who he is.

STORM

2 E DAMAG On Saturday February 2, 2013, the clouds will break as Storm Damage 2 hits Canberra.

H

earkening back to the original UFC and Pride FC glory days, Storm Damage 2 features a gruelling Grand Prix Eliminator Gauntlet.

Eight heavyweight fighters will face off in the cage, some fighting multiple times in the same night, in order to claim the coveted Storm Damage Heavyweight Title Belt.

This is an exciting event for Aussie MMA fans, showcasing experienced MMA fighters from all over Australia and New Zealand.

Its unique eliminator format will be sure to challenge the toughest of the heavyweights, and with the potential for some contenders to fight for up to 45 minutes each or three separate fights in a single night, the risk of injury may also be increased.

But Storm Oshyer, promoter for the event,

says his foremost priority is the welfare of the fighters.

“One of our main goals is a very simple one,” says Oshyer. “We want to focus on the fighters, ensure they are treated correctly and feel they are being looked after, and that we as a promotion care about them. But no one can say they didn’t earn the right to be a Storm Damage Champion. (The Grand Prix Eliminator Gauntlet) is a right of passage.”

The Storm Damage 2 card features heavyweights such as Ben and Brandon Sosoli, Andrew Machin, James Lane, Damion AndrewWaenga and Mathew Wade, and also includes single-bout matches.

Who will be the last man standing?

To purchase tickets for Storm Damage 2, visit www.stormmma.com.au

ANDREW ‘THE TOECUTTER’ MACHIN

MMA record: 6-3-0.

Gym/Trainer: Epic BJJ and Storm MMA. Fight weight: 112 - 115 kg.

What are your best weapons? Persistence.

Describe your fighting style: Being a ‘grinder’.

What is your favourite way to end an MMA fight? Without doubt, my favourite way to finish a fight is as the victor. Losing sucks.

Any words for your opponent/s? I don’t speak to or for my opponents. I bear them no ill will, but what they do is out of my control and I prefer to focus on what I’m doing.

BEN SOSOLI

(no fighting name yet, though the commentator on my last fight called me “Daisy”).

MMA record: 2-0-0 Gym/Trainer: Auckland MMA in New Zealand/Hamish Robertson Fight weight: 115kgs.

A bit about yourself: I don’t like getting all hyped up for fights, I’m usually really kicked back. I think I’ve had the weirdest walk-out songs out of all the fighters I know (Vengaboyz and Miley Cyrus to name a couple). I don’t have the usual ‘champion of the world’ ambitions. If I could train, learn and fight for a living, that would be the ultimate dream.

Also, getting in the cage with someone awesome like Fedor or Cain Velasquez would be something to tell the kids when I get older! Oh, and I’d like to give a shout out to the Slaughter Bastards and my partner Kesh.

What are your best weapons? My takedowns, and I seem to have an extremely hard head! Not that I enjoy being hit in the head...

Describe your fighting style in 5 words: “I don’t really have one”! I just react based on what the other person is doing.

What is your favourite way to end an MMA fight?

Any way that leaves both fighters healthy so we can have a few later that night (as long as I get the win)!

Any words for your opponent/s? Good luck fighting Brandon (Sosoli), he’s a machine now!

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UFC Magazines’ strength and conditioning coach MATT SPOONER www.elitestrengthconditioning.com.au, mspooner@elitestrenghtconditioning.com.au

TRAINING EXERCISES

FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH &CONDITIONING GAINS BARBELL CIRCUITS Athleticism and fitness can be summed up with the following: Speed, Strength, Power, Agility, Balance, Accuracy, Timing, Endurance, Coordination and Flexibility.

Having accountable strength and conditioning workouts to test and improve all of these areas are a great way to help athletes enhance their general fitness, as well as target specific physical goals within their sporting field.

Of course, these workouts don’t only benefit elite athletes. They are great for the everyday person or exercise fanatic who wants to get fitter and stronger, or who simply likes short hard workouts!

This month, a simple barbell forms the basis for

as to prevent potential injury.

Both circuits are performed by choosing a weight that the athlete can manage to complete the chosen rounds, reps and sets of each of the separate exercises without letting go of the bar. If the athlete lets go of the bar at any time once the set starts, that is the end of the set.

The number of sets and repetitions completed and the weight used by the athlete are the scores they can try and improve on when retesting the workout.

An example of a starting weight for each of these circuits might be 40kg for

JANUARY 2013

7 complexes of the circuit without letting go of the bar. (Weight used should be scaled to the athlete’s strength and ability).

Upon completion of this the athlete rests for 2 minutes.

If the athlete can achieve the 7 reps of the circuit they may choose to add more weight for the next set of the circuit (e.g 45kg). If the athlete can again achieve this (without putting the bar down) in the third set they might attempt 50kg, adding weight in each new set and attempting to find their physical limit.

CIRCUIT 2

two intense circuits.

Each workout is comprised of a variety of functional movements designed to test all of the traits of athleticism and fitness. The workouts are scored by weight used and number of reps achieved, so the athlete can later retest in the future against their previous score.

Warning: These circuits are tough and assume you have some previous training! We highly recommend you seek out the advice of a experienced qualified strength and conditioning coach before attempting these exercises, so

1

2

Start in the deadlift position with a flat lower back and chest up.

Perform a power clean to the front rack position.

4

5

3

From the rack position, perform a push press.

CIRCUIT 1

1

2

Start in the top of the push-up position with hands on the bar. Lower yourself until chest touches the bar, then return to the top of push-up.

Without letting go of the bar, jump your feet up to the deadlift position.

4

Perform a front squat (as deep as your flexibility allows), and without stopping as you come up, press the bar overhead and lock out your elbows.

58 www.cornerman.com.au

3

Perform a power clean.

Lower the bar (gently) to the back of your shoulders.

Perform a full back squat (as deep as your flexibility allows).

6

Perform another push press (from the back) and bring the bar back to the front rack position.

note

5

With the bar locked out above your head, perform a left leg then right leg overhead lunge, return the bar back to the deadlift position to complete the rep.

Complete as many reps as prescribed (for example 7) and rest (for example 2 minutes). Then add more weight or reps in each new set to improve either your strength/power or endurance.

These circuits create improvements in all of the functional athletic goals that are pivotal to any athlete’s performance, with accountable gains in strength, power, flexibility, coordination and endurance.

Note: These circuits are not designed to be used for bodybuilding, although some functional muscle mass may be achieved, especially if you continue to add weight.

7

Perform a lunge on your left leg.

8

Perform a lunge on your right leg, then return the bar back to the deadlift position at the start.

This is one repetition of the Circuit 1 complex.

examEPpS, l2 MeINsUTES RESSTT

UTES RE KG, 7 R SET 1: 40 G, 7 REPS, 2 MIN UTES REST K SET 2: 45 G, 7 REPS, 2 MIN T ATTEMPTK 0 5 : ACH SE SET 3 5 SETS, E RE WEIGHT FOR R O F T A R MO AINS, OR (REPE DD EITHE ING TO A TH AND POWER G LEX FOR STRENG S OF THE COMP P .

MORE RE URANCE GAINS) END www.cornerman.com.au 59

JANUARY 2013

directory NAME

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CONTACT

JAMES WHITE

Event MC

NSW

0415 641 190

MICHAEL PEDAVOLI

Event MC

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0414 484 270

MC2 MANAGEMENT

Fighter management and marketing

Suite 2 125 Oxford St, Bondi Junction

WEBSITE/EMAIL

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EVENT MC

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GYMS Boxing, kickboxing and MMA gym

23 Pelican St, Darlinghurst, NSW

(02) 9267 7484

www.boxingworks.com.au

IGOR MMA

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32 Ebley St, Bondi Junction, NSW

(02) 9387 4446

www.igormma.com

ILLAWARRA KYOKUSHIN KARATE

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2/ 4–6 Third Avenue, Unandera, NSW

0421 284 825

www.illawarrakyokushin. com.au

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1/12 Rickard Rd, Narrabeen, NSW

0409 077 623

http://kickstart.net.au

NO CONTEST ACADEMY ST.MARYS

Boxing gym

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(02) 9623 3233

www.nocontestacademy.com.au

PITBULL GYM

Muay thai kickboxing gym

28a Hampden Rd, South Wentworthville, NSW

9688 3197 0417 446 438

www.pitbullkickboxing.com

THE BOXING SHOP

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170 Kessels Rd, Nathan, QLD

1300 66 00 17

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276 A Norton street Leichhardt, NSW

0404 037 060

bulldoggymbalmain.com Gyms

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Boxing and muay thai gym

284 Bondi Rd, Bondi, NSW

0402 622 662

www.bondimuaythai.com.au

BULLDOG GYM MANLY

Thaiboxing Gym

4 Hayes st, Balgowlah, NSW

(02) 9949 3533 0417 239 843

www.thaiboxing.com.au

EVOLUTION FITNESS CENTRE

Muay thai kickboxing gym

2/9 Mildron Rd, Tuggerah NSW

0414 807 957

FITE 108 MUAY THAI KICKBOXING

Muay thai kickboxing gym

5/10 Bluegum Close, Tuggerah, NSW

0414 611 097

www.fite108.com.au

FULL FORCE BLACKTOWN

Thaiboxing Gym

40 Third Avenue, Blacktown, NSW

42580 0297

fullforcegym.com.au/Gyms / Promotions

JOE’S BOXING

Boxing gym

20/118 Queens Rd, Five Dock, NSW

(02) 9715 2083

www.joesboxing.com.au

MURDOCH’S WORKSHOP

Muay thai kickboxing gym

58 Medcalf St, Warners Bay, NSW

0408 508 474

BODYPUNCH BOXING GYM

Boxing gym

3rd Floor, 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba, NSW

0415 600 448

Page 42

WEBSITE/EMAIL

PAGE

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ROCKFINGRZ

Photography NSW

0414 466 360

photographybyrockfingrz@ gmail.com

SHADOW BOXOGRAPHY

Photography NSW

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Inside Back Cover

SOUTHSIDE STUDIOS

Photography NSW

0408 118 860

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Back cover

WAYNE TOLTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography QLD

0412 681 857

wtolton@bigbond.com

ZETT

Combat sports equipment

5/38 Cantebury Rd, Bankstown, NSW

(02) 9793 8008

www.zettsport.com.au

ZOE’S MARTIAL ARTS

Combat sports equipment

810 Princes Highway, Tempe NSW

1300 750 061

www.boxingsupplies.com.au

ARMOUR MOUTHGUARDS

Custom Mouthguards NSW

0414 585 827 0405 783 777

www.armourmouthguards. com.au

RHINO MOUTHGUARDS

Custom Mouthguards

50 Burnie St, Clovelly, NSW

(02) 9664 9335

www.rhinomouthguards.com

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SMAI BOXING & MMA EQUIPMENT

Combat sports equipment

105-119 Jardine St, Fairy Meadow, NSW

(02) 4283 4363

www.smai.com.au

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SAW STUDIO

Inside Front Cover

Web solutions Worldwide

spikee1@gmail.com www. sawstudio.com.au

SUPPLEMENTS

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PROMOTIONS & RING HIRE CORPORATE FIGHTER

Corporate boxing NSW

FIRST FIGHT PROMOTIONS

Corporate boxing NSW

0417 468 828 0412 819 033

firstfightpromotions@gmail.com

JNI PROMOTIONS

Promotions

0418 475 901

jni@optusnet.com.au

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CKO BOXING RING HIRE

Ring hire NSW

0400 978 428 0421 339 625

stefanandmegs@hotmail.com

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DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Ring Hire

PO Box 4500, Lakehaven NSW 2263

0414 484 270

boxingringhire@gmail.com

NO BULL FITE NITE

Promotions/ring hire

28a Hampden Rd, South Wentworthville, NSW

(02) 9688 3197 0417 446 438

www.pitbullkickboxing.com

BLACK TIE BOXING

Corporate boxing NSW

www.blacktieboxing.com.au j.dooner@blacktieboxing. com.au

CONTACT

WEB SOLUTIONS

www.teamhussein.com

www.corporatefighter.com.au info@corporatefighter.com.au

ADDRESS

MARTIAL ARTS SUPPLIES & MOUTH GUARDS

GYMS & PROMOTIONS BONDI BOXING & MUAY THAI GYM

BUSINESS

PHOTOGRAPHY

www.2mc2.com.au enquires@2mc2.com.au

BOXING WORKS

BUSINESS directory

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ASN DARLINGHURST

Proteins

INTERNATIONAL PROTEIN

Proteins

79 Oxford st, Darlinghurst, NSW

02 9360 0222

www.australiansportsnutrition. com.au info@international-protein.com www.international-protein.com

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