Boxing In Australia: Weekend Results

ByBruce Dingo

Wasn’t too terribly bad a weekend Down Under with the big action taking place on Friday night but there was a good rumble on Saturday as well. We kick things off on Friday at Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre in Shoalhaven Heads in New South Wales where two of the biggest names on the domestic scene were victorious.

At 36, Shannan Taylor, 48-6-3 (44), is still going strong as “The Bulli Blaster” proved by retaining his PABA Middleweight crown with a twelfth and final round stoppage of seasoned Sydney based Filipino Dondon Sultan, 16-15-3 (8), a former PABA/Phillipine/WBF/ Welterweight Champion.

Taylor is still in the midst of an amazing career that has seen him win the Australian title at light welter and super middle, the PABA crowns at light middle and middleweight, the IBF Australasian belts at light middle, middle and super middle along with the OPBF welter, IBF Pan Pacific light middle, WBA Fedelatin light middle, WBF super middle titles.

The Wollongong slugger has made bids for the WBC, Commonwealth, Australian and WBO Asia Pacific welterweight titles and the IBF and IBO belts at middleweight.

Ex-IBF/IBO Super Featherweight Champion Gairy St. Clair, 41-7-2 (18), was also on the bill and the 33 year old Sutherland resident stayed busy for an upcoming WBF Lightweight title clash with undefeated Mlungisi “The Killer Shark” Dlamini later this month in South Africa by knocking out southpaw lightweight Junmar Dulog, 5-16-1 (2), in the second round.

St. Clair has also had a long, illustrious career and has shared the ring with Diego Corrales, Cassius Baloyi, Malcolm Klassen, Vivian Harris, Leonard Dorin, Jackson Asiku, Amir Khan and William Kickett since turning pro on October 16, 1994 as a super bantamweight.

Also on Friday, Kogarah’s Junior Talipeau, 12-0 (4), stayed perfect with a tough ten round points win at The Roundhouse in Kensington against steel chinned ex-NSW Light Middle kingpin Robert “Gummy” Toomey, 7-5 (2), to retain the Australian Middleweight title for the third time.

Saturday saw a good dust-up at Shire Hall in Gatton as Les Piper, 8-2-2 (2), added the Queensland Super Middle belt to a trophy cabinet that already holds that region’s light heavy title by pounding out an eight round points win in a thriller against local hero Glen Fitzpatrick, 15-13-2 (6).

Durable 39 year old southpaw Fitzpatrick formerly held the Queensland Super Middle crown when he defeated Jamie Myer by split decision in November, 1997, and went onto capturing the light heavy crown as well.