Kabosh....!!!!

On a cool springs night in Auckland, some old fashioned values reflected on the run of play and how it all went.

An under card stacked with enough talent to suggest selling out a stadium was never out of question and a touch of professional boxing raised expectations of everyone present. So on a day where the entire nation was hoping to chase six numbers and a power ball, hoping to become a millionaire thirty times over— a kick boxing show at the “Y” unfolded.

The one fight which was a highlight within itself was Ra Johnston knocking out Ben Ali. Both men who can be considered as weather tight journey men brought plenty of power with them. Johnston who was in cracking shape, cracked open a right hand which wobbled a usually solid Ali, who fell flat on his face! Recovering bravely he continued on, only to be stopped by the very next onslaught. Given the weapons of mass destruction these men carry, ref. Clyde Cowley very wisely waved his hands.

To be frank, Ali may have been a tad too casual when he got caught with Johnston’s fist. That point on it was borrowed time and the end was inevitable.

On the lighter side Chris “Ninja” Wells and “Corn rowed” Kane Conlan lit things up with some non-stop attack and counter attacks. Conlan who is on a roll dominated the fight and earning an eight count put on Wells with precise punches. This thanks to his school of boxing under “Bomber” Aaron Boyes. Wells will no doubt be disappointed as he is a far better fighter than the account we saw on Saturday.

Tony Schollum who is usually a very consistent performer looked out of sorts against the gutsiest man on the card, Torrin Ropiha. It was pure tenacity and determination which got the lesser experienced Torrin a golden scalp. His opponent was uncharacteristically “gassed” and committed far too many errors. Maybe it was Ropiha and the pressure he excreted. It’s easy to oversee the under dog’s work, undermining his grit over the failings of the fancied.

ETK’s residential curator and “Crazy Ivan” Mike Gault is the guy you want to have in an emergency. His overhand right troubled “Machine gun” Ivan Mertich time and again, which led to an entertaining fight. Mertich stalked Gault for three rounds, who was an excellent counter fighter. It made for great viewing with Mertich doing enough to take a points decision. Who could forget the temporary hold up as Gault copped a nasty low blow. He did a great impression of a “hurting” Grizzly bear, living up to his name in more than just one way.

Two men who knew each others fists inside out met for another time. Anthony “Notorious” Nansen and Joel Martin can soak up insane amounts of leather based trauma. Funny thing is that they keep coming back for more. If their first meeting was anything to go by the re-match lived up to the hype.

Neither is quite (yet) your ultra skilled fighter, they both bang and bang hard. Nansen connected with the more damaging shots, spurting sweat, water and odd bit of blood all over the ring. Incredibly they don’t seem to mind using their heads as defensive mechanism and have the ability to brush off shots at will. That’s what sets them apart from the rest in this powerfully dangerous weight class.

Martin threw an array of unorthodox kicks which landed on Nansen’s shins. If he could have connected on the outside thigh, maybe it could have got interesting. Nansen was pure kilo watts of force. It could have moved an Iron ingot, he did—Joel Martin’s head at times. This fight highlighted one crucial element of a title belt. It has to be defended as opposed to two men fighting for a vacated title. Nansen is putting his on the line and from the looks of things it will be a while before anyone dethrones him.

Perhaps we speak too soon but seemingly Nansen is the under study to Jason Suttie. How well he will live up to this massive expectation is yet to be seen; only time will tell.

It is with great reluctance that this must be said… Shane “Choppa” Chapman made his Samoan counter part Niusila Seiuli look very average and side walk material like. He completely and utterly took apart a guy who was game and came ready to swing. Sadly that alone against Chapman is a suicidal approach. It was a case of measured destruction as “Choppa” sized his options and struck at will as Seiuli stood there waiting. Reminiscent of how Shane Cameron took apart Brazilian heavy weight Gilberto Melo.

Of course, had one of the Samoans haymakers connected it would have been a probing question, however it didn’t and against an improved Chapman that is merely wishful thinking. Boxing at this level against an opponent of Chapman’s quality needs a solid skill base.

Seiuli’s post fight reaction and gesture said it all. A hug as warm as world visions showed his relief. Kind of like a Tsunami victim reacting to dry rations being received.  Maybe he knew the writing was on the wall against a twice as good Chapman. It was a mismatch to say the least.

Professionally speaking, the future looks bright for Chapman in boxing. He might as well invest in some ski goggles as bright outlook beckons and he will need them.

Given that we had three ladies bouts which is way more than the average fight card and a stock standard approach, Michelle Preston was always going to be asked questions from Heather O’Donnell. It was a meeting of two beauties who had sublime skills to boot.

Preston clearly had the better hands (a reflection of Chris Martin) and O’Donnell was sublime at clinching and throwing knees. The fight was effectively won on that technique, where several unanswered knees spread over five rounds, more clearly on two separate rounds (especially the last) drove home the advantage. This highlighted the fact of Preston having a lack of opponents within New Zealand and must look overseas if she is to stay competitive in Muay Thai and kick fighting.

It was a closer fight than what most would have thought or expected and after five rounds, the visiting Sun Shine coast lady had her arm raised in a split decision.

Speaking to roguemag.com, referee and judge John “Rebel” Conway added “We had an officials briefing on how we would score the bouts and agreed in unison. Tonight it was very consistent and a good result was achieved”.

It was indeed the case as all close decisions clearly went towards the winner, signalling that a unified approach is taken with scoring and judging, a common ground which is being adopted with every passing day.

Jason Suttie came out to some choice hip hop music and his entrance keeps getting better by the day. As a matter of fact, being the entertainer he is- his arrival to the ring ranks with the best on a global scale. It certainly got the crowd going and somewhat of a side show within itself. It’s the sort of thing missing in heavy weight pugilism in New Zealand and gladly there is “Psycho” Suttie to fill it.

Perhaps fighters aren’t willing to back themselves on skill and audacity of ring presence. Fearing that either is show boating or arrogance they take the more conservative approach. Not that it is wrong but if anyone wonders why no one apart from Suttie is known to Joe public as a kick boxer, it is due to the lack of marketability and a track record such as his.

New Zealand’s iconic hero has truly earned his stripes in both departments. Hence the clothes line, radio appearances, news paper articles and the countries most successful tattoo parlour as his sponsor. There are many learning’s for fighters from him. So in reality Suttie lives up to his hype and fans look forward to it.

Fighting at this level and being successful is simply more than being a fighter per say. It requires characters that inspire fans to come to life. Suttie does exactly that, prepared to “Die fighting”.

Three rounds of K1 rules saw relative action which looked like it would explode but didn’t quite. Alofa Solitua was test worthy for Suttie but never a threat except for his deceptive left high kick. Nine minutes later he was well beat to the raptures of an expectant crowd. It wasn’t vintage Suttie although there were flashes of his brilliance.

Any which way it was a win and that was good enough to end the night on an upbeat note, not knowing whether a member or members of the audience were thirty million richer?

Crucially we saw the trans-Tasman rivalry revisited after a lull and debacle of K1 Oceania and Anzac fight cards. December nineteenth is set for the second edition and word is that Suttie will fight again, hopefully a Peter Graham and for Michelle Preston another stern test.

When you are looking for a good scrap based on skill you don’t need to look far. Two hours away, across the ditch we have plenty to choose from. Long live the trans-Tasman battle. It, dear friends is a true ‘Nemesis’.

P.S: we too created a bit of history by going LIVE on our platform with Play-by-play commentary which will hopefully become a regular feature!