01.10.04 – By Tony Nobbs: Perth based Guyanan Gairy St Clair retained his WBO Intercontinental Featherweight belt and local girl Sharon Anyos captured the vacant WBF Featherweight women’s world title at the Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast, Queensland on Friday night. In the main event, St Clair showcased his remarkable skills in dominating Ghana’s Theophilus Quaye.
After out slicking Quay for the first five rounds, St Clair opened up in the sixth, forcing the challenger to hold from at the bell. St Clair complained Quaye had bit him, TV replay backed up his claim. For the remainder of the bout, Quaye looked increasingly more uncomfortable and at the end of round ten his corner appeared to have stopped the fight as they began untying his gloves. Referee Chris Daley looked to have misread the situation forcing Quaye’s corner out of the ring and ordering the fight to continue. Rounds nine and ten had been so one sided that they were clear 10-8’s despite no knockdowns. At the end of the tenth, Quaye back pedalled across the ring and while he was never knocked down or badly staggered was out of his league rarely firing back. In the eleventh he took more punishment until with a minute left the towel came in. The fight was finally stopped a few seconds later and a couple of rounds too late. The genuine world class St Clair is a pleasure to watch and he appears to be more aggressive and punching harder since moving West under trainer Craig Christian. He said in the ring post fight that he just waiting on the contracts to face Manny Pacquiao in Manilla on November 27.
In the first ever female world title fight in Australia, Anyos added the WBF title to the WIBA she won from Jo Jo Wyman in California almost four years ago, by outworking tough Thai born Texan Linda Tenberg over 10×2 minute rounds. An entertaining and fast paced bout, the Team Fenech trained Anyos took charge in the fourth smothering Tenberg with one-two’s. Linda was in bother and hit cleanly with right hands on several occasions as Sharon swarmed her but tried hard to make a fight out of it. At the start of the final round both girls kissed. Official Scores: 100-90 (2) and 99-91. Ref Chris Anderson from Victoria. Eastside carded 99-91, giving Tenberg the third.
A well deserved victory for the blonde bombshell Sharon after having fought on the road over the last few years, copping a couple of heart breaking defeats in Japan in which she lost her WIBA title to Emiko Raika. She has previously told Eastside those two decisions were “absolute jokes”. This was her second crack at WBF laurels, being out pointed by Jane Couch in England in 1999.
In a middleweight 6×3, 2002 Commonwealth Games Welterweight Gold Medallist Daniel Geale made a successful pro debut with a knockout of veteran local Danny Bellert, a multiple state champion and former national title challenger at lt welter.
From the first round it was clear that the end would probably come from a left hook and it came at 1.23 of round three. A good start to the paid ranks by Geale, originally from Tasmania but now boxing out of Team Fenech. This was Bellert’s third comeback bout after six years absence. In his previous contest he was out pointed by the Coast’s Matt Burns on July 23.
Former Australian and PABA featherweight title challenger Daniel Hoskins looked a tad unfortunate not to get the nod in a drawn 6×3 with the Gold Coast Coast based Matt Heyes Powell. Heyes Powell weighed right on the featherweight limit and gave away 2.4 kg to late sub Daniel from the NSW North Coast who has been winless for four years. Heyes Powell was cornered by the evergreen southpaw Jeff “Flash” Malcolm, a winner of 100 fights and a former WBF, Commonwealth and PABA champ who was still rated by the WBA at the age of 44.
Queensland lt welterweight champ Brad Hemming won a split decision over Wayne Maynard over 6×2. Hemming weighed 65.8 kilo, around 4.5 kg more than his opponent and looked a bit under done. Brad’s hoping to fight for the Australian title in the coming months and will need to get straight back into some serious training.
In the opening 6×3 at welter, St Clair’s stablemate Jozef Mc Namara scored a UD over Brisbane’s Fabrice Hona. When in reasonable shape, journeyman Fab, former amateur champ who was having his eighth bout this year, is no push over and this was a good learning fight for the young West Australian. Mc Namara held an edge over the first four rounds before Fab came back in the fifth and was on his way to making it close on the cards in the sixth until
he was dropped by a straight right towards the end.
Promoter Jeff Fenech. Foxsport commentators John Casey and Brad Vocale.