Boxing on the up and up in Australia
Adrian Warren, AAP News – Australasia
Feb 25, 2007

SYDNEY, Feb 25 AAP – At a time when Australian boxing is going through
an up phase and has a bright future, it will finally pay homage to its
heroes of the past. In the space of a few weeks, Australia now looks
poised to have as many world champions as at any stage in its
chequered history. The peak period was back in early 2005, when Kostya
Tszyu, Vic Darchinyan and Robbie Peden each enjoyed world champion
status. Flyweight Darchinyan and junior welterweight Lovemore Ndou
presently hold IBF world title belts, with Anthony Mundine or Sam
Soliman to be crowned the WBA super middleweight champion next month
when they fight for the vacant title in Sydney. Just marginally behind
in status is Queensland excitement machine Michael Katsidis, who won
the WBO interim lightweight title with a thrilling stoppage win over
Britain’s Graham Earl last weekend. Throw WBF women’s featherweight
world champion Sharon Anyos into the mix and Australia is enjoying
unprecedented success on the international boxing scene. "It’s most
probably the richest we’ve been in boxing since the glory days of the
sport, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a healthier state," esteemed
trainer Johnny Lewis said. "I suppose we sort of started to go into a
backflip with the closure of the Sydney Stadium in 1970, I think it
almost sounded the death knell of boxing. "We certainly had good
fighters sparingly. In every decade (since) we’ve had a good fighter."
Those glory days, which Lewis felt were back in the 1950s and `60s,
are set to receive lasting recognition, along with the rest of
Australian pugilism’s colourful history, with a boxing section at
Melbourne’s National Sports Museum opening next year.

"We’ve had 11 world champions in this country, we’ve got a tremendous
history in boxing which surpasses any other sport in my prejudiced
view," Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame President Gus Mercurio
said. "It’s been said that you shake any family tree in Australia and
a boxer will fall out." The list of quality pugs in the present era
doesn’t end with the handful of current world champions. Recent world
title holders like Peden and Gairy St Clair and frequent world title
contenders Paul Briggs, Danny Green, Shannan Taylor, Nader Hamdan and
Hussein and Nedal Hussein flesh out a strong supporting cast, all of
whom still have aspirations of winning the ultimate prize. Katsidis
heads the younger brigade of emerging stars which also includes
featherweight Billy Dib, junior middleweights Rob Medley and Daniel
Geale, super middleweights Victor Oganov and Jamie Pittman and
lightweight Leonardo Zappavigna. While Lewis bemoaned the reduction in
the previously prolific production line of great Aboriginal fighters
bar Mundine and Peden, he noted other communities were stepping into
the breach. "You’ve got to have the hunger, that’s what makes the
fighters and at this point of time the hungriest kids in this country
are the Lebanese kids," Lewis said. "The Husseins and Nader Hamdan,
those guys have really done well for us over the last decade." Lewis
recently shifted his training base to the famous old City of Sydney
Police Citizens Youth club in Woolloomooloo, the club which spawned
former world bantamweight champion Jimmy Carruthers. Another gym fast
gaining recognition for its professionalism and depth is south-western
Sydney’s Grange Old School Boxing club where Ndou is
based. Ironically, the man in the vanguard of the current revival,
Darchinyan, remains one of Australian sport’s best kept secrets. An
exciting power puncher now earning acclaim in the US, Darchinyan has
an impressive 27-0 record (21 KOs), but the personable Armenian-born
boxer barely registers a blip on Australia’s overworked sporting
radar. Darchinyan, who defends his IBF and IBO titles against Mexican
Victor Burgos next month, hoped the expanding list of world champions
would help boost his unjustifiably low profile. "It’s great, it’s very
good," Darchinyan said of the recent rise in Australian boxing
fortunes. "When I was by myself and the only world champion, I
couldn’t see much support from Australia. "I think if we have more
champions Australia is going to support me.’ Triple world champion
Jeff Fenech, who formerly trained Darchinyan, said his old charge was
the leader of Australian boxing and called him for to be granted the
recognition his feats deserved. "He’s a proven commodity in the US,
it’s a pity that we don’t give him the credit he deserves in his own
country," Fenech said. AAP aw/jds