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Jason Mallia fights back with a broken eye, beats Ben Horn to become Australian welterweight champion

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Former amateur Jason Mallia (9-0, 5 KOs) cruised through his first 10-round fight with flying colours to claim a commanding points victory over tough-as-nails Ben Horn (6-8, 1 KO) to be crowned Australian welterweight champion at the Pullman Hotel in Albert Park, Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Mallia, 29, a crafty boxer-puncher with quick hands, didn’t have things going his way early on after Horn’s right hook badly damaged his left eye. Horn, with his awkward, pressuring style, came at Mallia in the third round, targeting his damaged eyeball.

Mallia, with restricted vision, had to box through adversity for the next few rounds. He had the better of it in the fourth, pushing Horn away and landing faster punches. The left hook was a particularly effective weapon for the Melbourne native, while the overhand right snapped Horn’s head back. But to the credit of the younger brother of former WBO welterweight titleholder Jeff Horn, the 34-year-old from Brisbane seemed unfazed by the attack.

Mallia continued to work better in the fifth round, but his left eye remained a problem. Horn fell behind and had to find another gear in the sixth round, and although he failed to do so, he largely gave it his all and engaged in some energetic exchanges.

As the fight wore on, Mallia settled into his rhythm. Horn’s onslaught became less habitual and more predictable. Mallia managed to mix piercing jabs with movement, repeatedly landing piercing right hooks on Horn.

With one round left in the fight for the vacant national crown, Horn was told in the corner by his trainer Glenn Rushton to go out there and look for a knockout. Horn tried, but Mallia had all the answers. In the second half of the round, he hit Horn with a relentless right hook to the face that snapped his head back and caused a nosebleed.

After the ballots were counted, Mallia was declared the winner by a vote of 98-92, 100-90 and 99-91.

“He hit me with a really good shot and I knew I had to stay focused. It was a little rugged at first, but I just stuck to the plan,” Mallia said, squinting through his injured left eye after the win.

“Anyone who knows me and knows my story knows I was in boxing and I always came up miniature, so this means everything to me. It goes back to when I was 13, when I was the little boy inside me. I trained so challenging and everyone knows I don’t take the effortless way out, so this means everything to me.”

***

In the highlight reel, junior middleweight support Lilo Telepe (5-0, 5 KOs) lived up to expectations by dropping and stopping Luke Gersbeck (7-1-1, 5 KOs) midway through the fourth round of their eight-round bout.

Telepe, from Auckland, Fresh Zealand, boxs in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The 19-year-old has been making waves with his explosive style since turning pro in April last year, knocking out his first four opponents in less than two rounds. In his first eight-round fight with Gersbeck, the real question was how Telepe would fare if his opponent managed to get him deep into the fight. We barely got to find out.

Gersbeck, 30, from Balaclava, was clearly the more astute boxer. But that didn’t matter much against the crouching Telepe, who dragged him into the trenches and regularly won exchanges when he broke through.

The first sign that Gersbeck might be in trouble came early in the second round when Telepe sent his mouthpiece flying. Telepe continued to press, finding success with a three-punch combination to the body and head that dropped Gersbeck to the boards.

Gersbeck recovered towards the end of the third and with a series of powerful shots lifted Telepe’s head off the ground, but it was not enough to make up for the deficit and win the points.

Gersbeck’s faster hands continued to land in the third round, but Telepe remained hazardous with his powerful punches that were thrown from all sides. The pace of the fight was already starting to show, as both boxers were visibly tired by the sound of the bell. Gersbeck returned to the corner with swelling and a compact cut under his right eye. A piercing right hook to the jaw from Telepe was the most noticeable punch of the round.

Things quickly came to a head in the fourth round. Telepe’s relentless pressure paid dividends as he hit the tiring Gersbeck with a punch that sent him to the canvas. Gersbeck beat the count but Telepe charged back, landing a double-fisted punch on the defenseless boxer on the ropes. Referee Brett Manton stepped in to save Gersbeck from further punishment at 1:52 of the round.

Telepe celebrated his victory with a backflip off the top rope.

***

In a thrilling and active eight-round fight for the vacant Victorian middleweight title, Blake Wells (11-2, 5 KOs) won on points over Apai Cook (3-2, 3 KOs) by the narrowest of eight rounds.

At 6-foot-1, Wells seemed to have all the physical advantages over Cook, who was four inches shorter, and for the first two rounds it seemed that way. But Cook began to find his range in the third, crushing his opponent with challenging punches.

In the fourth round, Cook tried his hand at the left-handed Wells and even showed off a bit, which cost him dearly slow in the round when Wells’ right hook caught him on the chin and sent him to the canvas.

The fifth round saw several lively exchanges with both boxers trading on equal terms. Cook opened a compact vertical cut above Wells’ eye with a leading right hand slow in the round.

Wells boxed well early in the sixth round, but the pace of the fight began to take its toll as Cook began to land ponderous punches, landing challenging to the body and head. Wells went straight at Cook early in the seventh round, but came up miniature in the exchanges. He had more success as the fight went on, but his punches were snail-paced. Cook snapped Wells’ head back with a right hook slow in the round and continued to attack the body with venom.

Wells landed a few nifty left hooks in the eighth, but Cook responded with a head-splitting left hook. Cook’s ponderous bodywork continued into the final round, with many combinations ending with a breadbasket punch.

The winner was ultimately decided by knockdown, with Wells winning the fight by a score of 76-75 on two judges’ scores, while the third judge had Cook have the same advantage.

A rematch would not be a disappointment.

Other results

Joel Taylor UD 6 Kohei Hatanaka

Billy Polkinghorn by TKO 2 Wilber Carame

Vita Pomale UD 6 Heath Graham

Dominic Molinaro TKO 4 Elliott Glenister

Andrew Eglezos TKO 2 Suriya Thongkoed

Liam Reynolds KO 4 Deng Mawut Atem

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Boxing

Josh Kelly vs Liam Smith clash won’t be repeated, says coach

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20 mins ago

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September 22, 2024

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JOSH KELLY will hopefully fight for a world title instead of fighting Liam Smith again.

Smith was due to face Kelly on Saturday night as part of the Riyadh series at Wembley Stadium but withdrew due to a virus.

The Liverpool fighter’s slow replacement was “Black Panther” Ishmael Davis, whom Kelly defeated by a majority decision on points (115-113, 115-114, 114-114), which stunned the winner and his team.

Saturday night’s fight took place at middleweight, but Kelly is currently ranked second by the WBO and fifth by the IBF in the super welterweight division.

Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth spoke to him at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and dismissed any ideas of a confrontation with Smith.

“That’s in the past,” Booth said. “Wasted months on this. World title or the massive fight (next).”

Booth, who has trained fighters including David Haye, George Groves and Michael Conlan, also shared his feelings on Kelly-Davis’ results.

“I scored it 9-3. I’m just disappointed with what the judges did. Winning is the most significant thing and you move on, but when judges do that to fighters, it can destroy their careers because you know perfectly well that if you win, the payouts go up and if you lose, they go down.”

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Boxing

Daniel Dubois pulls off a shocking stoppage of Anthony Joshua to retain his IBF title

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2 hours ago

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September 21, 2024

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London, UK: Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois, IBF heavyweight title. September 21, 2024. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing.

by Joseph Santoliquito |

Once upon a time, not so long ago, some called Daniel Dubois a “coward.” They questioned his heart, his integrity, and whether deep down he was truly a champion.

The critical thing is that he never questioned himself. Dubois fought the stigma. He rejuvenated his career with victories over Jarrell Miller (TKO 10) and Filip Hrgovic (TKO 8). His victory over Hrgovic earned him the interim IBF title, which was later elevated to the “full” list of titles.

Still, he and Anthony Joshua needed each other. They were two wounded boxing souls, connected by a common denominator—each had lost to the undefeated Ringo and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Both needed to reclaim their heavyweight positions, both needed redemption in a strange way against each other.

Dubois won the belt Saturday night in a stunning fifth-round knockout of Joshua at “Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition” before a record crowd of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, defending the IBF heavyweight title that Usyk vacated for a rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

The Ring’s No. 6 heavyweight contender, the 27-year-old Dubois (22-2, 21 knockouts) floored the 34-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds. The end officially came at :59 of the fifth round when Dubois caught Joshua in the jaw with a counter right punch.

“I just have a few things to say: ‘Aren’t you entertained!’” Dubois shouted to the energetic crowd. “It’s been a long journey. I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator and a warrior who fights to the bitter end. Behind the scenes, working with my dad and having a mighty team helped me get through it. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”

Dubois landed 91 of 230 punches (46%), including 27 power punches, while Joshua landed 60 of 139 (48%) and 16 power punches.

“Credit to (Dubois) and his team,” Joshua said. “We rolled the dice and we didn’t get it. You know I’m pissed off. You know I want to kick it. We’re still rolling the dice. I had a tough opponent, a swift opponent, but I made a lot of mistakes. That’s the game, as pissed off as I am.”

Daniel Dubois catches Anthony Joshua in round 1. From that point on, Joshua had no chance against Dubois. (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Early on, Dubois attacked Joshua in the first minute. Dubois, dressed in black, entered the ring very composed, almost seemingly too relaxed. Joshua, in white trunks, seemed tense during his walk around the ring.

Dubois, weighing 248.6 pounds, his career-high, dropped Joshua with a powerful right hook to the chin in the final five seconds of the first round, after Joshua missed Dubois with a right hook.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Dubois came at Joshua in the opening minutes of the second round. Dubois looked to have Joshua in trouble again, but by the middle of the round Joshua seemed to have settled down. Joshua survived the round despite being struck in the back of the head by a right from Dubois.

Early in the third round, Dubois stunned Joshua with a quick combination. He forced Joshua to retreat and still look for his feet. In the final minute of the round, Dubois sent Joshua to the canvas for the second time. Dubois crushed Joshua with a left to the chin, and referee Marcus McDonnell did a very needy job of not seeing Joshua’s gloves touch the cloth.

Dubois dropped Joshua — officially — early in the fourth round. Perhaps it was a rebound from the previous round, as it looked more like a slip than a punch-induced knockdown.

Joshua was everywhere. Dubois looked tired, but Joshua looked to be on his feet. With 1:29 left in the round, Dubois threw a right jab at Joshua that sent him sprawling backwards against the ropes. Slow in the fourth, Joshua didn’t seem to have much to lose.

As Joshua looked to be coming back in the fifth round, Dubois caught Joshua with a counter right to the chin with 2:11 left in the round. Joshua went down in the corner for the fourth time, and this time McDonnell made the right decision and turned it down at :59.

Joshua’s future is something to consider. He was supposed to eat Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and was knocked out in the seventh round, losing his IBF and WBO titles. He lost those same titles to Usyk in 2021 and lost to Usyk in a rematch in 2022.

He is now on his third trainer after parting ways with Robert McCracken following his first loss to Usyk in September 2021. He was previously coached by Derrick James and Robert Garcia before settling on his current trainer, Ben Davison.

“AJ kept fighting, never gave up and never stopped trying to get up when he couldn’t get up,” said Matchroom Promotions CEO Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter. “A huge, huge congratulations to Daniel Dubois. I’m sure AJ will exercise his rematch clause. Daniel Dubois deserves all the credit.”

When it comes to the number of missed opportunities Joshua has had, Dubois is on the opposite side. Dubois appeared to have knocked Usyk down in the fifth round of their August 2023 fight, which was considered a low blow, although some thought it was controversial. Usyk outlasted Dubois, stopping him in the ninth round.

When asked who he would like to fight next, Dubois said Usyk. He will have to wait for that chance.

Meanwhile, no one will call him a “give up” anymore.

Follow @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]

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Boxing

Daniel Dubois crushes Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at WEmbley Stadium

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4 hours ago

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September 21, 2024

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By: Sean Crose

If the Oasis show and the fireworks weren’t enough to get the excitement going on Saturday, the heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua promised to be a huge hit. These were the two biggest names in boxing’s biggest division, fighting in their own country. Indeed, nearly 100,000 people (you read that right) packed into Wembley Stadium in London, England to watch the two men fight for the IBF heavyweight title. It’s no wonder the legendary band and all the bells and whistles that advanced technology could offer got the crowd pumped up. Promoted by Saudi sports chief Turki Alalshikh, this was, to say the least, a HUGE. SPORTS. EVENT.

But it all came down to the fight – a 12-round fight between two highly skilled, hard-hitting professionals, ready to answer the question of who was the better man. Dubois landed tough almost immediately in the first round. But Joshua was able to land his punches well throughout the entire chapter. Then, as the round drew to a close, Joshua was sent to the mat. Joshua beat the count, but Dubois continued to pummel the two-time champion in the second round. Again, Joshua survived the round – but Dubois’s jabs and power punches proved effective.

Joshua landed a good punch in the third round – before being knocked down again before the bell. He got back to his feet to beat the count. Joshua went down for the third time in the first fifteen seconds of the fourth round. After getting back up, he went down again, thanks to a slip. No matter. The statuesque Englishman was being whipped by his countryman. The fight was over in the fifth round.

Joshua, to his credit, managed to take Dubois down in the final round. But chasing his opponent into the corner, the tough Joshua was sent to the ground by a devastatingly brief, correct and powerful right from Dubois, straight out of the Joe Louis playbook. The referee didn’t have to count – but he did anyway. Suffice it to say Joshua couldn’t get back to his feet in time. It was a stunningly one-sided fight.

“Aren’t you having fun?” Dubois asked the crowd afterward, imitating Russell Crowe’s renowned line from the film. “I’m a gladiator. I’m a warrior, to the end, to the bitter end.” Having now defeated Joshua and possibly Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois is undoubtedly in the running to become the undisputed heavyweight king. Dubois, who has been largely sidelined in conversations about the best heavyweights, is now clearly part of the conversation… and an critical one at that.

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