Boxing In Australia: Weekend Results

ByBruce Dingo

There were two good fight cards this weekend Down Under and we kick things off on Friday night where two of the country’s best boxers were on display at the Cube in the Sydney suburb of Campbelltown, NSW.

Undefeated sensation Leonardo Zappavinga, 17-0 (13), continues to show his amateur success was no fluke as the 21 year old Leppington man moved up to light welter and added the vacant IBF Pan Pacific crown to a trophy cabinet that already includes the Australian and IBO Asia Pacific Lightweight titles.

“Lenny Zappa” was just too quick and powerful for local man and two time former world featherweight title challenger Tommy Browne, 26-6-1 (11), who was stopped in the sixth round.

IBO Middleweight titlist Daniel Geale, 20-0 (12), of Mt Annan was put on the canvas in the eighth frame by WBO Oriental Super Middle Champ Daniel McKinnon, 12-4-1 (6), of New Zealand but regrouped to drop McKinnon, who was on the floor four times altogether, twice in the same round before posting a wide points decision in a non-title ten rounder.

IBO Asia Pacific Welter titlist Matthew Paulley, 17-5-5 (7), of Currans Hill, won a six round technical decision over another Kiwi, David Wiremu, 14-19-3 (6), in a non-title affair and local super feather prospect Davey Browne, 15-0-1 (4), outpointed Sydney based Rey Anton Olarte, 5-9-1 (0), after six rounds.

We head to Melbourne on Saturday where at the Darebin Sports and Leisure Centre in Reservoir, local man Daniel Iannazzo, 10-0 (1), held onto his IBF Youth Pan Pacific Bantamweight title by a narrow split decision over Thai battler Thingthai Rajanondh, 14-10 (3).

Hoppers Crossing light heavyweight Jonny Walker, 15-3-1 (10), retained his IBF Australasian belt with a six round TKO of another Thai fighter, Somchai Chimlum, 11-10 (4).

Heath “The Heat” Ellis, 9-1-1 (5), kept his IBF Pan Pacific Welterweight belt with a fourth round stoppage of clearly overmatched Bangkok novice Payakchai Sithparadorn, 1-7 (0), and Robert Lerio, 9-7 (3), won the vacant Australian Super Bantam title with a seventh round technical decision over Melbourne novice Mark Quon, 3-2 (1).