Here is a link for a video highlight of the WBO Asia Pacific/WBO Oriental Heavyweight title bout between Shane Cameron vs. Monte Barrett.
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE VIDEO!!!!
Here is a link for a video highlight of the WBO Asia Pacific/WBO Oriental Heavyweight title bout between Shane Cameron vs. Monte Barrett.
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE VIDEO!!!!
Two bottles of champagne were whisked into Shane Cameron’s dressing room after he stunned Monte Barrett with a thundering fourth-round knockout to rejuvenate his heavyweight career in Auckland.
With a huge overhand right hook just 18 seconds into the fourth round, Cameron reclaimed the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental belts in devastating fashion to shock most predictions.
Cameron’s power has long been questioned, but with Barrett needing to be helped to his feet more than a minute after being floored, those jibes are sure to cease.
The 41-year-old Barrett didn’t see Cameron’s shot coming and, after trash-talking his way through the build-up, the American was, for once, short of words.
“It was an amazing victory. I’d like to thank everyone who turned up here tonight to support me. It was an amazing feeling coming out and the ending was spectacular,” Cameron said.
“I said I was going to get these belts back and I did.”
Barrett, who strode to the ring looking like Santa Claus, meanwhile, is now seemingly set for retirement.
“Shane was prepared for the fight. He fought a good fight and my hat goes off to him and his team,” Barrett said after recovering from the brutal punch.
“It was one of those shots that you don’t see coming.”
Cameron’s two-and-a-half week training camp with former British champion David Haye in London clearly paid dividends.
Barrett is considered the gateway to bigger heavyweight clashes and Cameron will now look to capitalise on this remarkable underdog triumph.
The 34-year-old Kiwi had spoken of gaining redemption after his dramatic second-round defeat to David Tua nearly three years ago. This was the defining fight of his career and he more than delivered.
In the tentative opening round, Barrett was content to let the challenger come to him. The American took that first round with two strong overhead right hooks, as Cameron attempted to work the jab and move.
Barrett twice made head-butt claims in the second round, but Cameron found his feet and shook off the initial nerves to hit the mark with strong right-hand hooks.
Both fighters landed heavy shots in the third. Cameron’s home-crowd rose to their feet thinking, on initial glance, he had secured a knockdown but it turned out Cameron had pushed the title holder down.
Few expected Cameron to stop this fight early. But with one punch the Commonwealth Cruiserweight champion defied the odds, declared he will not freeze on the big stage, can step up in class and ignited Kiwi boxing once more.
LIAM NAPIER
The war of words between New Zealand heavyweight Shane Cameron and outspoken American Monte Barrett began today after the pair went face to face in their first press conference ahead of their July bout.
Auckland’s Skycity is set to host the fight on July 5, with Barrett set to put the WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental Heavyweight belts, formerly held by Cameron, on the line.
Barrett, who is well known to New Zealand boxing fans after he beat David Tua last August, was quick to taunt the Kiwi today by reciting a poem he had written on his flight to Auckland from his native New York City.
In it Barrett claimed “my fist and Shane’s face will be best friends all night”, but 34-year-old Cameron was confident he would expose the age difference against the soon-to-be 41-year-old.
“I’ll turn you into a 40-year-old man,” Cameron told his opponent in response to the poem. “I’ve seen your last fight, you were slow.”
However the brash American was quick in his response.
“I was slow? I’ve seen your fight with David Tua and you were through the ropes,” Barrett said, referring to Cameron’s infamous second round knockout defeat to Tua in 2009.
“So you need to cut it out buddy,” Barrett continued.
“You got more grey hair than me and I’m older than you, I think you’ve got a lot of problems.”
Taunts aside, fight promoter Dean Lonergan confirmed that the winner of the fight would become No. 1 contender to the New Zealand heavyweight title claimed by All Black Sonny Bill Williams in February.
The rules state that after the No. 1 contender is confirmed Williams will have to defend his belt within 12 months, but Lonergan doubted the rugby star would be up to the challenge.
“I think Sonny would love to have the opportunity to test himself, but I think his manager Khoder Nasser will run like a little girl when presented with the opportunity and I expect inside of 12 months Sonny Bill will throw the belt in, if he still has it,” Lonergan said.
Barrett had previously claimed he would fight Cameron and Williams in the same night and didn’t show much respect for the dual-international as a boxer today exclaiming: “I want to date him, the guy’s really pretty.”
“With Sonny Bill Williams, I just want to punch him in the stomach because he’s a pretty boy and once I hit him I don’t think he’s ever going to worry about putting on another pair of boxing gloves, he’s going to stick to kicking footballs for the rest of his life.”
Cameron was more focussed on the job at hand, aware that the fight is likely to be the toughest challenge he has faced in his 30-fight career, with Barrett having challenged for the World Heavyweight title on two occasions.
A farcry from the New Zealander’s last heavyweight opponent, former league player John Hopoate in 2010, but Cameron said this was about confirming his status as one of this country’s top boxers.
“I want to stamp my authority and legacy on this country, there’s not a lot of great fighters that come out of New Zealand, but I’d like to be up there with the ones that were great in New Zealand.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/trash-talk-starts-ahead-cameron-barrett-clash-4849322
Telstra Clear Events Centre, Manukau City, New Zealand – Heavyweight veteran Monte Barrett (35-9-2, 20KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over David Tua (54-4-2, 43KOs). The scores were 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112. Barrett captures the WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight titles.
The fight was a rematch of their twelve round majority draw from last July in Atlantic City, which saw Tua get dropped for the first time in his career in the twelfth round.
Tua was very sluggish from the very start. Barrett had few issues with landing his punches. A cut opened up above Tua’s right eye in the third round. Tua began to pick up the action in the fourth.
Barrett was using his jab to control the action. Tua was making the mistake of resorting to a heavy amount of counter-punching. Tua landed a few good lefts in the sixth, but Barrett took them well and countered back.
Tua started landing his right hand in the seventh. Barrett switched his stance to avoid further punches. Barrett continued to use his jab to set up other punches. He was moving, making Tua follow and miss.
Tua started to rally again in the tenth round with big left hands there were landing. He hit Barrett with a big combination in the final minute and Barrett was in big trouble. Barrett stayed on the move with Tua not throwing anything. Instead of trying to finish Barrett off, Tua was playing to the crowd.
They were trading punches in the eleventh round. Barrett’s legs did not look steady and yet he was still outlanding Tua during exchanges. In the final ten seconds, Tua caught Barrett again and started working him over until the bell.
Tua, knowing that he was likely behind on the cards, was looking for one big shot in the twelfth. Barrett was holding and surviving. In the final minute, Tua landed a big combination of punches to send Barrett down for the first time in the fight. Barrett barely made it up and somehow Tua once again let him off the hook with thirty seconds left and he survived until the final bell.
By Chris LaBate
http://www.boxingscene.com/barrett-likely-ends-david-tuas-career-with-big-win–42608
On his home patch in South Auckland, with blood and a smirk splattered on his face, David Tua was shocked when his return to the heavyweight division was quashed tonight with American Monte Barrett awarded a unanimous point’s decision.
Barrett is the only man to knock Tua to the canvas and appeared to be out on his feet in the last rounds.
He was knocked down in the 12th and struggled to get up but must have done enough in the early rounds to convince the judges.
The sold out crowd’s raptures turned to stunned glances when the decision was announced. They thought their Samoan-born Kiwi had his redemption revenge.
Tua bided his time and picked his moments, slowly building his power and intent as the bout progressed, but wit the loss, just the fourth of his career, means he gives up the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental belts. The 38-year-old said he would not retire but will take time out to consider his credible future in the sport.
Barrett kept the initially inactive and sluggish Tua at bay with his reach advantage and left jabs in the first three rounds. With a flurry of punches and his go-to overhand right hook bearing down, Barrett had Tua bleeding from a small cut above his right eye. The visitor was well on top, but briefly.
Tua was patient. He waited for an opening, a weakness in Barrett’s defence. The infamous left hook made a belated appearance at the end of the fourth round, as he lifted.
But Tua began to consistently rock the 40-year-old New Yorker with powerful combinations and a busier work rate. Barrett slipped behind in the points as the fight changed complexion. “Two Gunz” was out of ammunition, but he did enough early.
Tua hurt Barrett in the 10th round, pinning him against the ropes. He raised his arms in delight to the crowd and thought it was in the bag. Barrett appeared done. The judges thought otherwise.
The 3000-strong, vocal crowd waited through the undercards expectantly and booed Barrett on arrival. Tua received a standing ovation. There was an airy, yet electric atmosphere about this belt. It was career-defining for both fighters. The winner would carry on; the twilight loser faced an uncertain future.
Tua admitted, from his heart, Barrett should have won their first fight in Atlantic City last year, which led you to believe he was motivated and would deliver. He did that, but left it too late.
He needed a statement, either a knockout or convincing point’s victory, to ripple the division of giants that has become stagnant. His last convincing performance was too long ago, against Shane Cameron in October, 2009. Ultimately the 38-year-old was chasing a second world title shot after his defeat to Lennox Lewis in 2000. This could have been a stepping stone. He will now struggle to gain another.
In matching records alone, Tua’s impressive 52-3-2 scorecard dwarfed Barrett’s 34-9-2 in both experience and class. But records often don’t make it into the ring. As was the case tonight.
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New Zealand’s next heavyweight hope, 19-year-old amateur Joseph Parker, easily took care of Australian Nathan Mackay in a three round contest. Parker forced Mackay into two standing eight counts and spit his nose as he builds up to next month’s World Games in Azerbaijan, where he can qualify for next year’s London Olympics.
By: LIAM NAPIER
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/5441460/David-Tua-loses-on-unanimous-points-decision