By Tony Nobbs
29.07 - While the attention at the Horden Pavilion in Sydney on September 18 will be centered around the Paul Briggs-Glenn Kelly OPBF Lt. Heavyweight Title clash, shown on the Main Event Pay Per View Channel, some of Australia's rising talent will be on display on a strong six bout undercard with three of the "African Kings" based in Adelaide, Sth Australia looking to take a major step towards the international stage.
The main support bout to Briggs-Kelly will see Australian Featherweight Champion Jackson Asiku (7-0, 4 ko) face big punching Sydney veteran Tony Wehbee (30-9-1,23 ko) in a scheduled 12 rounder for the PABA 126 lb Title. Wehbee, 31, has held WBF, PABA, and OPBF Titles as well as being a dual Australian Champ at Super Bantam and Featherweight. He has seen better days but still has the punch to cause the 1998 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist originally from Uganda a few problems if given an opening in front of his home crowd, something that 23 year old Asiku's trainer, Austin Taylor is fully aware of.
"Wehbee is still a terrific puncher and he is a big man for a Featherweight. He is from Sydney so he will have a real go while he is there. It is a dangerous fight and should be very exciting, good for the crowd. Jackson is the best Featherweight in the country and will be out to prove it. He has taken on everyone who has been offered, he was 3-0 when he fought Paul Griffin who was 18-1 and he just walked through Griffin. Then he beat Arnel Barrotillo, a very dangerous fighter who'd challenged for two World Titles, to win the Australian Title last year.He is certainly capable of going all the way. The whole show should be great, the Main Event is between Australia's best two Light Heavyweights. They are both World rated and they're putting it on the line, there should be more of ithe best fighting the best in this country and there is tremendous interest already being showed. Promoter Mario Maiolo, from Adelaide, is very experienced in the Entertainment industry and he has done major shows in Sydney before.
"He is a great bonus to boxing" said Taylor, 36. The trainer also is full of praise for his 33 year old Australian Super Lightweight Champion Fred Kinuthia (7-0, 4 ko') who will take on a yet to be
announced overseas opponent after OPBF #1 contender Dindo Castenares opted out last week.
Kinuthia, a Kenyan Amateur Champion from 1993 to 2000, is a very deceiving fighter with a full kit of punches and a solid defence. He won the Australian Welterweight Title by stopping talented Lincoln Stewart on September 14, in his fifth pro bout and defended it in Sydney by outpointing highly fancied Tunisian Olympian Nofel Ben Rabah from the Team Fenech Stable in Feburary. Ben Rabah now holds the National Lightweight Belt. Kinuthia then added the Super Lightweight Crown to his trophy cabinet
In May with an impressive five round KO of Steven Marks in Melbourne. "Fred is the real deal. He has got everything, he will fight anyone put in front of him. He is getting better with each fight, as his performance against Steven Marks showed. He can beat anyone in Australia, apart from Kostya Tszyu. But he'd even be prepared to fight him".
Taylor's Nigerian Heavyweight Roger Izon (5-0, 5 ko), a brother of former top 10 Heavy David, will be fighting an opponent also yet to be confirmed but it is hoped he will be meeting Bob Mirovic for the Australian Heavyweight Title. Mirovic went the distance with Joe Bugner in 1998 and was mentioned as a possible opponent for Bugner earlier this year but at this stage appears reluctant to defend against the powerful Izon,27.
"Roger is the first on the list for the Heavyweight Title and this is the fight we want. Solomon Haumono is out of the picture and after Mirovic, Roger will be going after Kali Mehan".
Other Undercard bouts are between Lawrence Tuasa (8-3-1) and Paul Smallman (20-16-1) at Cruiserweight over eight rounds. Both boys are bangers and Tuasa holds a win over Smallman last year, when Smallman withdrew due to a burst ear drum. Tuasa has just arrived back from training in the USA and Smallman has been in with a who's who of Australian boxing from Middle to Criuiserweight over the past seven years. He is a former PABA Champ and WBA # 8 who fought an epic war with John Mugabi in 1998, losing a ten round decision but knocking "The Beast" down in the second round.
Improving Sydney prospect, the flashy Edgar "Brown Sugar" Wymarrra (6-3-1) steps up in quality of opposition when he meets Lincoln Stewart(13-4) in a Welterweight eight rounder and.Jason Delisle (7-2), who fights for the Australian 175 lb Title on Friday night against Peter Kariuki faces Voodoo Brown Enyi (2-2-1) over six rounds.
