By MIKE C RYAN and KID KALIN

Ten Viccies take first step on the road to Oceania.
Victorian box-offs conclude March 3 and 10.
Queensland team decided March 3 and 10.
NSW team settled March 9.
Places in National A and B Teams for Samoa in April,
to be fought out in Canberra, March 23-25.

 

Mick Sacco’s happy return

Pat Rullo wins on one sound leg

Ballarat Best Boxer, Mick Sacco,
and happy coach, Ian Fear greet the Kid’s camera

In his very first amateur fight, the Ballarat boxer Mick Sacco was stopped by Bobby Backman. That was 29 months ago.

Here they are, matched again, in Calabria Club, Brunswick, Melbourne, on Sunday, February 25, 2007. Light-heavyweights contesting the main event of the opening round of Victoria’s Oceania selection trials

Mick’s come a long way.

Both men piled in early but Sacco gradually gained the ascendancy over his tall opponent. Mick bloodied Backman and put two counts on him in the course of four rounds which Mick won 42-21. Unsubmitting Backman ended with two hits flush on Sacco.

On a high note Sacco was awarded the Best Boxer cup.

Mick’s father Johnny Sacco was a pro welter and Bobby’s father, Peter Backman was Amateur heavyweight champ in his day,

Pat Rullo steers thumping right at McArdle

Earlier, Pat Rullo, the welterweight jolter, looked a bet for the cup as he roughed up clever Sean McArdle. Rullo set his gallery of seven lovelies applauding front row, and he won 39-21.

Sean McArdle shows strain, under pressure

Rullo’s lower leg was bandaged – he shot a reinforce-concrete steel piping clean through his leg a week previously!

Mills turning again ...

Russell Mills boxed his first bout since Todd Kidd two years ago. In a fairly even duel of southpaws, Mills outpopped Chris Tanner 28-18 in their light-welterweight four rounder.

Rivals from the Mornington Peninsula, Jayde Mitchell of Rye and Scott Peverell of Blairgowrie, met in a middleweight qualifier. Jayde was seconded by his ex-pro father, Len Mitchell, and Peverell by coach Phil Catalucci and Games Goldie, Brad Pitt.

Jayde Mitchell: lean back and brush away

After the referee from the blind side applied a count – though Jayde’s knee touched canvas he’d only slipped – the Rye fighter dominated the third and won over four rounds, 33-17.

The announcer hailed Jayde as the Concrete Kid.

Entered at middleweight (75), Daniel Smith moved up to light-heavy (81). Weighing 78kg, Daniel gave Lyndon Edney a good run before steady Edney won their four, 26-17.

Middleweight Mark Basile was decked hard in round two by the Bendigo lean man, Ewan Jones.

Basile rose to take the decision in a surprise result, 34-22.

 

Roving Will back home

Will Tomlinson, back in Victoria after seasons of boxing in the Northern Territory and Queensland, is ready to claim the Victorian lightweight spot.

FACE FIRST. Will Tomlinson walks into one from Sendeckyj

Trim Will banged half-a-head taller Dylan Sendeckyj for a standing 8 in round two. When a right smash on the side of the head had Sendeckyj walking on air, the referee in round four called an end.

Sendeckyj dropped to his knees to rebuke the intervention. He thought the points were close.

Another lightweight qualifier saw Phil Prandis from Northside decision Joel Lehman from Fords, 39-29.

New face from Africa, Trent Rawlings, proved to be a game novice lasting four rounds under a hammering from rated Heavyweight, Mark Fraser, the Fighters Factory dreadnought.

Trent, in Gerry Murphy’s care, has springy legs and Cassius features.

This Rawlings biff jarred super-heavy Mark Fraser

Does Rawlings resemble someone?

The remaining four-rounder saw rated featherweight, Ibrahim Balla too experienced for Steve Freeth and winner by rsc.

 

 

Beef 'n strife

Seven match bouts supported the ten Oceania prelims. Strife attended the Novice Super-heavy Final. Brad Thomson fed left hands to whaleweight Eddie Deisel and in round two the whistle blew with Brad 15 points ahead.

Deisel shoved referee Vincat violently in the chest. Blames him. A sure novice. Diesel didn’t know the Outscored rule.

Brave flyweight Beau Gerring confronted Moby Dick to cool him.

Jake Carr kept landing and Hieland light-heavy Angus McDuffy till a blood nose smeared him, a punch staggered him and Angus was ruled out rsc1.

Celebrated light-heavies train both, Long John McCubbin, Angus, and Rocket Rod Carr, Jake.

 

Korobo block off

African fighter, Korobo, and Damien Tanner knocked each other’s blocks off – at any rate, their helmets. Korobo’s helmet flew off twice, until a replacement headguard expertly flung, flew through the air to cornerman Morrie Schott.

Korobo swings like a gate at Chris Tanner.
Both middleweights southpaws.

Soon Tanner’s helmet hit the canvas. Damien stayed upright. Korobo from Sudan won on the whistle in round two, and moved to the novice 75 kg final.

Steve Sutherland, climbing from midges to rising star, was given a fair gallop by smaller but excellent defender, Andrew Moloney. Sutherland won this light-flyweight match by rsc outscored r 2.

Sutherland stalks peekaboo boy

Female..69kg novice final. Sarah Howlett w rsc 2 Cassie Pruden.

Cadet 75. Zoran Jankovski w rsc1 Hakan Tekin.

Junior Novice 91 kg final. Aaron Burnie w rsc 2 (inj) Callum Orchard.