By Srithar Visuasam: Friday 3 April 2009 was Bob Rose Cup night at Malvern Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia. In front of a capacity crowd, there were six professional bouts in a revised fight card due to a number of last minute changes taking place.
The main event for the Bob Rose Cup was the heavyweight showdown between Pierre Karam (18-3-1, 6 KOs) and late replacement Mike Lloyd (2-5). Karam, making a return to professional ranks after close to five years out of the ring, made a cautious start to the bout against the bigger, though much slower Lloyd..
Round two saw Karam raise his intensity and 30 seconds into the round landed a powerful right hand into the jaw of the New Zealander that had him wobbled. Later into the round, Karam backed Lloyd against the ropes and with a flurry of blows, had him down on the canvas. With only moments left in the second round, Karam launched another assault on the Kiwi which saw Lloyd’s corner throw in the towel at the 2:58 mark, resulting in a technical decision victory to Karam. He now intends to progress gradually down in weight over his next few bouts with the intention to be fighting at light heavyweight within the next 12 months.
In the main supporting bout, light heavyweight Jonny Walker (16-3-1, 11 KOs) was too strong for Kiwi Jeff Stutt (4-6, 4 KOs), winning via second round TKO. Walker was aggressive from the opening bell stalking his taller, rangy opponent across the ring. In the second round, Walker landed a right hand which saw Stutt fall to the canvas. Despite getting up to his feet within a few moments, the referee waved off the bout 2:40 into the round, which appeared to be slightly premature.
Heath Ellis (10-1-1, 6 KOs) claimed the vacant Victorian State light middleweight title against New Zealander Dion McNabney (4-10, 1 KO) in a fourth round TKO victory. Ellis controlled all stages of the encounter and appeared to be in cruise mode for the first three rounds until lifting his work rate in round four. McNabney was knocked down to the canvas twice in this round, with the second knockdown resulting in the referee waving the contest off 2:58 into the round.
In the fight of the card, welterweight Chris Myers (3-2) defeated Leigh Purcell (9-4-1, 1 KO) via a 6 round split decision. The action packed contest included a heavy share of headbutts and headlocks between the two. In the first three rounds, Purcell appeared to be pacing himself and carefully negotiated the firebrand Myers within close range. The fight heated up in round 4 with Purcell landing a right hand that stunned Myers. Purcell saw the opportunity and began pushing for a stoppage. The final moments of the round proved to be the defining moment of the fight with Myers landing a flurry of power shots on Purcell that ultimately turned the tide of the contest. In the final two rounds, Myers finished the stronger and this was reflected on the scorecards which read 58-56 to Purcell, 59-55 and 58-56 to Myers.
Tim Hunt (5-2, 2 KOs) was too classy for Jean Claude (1-9-1) in their welterweight clash over six rounds, winning by unanimous decision. Hunt was able to pick apart Claude’s defence with regularity and pressed for a knockout in the final round. Claude’s best efforts were in round 4 where he landed a big hook which rocked Hunt. The judge’s scorecards read 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55 in Hunt’s favour.
In a four rounder, Stephen Gillingham (3-0) proved too good for Jamie Middleton (0-3) in their heavyweight bout, winning via unanimous decision. The win was a repeat of their September 2008 contest which Gillingham also won on points. The final scorecards read 40-33, 40-35 and 39-36 to Gillingham.
The night also featured a tribute to slain former Australian heavyweight champion Vince Cervi who was gunned down in front of his home last month, at the age of 41. Cervi claimed the Australian heavyweight title in March 1995 defeating James Grima via third round TKO. He retired in 1997 with an 11 wins and 2 draw record from his 18 bouts that featured 8 KOs.
The Bob Rose Cup was hosted by Peter Maniatis Promotions. Highlights of the night will be shown on KO Boxing, Channel 31 this Tuesday 7 April across Victoria, Australia at 10:30PM AEST.