By Tony Nobbs
14.10 - Local favourite Wade "Pit Bull" Clout (142lb,record 13-6,8 KO) stopped late sub "Diamond" Dale Hawke (142 lb, record 5-3-2,5 KO) at 2 minutes 12 of round two at the Fairymeadow Sports Club in Wollongong, NSW on Friday night. The end came courtesy of a vicious left rip to the ribs and referee Charlie Lucas waved it off after the game Hawke rose on unsteady legs.
Clout, 24,who is due to face 19 year old New Zealander Santos Pakau (21-0-1) in his next bout for the OBA Super Lightweight Title edged the first round but was bleeding from the mouth and nose as the improving Hawke scored with some clean shots of his own in the second until the fight ending punch. After the fight, Clout said "I'd like to thank Dale for coming down on four days notice and giving me a tough fight. That is what I need before my next fight. A lot of guys wouldn't fight me and he stepped up and gave the crowd a good fight. He was very hard to hit cleanly, a good defence for someone with only ten fights and it took a great shot to the body to put him away. He did well to get up. I'm looking forward to going overseas and bringing back the OBA Title".
The Vito Gaudioso trained Clout also said he has benefited from years of sparring with members of the Team Fenech stable and World Class Lightweight Lovemore Ndou and former World Welterweight Title Challenger Shannan Taylor who retained his PABA 154 lb Belt with a first round knockout of Fijian Mamurat Ali in Sydney on Wednesday night. "That body punch was out of the Shannan Taylor book"
The 28 year old Hawke, from the Twin Towns PCYC Gym in Northern NSW left the ring to a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd and later said. "I'm dirty to lose as we wanted Wade's number four Australian rating. I'll be back, it was a good punch, and I was not 100% fit after taking the fight on Monday but that punch would have hurt if I was in shape. I've had a lingering injury in that spot since sparing with Super Middleweight Juarne Dowling last year, when I get home will get back in to training and work on strengthening the injury. I was very confident after the first round. I'm improving now I'm at a good gym and would love to fight Wade again with a bit more notice. I'd like to add that the promoter Ross Clout (Wade's father) treated us very well and everyone down here were great".
Hawke was coming of an upset four round TKO win over former Noumean Amateur Champion Fabrice Hona on September 27 underneath Holiday-Artango on the Gold Coast.
Undercard results: Jason Arena (140lb, record 4-0-1, 4 KO) stopped Daniel Hoskins (133lb, record 6-12-1, 4 KO) in round three. Former Amatuer standout Daniel James, trained by Steve Taylor, dad of Shannan, turned pro outpointing Journeyman Daniel Loder over six rounds, Super Lightweights and Jungstar Min scored a two round cut eye stoppage over David Picknell, Lightweights.
