Breaking news from New Zealand - by Denny Enright

David Tua has signed a deal with Team Duva trainer Roger Bloodworth one of the Worlds top trainers as he prepares for his USA comeback in Florida on the 27th of August, the opponent will be named by the end of this week. Cedric Kushner has had some trouble finding a suitable opponent for Tua but has confirmed a suitable opponent comparable with Talmadge Griffis will be named by the 22nd of July

The undercard for the Tua fight in Florida will feature Shannon Briggs and Ray Mercer, others on the card will feature O'Neill Bell against Sebastian Rothman and Jameel McCline against a opponent to be arranged. The fights will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida.

Shane Cameron has also signed a 3 year deal with Gary Shaw Promotions, this deal will have Cameron fighting 4 times a year for the next 3 years, this will be a opportunity for Shane Cameron and the team to really see if Shane has the ability to foot it with the best in the USA and stamp his mark in the world of heavyweight boxing.

On the 7th of August in Florida Shane Cameron will meet Roger Izonritei for the IBF Pan Pacific Heavyweight title and Shane will be using this fight to impress the top promoters and boxing scribes in the USA. Cameron was a former camp training partner for David Tua and it will be interesting to see the these two fighters paths travel over the next 3 years.

Former WBC welterweight challenger Taylor took his record to 43-3-2, with 29 via the short route by scoring a one sided seven round TKO of jet lagged Argentine Sergio Acuna ( 28-14-2, 11 KO’s) in an over the limit non title bout.

A controlled kind of performance by the 33 year old IBF # 3 jnr middleweight despite being deducted a point for a low blow in the fourth round and warned several times by referee Brian Mc Mahan.
Acuna’s only chance for victory was to win by DQ and he did his best to explore the possibility. He began complaining in the second round of shots below the belt and managed to stall the inevitable, surviving longer than he was expected. Acuna was also guilty dipping forward with his head coming in as Shannan used a peak a boo type defence. Taylor is still a hurtful puncher downstairs and these shots eventually took their toll on Sergio, a former WBA fedelatin champion and WBU title challenger at 147 lb, who reportedly only arrived the morning of the fight. Taylor also hurt him with clean right hands down the pipe and uppercuts on the inside and at the end of the sixth Acuna was in trouble, falling halfway through the ropes. Between breaks the tired import sat on his stool - for the first time in the fight - and his corner man was ordered to the dressing room for verbal abuse to the referee. When the bell rang to start round seven the towel came in.
Even though he was well beaten Acuna did try to get some attack going and managed to connect on a few occasions.

In their first bout last September, Taylor scored an eight round TKO after initially being disqualified for low blows before the result was over-ruled and the no foul rule invoked.

“I thank God. I thank Tony Caradonna. I say hello to my beautiful daughter Nathalia and her mother Beccy at home. I was taking my time.
He was eight and a half kilo heavier than me, I had to spot him weight” said Shannan who claimed the WBF 168 lb belt in December.

"Once my body shots were taken away, I found it very frustrating. I knew he had nothing in the tank, one or two might’ve been low but look at the red marks around his body. I’ve had good sparring with Danny Green (in West Australia). He will be in the winners circle again and I thank you Danny.” Of the possible title shot with Kasim Ouma? "Hopefully we will get it"
he said.

Long standing contender Ndou needed just 116 seconds to wreck Indonesian Joey de Ricardo’s unbeaten (9-0-2, 6 O’s) record retaining his IBF Pan Pacific 140 lb belt.

The classy Ndou (41-8-1, 27 KO’s) has extended Sharmba Mitchell, Miguel Cotto and Junior Whitter on short notice in the past and is still clamouring for a shot at the IBF title held by Ricky Hattan. He is due to fight an eliminator, originally set against Juan Urango in August, but with the Columbian’s recent withdrawal, Lovemore stated after the fight that the next available contender is West Australian based Noefel Ben Rabah who has been claiming the South African born Sydney fighter is afraid to fight him for quite some time.

“I had seen tape of de Ricardo and he looked dangerous - I just wanted to get him out of there as quick as possible. I didn’t want to risk getting a cut or anything” said Ndou, 33, rated # 3 by the IBF. “Ben Rabah has been doing a lot of talking. Lets do it. He can bring his ass, I will knock him out.” Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Daniel Geale, rated # 3 in Australia, boxed along to a unanimous six round decision over former national 154 pound title holder Steve Douet at middleweight. Geale, now 7-0, 6 KO’s, is regarded by many as the most talented of Australian prospects and he did pretty much as he pleased after a close opening round. Douet holds a controversial kick boxing decision win over former IBF jnr lightweight champion Lester Ellis.

NSW middleweight champion Adam Vella, rated # 8 in Australia, scored a four round stoppage of Thailand’s Radar Sithpeth-In.

Former Australian jnr welterweight champ Matt Pauley won a six round unanimous verdict over Victorian Paul Le at middleweight. Southpaw Pauley had too much over all skill for his diminutive opponent.

Queenslander James Ellis, rated # 6 in Australia at super cruiser, won a UD over Rob Pelizzeri in a heavyweight six rounder.

Promoter: Tony Caradonna. Fox Sport commentators: Andy Raymond, IBF vice President Ray Wheatley and hall of fame legend Col. Bob Sheridan.

At Bankstown, local favourite and former WBC 122 pound title challenger Hussein (38-2, 24 KO’s), 127.6 lb, stopped Thailand’s Aree Phosuwan Gym , 122.5 lb at 2 min 54 of round five, catch-weight.

Undercard: Chris Hamilton (162 lb) TKO 3 Lookton Chor Jaitrong (155 lb)
from Thailand, catch-weights. Hamilton is a former amateur star whose only defeat in eight pro starts came in an Australian jnr middleweight challenge. He is rated nationally at # 6 middleweight.

Ahmed Elomar won a unanimous six round decision over Filipino lefty Rey Martizano at jnr lightweight.

Promising Lance Gostellow scored a first round win over Daniel Hoskins at jnr welter. It was only this February past that Hoskins got his flagging career of the ground wining the WBF Asia Pac jnr lightweight title. In his last outing he lost in an attempt to win the Australian jnr lightweight belt against Ahmed Elomar. Unbeaten Gostellow (7-0, 5 KO’s) is rated # 8 in Australia and rising. Hoskins is listed # 5 among Australian jnr lights. Daniel is a talented boxer who, if matched correctly through out his career could easily have been a credible national champion.

Paul Wahlberg (141 lb) won a technical points decision (unanimous) over Jesar Anjaras (140 lb), catchweight and Robert Oyan won a four round unanimous verdict over debutant Reinhard Badato at jnr lightweight. By all accounts this clash was a ripper!

Golden Boy Promotions announced that WBC Junior Lightweight champ Marco Antonio Barrera will fight IBF titleholder Australian Robbie "Bomber" Peden on September 17

Barrera last fought in April, scoring a second-round knockout over Mzonke Fana. He has just been re-signed to Golden Boy Promotions for a six fight (and probably six-figure) deal

Barrera has pay-back in mind - Peden broke his ribs during sparring in preparation for a bout with Pacquiao.

“Maybe I can pay him back,” said Barrera. “It’s going to be a good fight.”

De La Hoya said Peden has shown to be better than many observers first imagined.

“When he fought Nate Campbell many people felt Peden’s victory was just a fluke,” said De La Hoya. “I thought Nate Campbell was going to really be something. But Peden showed he has something.”

September 17 was set for a DeLaHoya return, but the Golden Boy has decided to take the rest of 2005 off while he and his wife await the birth of the first child, due December 31.

The Malvern Town Hall was packed to the rafters on Friday night. A crowd of more than 1200 braved the cold to see the Main Event - "Tiger" Tim Bell facing rising star Johnny Walker for the Bob Rose Cup.

The referee stopped the fight in the 4th round. Bell retains his Victorian light heavyweight title.

In the semi main event James Grima made an impressive return to the ring with a TKO (ref stopped fight) in the 5th round, over Kiwi Terry Tuteru at heavyweight.

James Grima is now set to fight Mohammed Azoui - WBA world ranked #9 for the PABA Cruiserweight title, in Melbourne on a Maniatis promotion in late August If Grima beats Azoui he will get a top ten WBA world ranking...

Promoter Maniatis was thrilled at the prospect - " l am happy Grima will get a shot at Azoui, and l will be promoting the event in late August" Maniatis said "James Grima is for real, come August, Azoui will feel first hand why Grima is the biggest puncher in the cruiserweights".

Shannon McMahon vs David Wiremu at Welterweight saw McMahon KO Wiremu in the 5th round. His record now moves to 8wins 1 loss and he is looking for a Aussie Welterweight title shot.

First fight was a cracker between Sean Connell vs Paul Le over 6 rounds. Connell boxed smart and won convincingly with a uninamous decision over the more experienced Le.... Connell moves to 5 wins 2 losses and will be chasing Chris Collard for a Victorian title shot soon.

If you missed the action - Watch the highlights of Malvern Town Hall Boxing on Channel 31 boxing show Tuesday nights at 10pm and Saturday at noon

By Tony Nobbs

NABC and WBF Intercontinental heavyweight champion Rob Calloway has been enjoying his stay on the Gold Coast this week in the lead up to next Friday nights WBF title bout with Australian Bob Mirovic at the Royal Pines Golf Resort. So much so that he has expressed an interest in returning.

Calloway, 35, touched down at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday morning following a twenty three hour trip from Kansas. He was accompanied by trainer/brother-in-law Jason Redmond and sparring partner, Native American Darwin Doney. The trio were picked up by promoter Jamie Myer and have settled in to their Surfers Paradise unit.

In the lead up to this fight, Calloway has sparred former world cruiserweight champion ‘King’ Arthur Williams and Danny Batchelor as well as useful journeyman Brian Scott. On Wednesday and Thursday night he put on a sharp display boxing six round sessions with Doney and Coast based prelim heavyweight Baden Oui, following with a fast paced session on the pads.

“It’s been a good preparation. I boxed twelve rounds, three times last week and it’s great to just get here early and loosenup after the long trip. I’m feeling better every day and I’m looking forward to the fight” said Calloway who scored a six round knockout over Jim Strohl in a tune up on May 14, taking his record to 54-5-1, 42 knockouts.

“I have trained to go the twelve rounds, if I see the chance to knock him out I will take it but I just want to win. Points or knockout, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t come all this way to go home without the belt.” “I’ve been watching Mirovic and he is a strong guy. He has improved but he has got losses against guys who wouldn’t go against me”.

“This is a nice country, the people have been very courteous. I’d like to come back and defend the title and bring my family.” “The WBF title will open a few more eyes for me. I was hoping the winner would get the next fight with Mike Tyson but there are still some big name guys out there”.

On Wednesday night Calloway watched the Queensland-NSW Origin 2. The first Rugby League match he had seen in full. “It’s a tough game, very fast, non stop” he said.Mirovic, 39, is due to arrive on the Gold Coast on Monday from his NSW Central Coast base.

Visit www.robcalloway.com

Kina Malpartida is undefeated after 5 professional fights and will go into this fight as the underdog. Sharon Anyos is a veteran inside the ring with both kickboxing and boxing World Titles to her credit, she is aged 34 and has a professional boxing record of 10 wins and 3 losses. Anyos is the current WBF Women's Featherweight world Champion.

Formerly from Peru Kina Malpartida has one goal in mind and that is to be the greatest female boxer the sport has ever seen. She is a total professional when it comes to training and her health. Kina Malpartida is a great role model for young girls and young women. Her story getting to where she is now is amazing. What she is about to do is going to be even better. If successsful in this fight Kina will become the new face of boxing in both Australia and potentially the rest of the World.

Kina is available for interviews and photos leading up to the fight and after. This bout is a non title bout being fought over 6 x 2 minute rounds at the 59 kilogram limit.

Kina's profile & much more information can be found at redcorner.com.au

Anthony Mundine fought the best fight of his career on Wednesday night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre but it was still not good enough for him to dethrone WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler.

In a terrific twelve rounder that flowed freely, the former rugby league star and one time champion showed glimpses of brilliance but lacked the consistency to “take the belt” so to speak, from Kessler who was making his first defence of the title he captured by halting Manny Siaca in November.

With clinches scarce the stronger Kessler was able to do more overall to take the points in many of the close rounds. Mundine did a good job making the heavily favoured Dane miss and his hand speed troubled Kessler early in the fight before a Kessler left hook gave him something to think about in the third. At times it looked as though the hometown challenger could take charge, when he got on the front foot letting his hands go, he backed the massive looking Kessler up and even stun him but the more experienced and tough titlist would fight his way back with Mundine’s willingness to go to the ropes and ducking instead of jabbing and getting away proving costly as it got Kessler momentum up again-even though many missed some did get through. Both fighters were tagged cleanly and there were several exciting exchanges. Hopefully this erases the doubt if Mundine can take a shot and this bout should make him a better and more confident fighter. With this performance, the pair showed why they’re entitled to be rated as two of the best three super middles in the world, as they are by Ring Magazine. At the weigh in Tuesday night, Kessler scaled a fraction under 168 lb (at 76 kg), Mundne was167 lb (75.6 kg).

The only stench from the fight came from the scoring of Holland’s Henk Meijers who had it a shutout at 120-108. The other two judges were closer to the mark, Canadian Hubert Earle tabbing it 116-112 and Japans Takeshi Shimakawa 117-113. Referee was Puerto Rican Luis Pabon and WBA supervisor Renzo Bagnariol from Nicaragua. Yet to view the fight on tape, it looked as though Kessler was a deserved winner at the arena. Kessler,26, is now 36-0,
27 knockouts, Mundine, 30, slips to 23-3, 18 inside the distance.

Undercard action: WBO # 5 lightweight Michael “Rocky” Katsidis scored a second round knockout over Ethiopian Olympian Addis Tebubua, Canadian Paul Wahlberg, now trained by Billy Hussein in Sydney outpointed West Australia’s Somalian born Khalil Ahmed in a jnr welter six rounder, Sydney born 2004 Olympian Ryan Langham outboxed Filipino trier Robin Santillanosa over six at jnr lightweight and Cruiserweight brothers Danny and Jimmy Withers won four round decisions over Dave Dowden and Big Eagle respectively.

WBF president Mick Croucher said that there has been a lot of interest in the fight with the 10, 000 seat building expected to be near full. “The Croatian prime minister is coming along as well as a lot of other dignitaries” said Croucher who travelled to oversea proceedings.

“Both are raring to go. Stjepen is an idol in Zagreb and is a formidable opponent. Nader, however, is quite confident and has the edge in experience, having faced world class opponents”.

The scheduled twelve rounder will be refereed by an Englishman with judges from Australia, Croatia and Austria.

“I think this fight will go the distance. All the officials will be given a pep talk about how the WBF run their shows and we will demand fairness, although I expect the officiating be fair anyway”.

At yesterdays weigh in both came in a kilo under the 76.2 kg (168 lb) limit.

Sydney’s Hamden, 31, sports a 38-3 record with 17 knockouts and is a former WBC number two rated jnr middleweight contender. He was undefeated in that division, holding the NSW State, Australian, OPBF and IBF Pan Pac belts at
154 lb before moving up to middle and eventually Super Middleweight. In his most recent outing in March he dropped a twelve round verdict in Canada to Otis Grant for the WBC International title and two fights back claimed the OPBF title in this divvy with an off the floor fourth round knockout of Arama Tabui. Hamden’s first defeat came in June ’03 to Sam Soliman, the current IBF mandatory for Bernard Hopkins. While he lost a clear decision, Hamden became just the second man to deck the tough defensive wizard when he landed a flush right hand out of nowhere. Bozic, 30, comes into the ring at
16-1, 10 KO’s. He has won ten straight.

Every time I have gone into training for each fight, I feel that I have improved and been getting better and better and none more so than this one. I'm stronger, fitter, faster, and smarter and I have made the weight easier than ever.

I feel more powerful, I have lifted considerably more weights than normal and I think I feel the way I do simply because my diet has been better. I've been able to eat like a pig and what a difference its made.

Sparring has been perfect, with no injuries, and I think this fight has come at the right moment. I'm the underdog and rightly so. Believe me, if Kostya beats me, I will be the first to shake his hand, as you all probably know.

But I have always said that I believe I can be number one and on June 5th, I will. I have no doubt that this is the chance I deserve and all you loyal fans have had to wait too long for this moment and now that it's here you're gonna see exactly what I can do.

Thanks for your support, as always,

Ricky Hatton
"Hitman"
Blue Moon

Thanks to www.rickyhatton.com

May 23, 2005 - By Tony Nobbs

Poland’s Tomasz Adamek captured the vacant WBC light heavyweight title with a majority decision over Australia’s Paul Briggs on the Brewster-Golota card in Chicago. Officially, the judges scored it 117-113, 115-113 and 114-114.

This was a disappointing result for Briggs and his supporters after waiting so long for his shot but the underdog generally out worked and out manovered the man former WBA middleweight champion Jorge Castro labelled “The Ghost” two years ago.

There were some good exchanges in the fight and the title was there to be won by the Queenslander in the eighth round when he visibly hurt Adamek with right hands. However he was unable to capitalise on the opportunity and Tomasz sealed the win over the championship rounds.

A clash of heads at the start of round two caused a cut over the left eye of Paul and it bled freely for the remainder of the bout with Adamek swelling over the right eye in the third.

Briggs also appeared to damage his right hand in the early going and appeared reluctant to load up but this cannot take from the winner’s performance as he was the better boxer on the night, possessing a beautiful left lead, a good overall kit of punches and movement. He didn’t allow the power puncher to get going and is a worthy champion.

This was Briggs’ second fight with trainer Jack Mosley after he split from long time mentor Rod Waterhouse following his points win over Jesus Ruiz in March last year. Adamek goes to 29-0, 20 KO while Briggs drops to 23-2, 17 KO.

POST FIGHT QUOTES Courtesy Don King Productions

Paul Briggs:
“I felt I rocked him every other round. I caught a lot of his power shots with my gloves. He was a good fighter he put together good combinations.

“Of course I thought I won but that’s the way it goes. It was a fair decision".

---

Tomasz Adamek
“This was my best fight ever. Briggs was a strong, tough fighter but I was never going to give up.

“I know I made my country and family proud.”