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The Bash at Badgery's
by Cary Young
[15 October 2003]

If all the brilliance, promise of brilliance and punching power that we saw at Badgery's Creek on Friday Foxtel could have been matched against each other, we would have seen some great fights rather than some of the virtual mismatches of the night.

Star of the night by far was will o' the wisp junior-lightweight Gairy St Clair, a grand master of the hit and not be hit school of boxing. Loser of just three of 32 fights (and reportedly all three to world champs or exs), his flashing speed of jabs, hooks, rights and rips, masterful bobbing and weaving which made him virtually unhittable, was boxing at its very best. Gairy mesmerised his Indonesian opponent, Donny Suratin.

One has read of defensive masters like Young Griffo, Jim Driscoll and Benny Leonard, and remembers guys like Willy Pep and John Famechon. You think of them when you see someone like Gairy St Claire weaving his magic.

Vic Darchinyan, a 27 year old bantam with an ungainly southpaw style, has knockout drops in his fists and bowled Edo Angorro over in one. Better opposition please.

Hussein Hussein, six weeks off a WBC title fight, used his outing as a sparring match to work off obvious ring rust. A mismatch against an opponent half a head shorter, who didn't want to be there. In another era, Fidal would have been disqualified for not fighting.

Another great prospect was Ben Cruz, an invader from the West. His dismantling in two rounds of vastly experienced former amateur star, James Swan, took Ben's score to five wins, five KOs . Loads of promise here.

Chris Hamilton, overwhelmingly equipped physically, took a round or two to settle down against gutsy and much shorter Paul Le. Queensland middleweight Chris was well on top by fight's end.

Flashy Daniel Dawson easily outscored the journeyman and at 32, veteran, Mike Cope, but was pretty casual in doing so. A step-up in opposition for the light-middleweight titleholder would be good to see.