Hussein
limbers up for date in Thailand
By Adrian Warren : Sun Herald
October 5, 2003
After shedding almost eight months of ring rust,
Hussein Hussein is determined not to allow "tricks"
by the management of World Boxing Council flyweight champion Pongsaklek
Wonjongkam to unsettle him as he prepares for his long-awaited
world title bout in Thailand next month.
Patient No.1 contender Hussein, who has been promised
a title shot by one organisation or another for the best part
of two years, got some much-needed work under his belt last Friday,
easily outpointing Indonesian Falazona Fidal over eight rounds
at Homebush's Badgery Pavilion.
It was his first fight since February and ensured
he would be in good shape for his November 11 assignment against
Wonjongkam, who has an impressive record of 47 wins to just two
losses.
The Thai southpaw has won 38 consecutive bouts
over the past seven years, making seven successful defences of
the title he won in March of 2001. Originally scheduled for October
14, the bout was deferred for four weeks.
"I probably won't be happy until I step into
the ring," Hussein said yesterday.
"I probably won't trust them until I get into the ring, with
what they've done and what they're trying to do.
"They're just trying to upset me. I know they're playing
tricks."
The title fight now falls right in the middle
of the four-week Ramadan period, during which observant Muslims
fast from sunrise to sunset. "Training-wise, it's very hard,"
said Hussein, who has always previously sought to avoid fighting
during Ramadan.
However, he refuses to be rattled by the delay
and believes the extra fight it allowed him will actually be to
his advantage "Maybe it is a blessing that I've had a fight
- God saying to me that I wasn't ready," said Hussein, who
improved his unbeaten run to 23 fights. "At times I felt
very slow. My last fight I felt very sharp. Maybe this is exactly
what I needed to get the rust out of me and get into the ring
and do the rounds and practice.
"I got the cobwebs out, the rustiness. Hopefully
when I do fight [Wonjongkam] I don't make the mistakes I did on
Friday night. I'll be much sharper and much fresher. "I want
to be a bit tighter and get the positioning right. "With
the southpaw, you've got to always get in the the right position."
He will go back into camp this week and spar with
his brother, world-ranked super-bantamweight Nedal, and three
fighters who also had good wins last Friday - fellow world-ranked
flyweight Vic Darchinyan, Gairy St Clair and newly crowned Australian
super-featherweight champion Ben Cruz. St Clair pounded Indonesian
Donny Suratin for eight rounds, while Darchinyan and Cruz were
the stars of the night.
Darchinyan, who is also on the verge of a world
title shot, made it 19 straight professional wins, knocking out
previously unbeaten Indonesian Edo Anggoro in the first round.
West Australian Cruz, who has won all five of his bouts by knockout
inside three rounds, announced himself as one of the emerging
stars of the national scene with a stunning second-round stoppage
of the normally durable James Swan in their stoush for the vacant
title.
Two other blossoming talents also tasted success.
West Australian Daniel Dawson, the national light-middleweight
champion, stretched his perfect professional record to 11 bouts
with a six-round decision over Mike Cope in a non-title bout.
And highly touted Queensland junior-middleweight
Chris Hamilton improved to 4-0 with a similar result against Paul
Le.
The action continues at Homebush today with the
finals of the NSW Amateur Boxing Association titles at The Dome.
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WBC
champion Wonjongkam ducking Hussein Hussein?
The promoters of WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek
Wonjongkam have delayed his mandatory defence against WBC No.1
Hussein Hussein (pictured), which was scheduled to go ahead on
October 14 in Bangkok.
Pic
& Full story by Paul Upham at Seconds Out
[TOP]
Gloves
off as Hussein waits again
By GRANTLEE KIEZA
September 19, 2003 - Daily Telegraph
HUSSEIN Hussein, who has been waiting for a world
title shot for nearly two years only to face another setback,
may get his chance at glory in Sydney.
Hussein, 27, an Atlanta Olympian unbeaten in five
years of professional boxing, was preparing to fight WBC flyweight
champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in Bangkok on October 14 only to
be informed this week the fight would be delayed by an indefinite
period.
Hussein was repeatedly sidetracked in his quest
to face WBO flyweight king Omar Narvaez last year before zeroing
in on the WBC crown. But the latest delay had his manager Jeff
Fenech ready to hit someone yesterday – or at least ready
to up the stakes to bring the bout to Sydney.
"It's
disgusting how the promoters have stalled Hussy again and again,"
Fenech said. "He should be the world champion now instead
of training for nothing.
"Our
contract with Wonjongkam says that if the fight is put back by
more than 10 days we have the right to renegotiate the deal and
we can stage it in Sydney if we offer the best purse for the champion.
"I'm
ready to pay whatever it takes to get Hussy the world title shot
he's deserved for two years. "The only reason we let the
fight go to Thailand in the first place was as a favour to the
WBC president Jose Sulaiman, who wanted the title fight to coincide
with the birthday celebrations for the King of Thailand.
"But
now it's no more Mr Nice Guy. We're not going to be stalled any
longer." While he waits, Hussein will take a fight against
Argentina's Horatio Fabian Chicagual at the Badgery Pavilion in
Homebush on October 3. The card will also feature the top contender
for the IBF flyweight title, Vic Darchinyan, against Indonesian
Edo Anggoro.
[TOP]
HUSSY GETS HIS WBC TITLE
SHOT
Hussein on song for one night in Bangkok
By GRANTLEE KIEZA
02aug03
ATLANTA Olympian Hussein Hussein will finally receive his long-awaited
world title shot when he tackles WBC flyweight king Pongsaklek
Wonjongkam in Bangkok on October 14.
Hussein is the top rated contender
in the WBC and IBF and has been waiting for more than a year for
his shot at a major championship.
Undefeated in 22 pro fights with
17 knockouts, the feared body puncher will nevertheless start
the fight as underdog against the Thai southpaw who boasts 47
wins in 49 fights and who has gone undefeated since 1996.
Wonjongkam has scored 26 knockouts
and made eight defences of the title he won in 2001.
"It's not going to be an
easy night for Hussi," said his manager Jeff Fenech. "But
next to Kostya Tszyu I think he is the most naturally gifted boxer
in the country. "He has fantastic all-round skills and a
great kit of punches to the body. And he never stops trying."
Hussein and his brother Nedal
are the quiet achievers of Australian boxing and Fenech is still
hopeful he will secure a world title fight for Nedal before the
end of the year.
IBF bantamweight champ Manny Pacquiao,
the biggest sports star in the Philippines, was involved in a
million-dollar tug of war over his last defence of the IBF super-bantamweight
title before stopping Emanuel Lucero in three rounds in Las Vegas
last week.
He has pulled out of world title
fights with Nedal Hussein three times following their ferocious
battle in 2000 when "Skinny" came within a whisker of
knocking out the Filipino at Antipolo City near Manila.
Hussein decked Pacquiao but lost
on a controversial cut eye ruling in the 10th round. Fenech was
critical of referee Carlos Padilla, the third man in the famous
Ali-Frazier "Thriller in Manilla". "Pacquiao knows
what a tough time Skinny gave him in 2000 and that he's so much
stronger and more experienced three years on," Fenech said.
The Hussein brothers have had
to fight in virtual anonymity for most of their career. Two decades
ago when boxers such as Tony Mundine, Bobby Dunlop, Hector Thompson
and Charkey Ramon won Commonwealth titles it was major news around
Australia.
But Skinny's victory over Brian
Carr for the Commonwealth super-bantamweight title in 2000 went
virtually unrecorded in this country.
But the brothers press on in their
quiet, effective way. In his last fight Hussein scored a lightning
strike against Japan's Nobunaga Satsuma at Osaka's Central Gym
on May 5.
The bout was sponsored by a Japanese
TV documentary named Tiger of Money, which followed the career
of an ambitious youngster preparing to fight a world contender.
But the tale had a sting at the
end when Hussein tore Satsuma apart in two rounds.
[TOP]
Phongsaklek
vs Hussein October 14th, 2003
By Sake P.
July 31, 2003;
The WBC Flyweight mandatory fight has been confirmed for October
14th at The Royal Palace, in Bangkok, Thailand. Mr. Virat Vachirarattanawong,
who is senior managing director of Dimond Boxing Promotion talked
with Thai reporters about this huge fight being held on Thai Democracy
Day, October 14th. The main event is WBC Flyweight mandatory fight
between Thai champion, Phongsaklek Singwangcha (Wonjongkam) and
No.1 contender, Hussein "Hussi" Hussein from Australia.
Phongsaklek
is the former WBU Light Flyweight king, who captured this belt
by scoring a 1st round KO over the South African fighter, Msukisi
Sikali . He then won the WBC Flyweight belt with an impressive
1st round TKO (3 knock downs) over the former champion, Malcolm
Tunacao from the Phillines, plus he is the owner of the quickest
KO world record in flyweight history by scoring a KO over Japanease
boxer, Daisuke Naito in :34 seconds of the opening round. Therefore,
his alias is "The Thunder Puncher".
Also fighting
on the same card, Salikalek Krathingdaeng Gym (Or Ekarin), who
is currently the WBC Light Flyweight Youth champion, and Oleydong
Krathingdaeng Gym (SithSamuechai), who is currently the WBC Minimumweight
Youth champion, as both will be defending their titles on the
same day. And, MedNoeng Krathingdaeng Gym (Singhsurat), who is
the former WBC Flyweight king and currently ABC Super Flyweight
champion, and Chatchai Singhwangcha (Sasakul), who is the former
WBC Flyweigh titlist, will have non-title bouts on this program.
[TOP]
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