Early Results From Tim Tszyu Vs. Denis Nurja Undercard
By Anthony Cocks
Australian boxing fans ushered in Easter Sunday with chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and some quality fisticuffs from the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong today.
The No Limit Boxing show kicked off at 8:30 a.m. local time, featuring three preliminary bouts broadcast for free on their YouTube channel.
A battle of unbeatens headlined the free portion of the show when Charlie Kazzi (9-0-1, 4 KOs) and Blair Geraghty (5-0-1, 5 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a bout for the vacant Australian junior welterweight title.
The fight was the first 10-round bout for both boxers, but you wouldn’t have known it from their conditioning or the frenetic pace of the action.
There was no feeling-out process. Kazzi set the pace and Geraghty tried to go with him, but it was the movement and angles from the 20-year-old from Earlwood that told the story of the early rounds. Still, Geraghty showed great tenacity, leaping in with left hooks and digging hard to the body.
The excellent inside action continued through the third, fourth, and fifth rounds as the fight was contested at close quarters. Both boxers took turns landing flurries in tight and, most impressively, there were no passive clinches to slow the action or force referee Les Fear to call a break.
The action barely let up in the sixth as both boxers concentrated on digging to the body.
It seemed unlikely both men could continue with this sort of work rate without one of them wilting. It wasn’t to be.
Kazzi was slightly busier throughout the contest, but every time he looked to have the ascendancy, the 19-year-old Geraghty from Camden would rally back with hard shots of his own. The ebb and flow of the contest made for great viewing.
In the end, two of the judges couldn’t split them, with Mick Heafey and Will Soulos both scoring the bout 95-95. Judge Leanne Reid had it 96-94 for Kazzi.
The fast-paced fight was more than worthy of the national crown. Rematch? Yes, please.
Super middleweight Max Reeves (13-1-1, 8 KOs) scored a split decision victory over Francis Waitai (13-4-1, 1 KO) in an excellent 10-round bout that started as a boxing match but evolved into a brawl.
It was a calculated bout in the early going, with Reeves controlling the range and landing the more accurate blows. But the complexion of the fight changed late in the fourth when Kiwi southpaw Waitai, 30, closed the distance to connect with some stiff shots from both hands. The visitor continued to find a home for his left cross in the fifth.
The 25-year-old Reeves, from Stratford in Gippsland, lifted his work rate in the sixth in an effort to tilt the momentum back in his favor. The right hand to the body was a particularly effective weapon.
The seventh and eighth rounds featured a number of spirited exchanges, with Reeves getting the better of the action. But Waitai remained stubborn and refused to budge.
The fight appeared close heading into the final two rounds. The ninth round was largely fought on the inside, with Waitai smashing home an uppercut to Reeves’ nose that left him leaking claret. They traded on even terms in the 10th and final round.
In the end, Reeves got the rub of the green. Judges Les Fear and Mick Heafey both had the bout for Reeves by scores of 98-92 and 99-91, respectively, while their colleague Leanne Reid dissented with a card of 96-94 for Waitai.
To the victor go the spoils.
In the opener, Dharringarra Trewhella (8-0, 4 KOs) outpointed Dominic Bailey (4-2, 2 KOs) over five rounds in a catchweight bout around the 150-pound mark. All three judges had the 24-year-old Sydneysider winning the contest. Judges Mick Heafey and Will Soulos both scored it 48-46, while judge Leanne Reid had it slightly wider at 49-45.
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