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Boxing: Dunne claims World Title
Sunday March 22 2009
Bernard Dunne completed a remarkable weekend for Irish sport to claim the WBA World super bantamweight title after dethroning Panamanian southpaw Ricardo Cordoba at the O2 in Dublin in the early hours of this morning.
The Dubliner floored the defending champion three times and the fight was stopped in the 11th round to complete a sensational night for Irish boxing.
Cordoba need medical attention immediately after the stoppage and was lifted out of the ring on a stretcher and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Dunne now becomes the first Irishman since Barry McGuigan - who beat Panamanian Eusebio Pedroza in London in 1985 to claim the World featherweight title - to adorn his waist with a WBA belt.
Dunne looked sharp and composed in the opening two rounds, keeping his left hand well up to negate Cordoba's southpaw style.
And the Dubliner nearly lifted the roof of the O2 when he dropped the Santa Marta born ighter with a stunning left in the third.
Dunne had Cordoba in more trouble in the fourth -but the Panamanian hit back in spectacular fashion in the fifth, obliging the Dubliner to take two counts from Canadian referee Hubert Earle.
The sixth frame was a recovery round for Dunne - but his faculties had recovered sufficiently to land one solid right near the end of the stanza.
Both boxers traded more or less an equal amount of leather in the seventh and eight, Dunne wobbling his opponent with another right in the ninth.
The tenth was probably the best round of the contest, but Dunne opened up with a vengeance in the 11th, felling Cordoba three times before the contest was stopped just one second to the bell.
"It's ours, it's all ours. This has justified everything I have ever done in boxing," said Dunne immediately after the fight. There were times in that fight when I was under pressure, his hands were so fast."
In the main support bout of the evening, Limerick southpaw Andy Lee, who boxes out of the Detroit Kronk, registered a 99-91 win over Germany's Alex Sipos.
Lee wisely opted to work behind his raking right jab for most of this fight and dropped Sipos in a neutral corner with a beautiful right in the sixth.
However, the German, who sparred with Lee at Wladimir Klitschko's training camp in Austria last year, refused to buckle and continued to walk the 2004 Irish Olympian down for the remainder of the ten rounder.
The Munich born middleweight had a paricularly good ninth round, stepping inside to catch Lee with some solid shots mid way through the frame.
However, Lee, who had not fought since last August because of an operation to repair damaged tissue over his right eye, closed out the tenth to claim a deserved victory.
Meantime, reigning World, European and European Union champion Katie Taylor outclassed American lightweight Caroline Barry to claim victory, also at the O2 in Dublin last night.
The hard hitting AIBA 2008 World female boxer of the year produced a four round tour de force to earn a commanding 27 -3 win over the three times Pan American champion.
Speaking after the fight, Taylor, who stopped Barry on the 15 point rule en route to gold at the 2006 World Championships in New Delhi, admitted she was stunned by the welcome she received from Irish boxing fans.
She said: "I couldn't believe the reception I got - it was an amazing experience for me. I knew it was going to be a tough fight and well done to her for never backing off."
The Bray woman, whose dad Peter and Pat Ryan were working her corner last night, will defend her European title later this year and is keeping her fingers crossed that women's boxing will finally get the nod to become an Olympic sport.
The International Olympic Committee are expected to make a decision on whether the female version of the noble art will be introduced for the London 2012 Olympics later this year.
Stylish lightweight Andy Murray claimed the vacant European Union lightweight title at the O2.
The 26 year old Cavan fighter dominated his twelve rounder with Spanish puncher Daniel Rasilla to stretch his career record to 15 wins after earning a unanimous decision
Sunday March 22 2009
Bernard Dunne completed a remarkable weekend for Irish sport to claim the WBA World super bantamweight title after dethroning Panamanian southpaw Ricardo Cordoba at the O2 in Dublin in the early hours of this morning.
The Dubliner floored the defending champion three times and the fight was stopped in the 11th round to complete a sensational night for Irish boxing.
Cordoba need medical attention immediately after the stoppage and was lifted out of the ring on a stretcher and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Dunne now becomes the first Irishman since Barry McGuigan - who beat Panamanian Eusebio Pedroza in London in 1985 to claim the World featherweight title - to adorn his waist with a WBA belt.
Dunne looked sharp and composed in the opening two rounds, keeping his left hand well up to negate Cordoba's southpaw style.
And the Dubliner nearly lifted the roof of the O2 when he dropped the Santa Marta born ighter with a stunning left in the third.
Dunne had Cordoba in more trouble in the fourth -but the Panamanian hit back in spectacular fashion in the fifth, obliging the Dubliner to take two counts from Canadian referee Hubert Earle.
The sixth frame was a recovery round for Dunne - but his faculties had recovered sufficiently to land one solid right near the end of the stanza.
Both boxers traded more or less an equal amount of leather in the seventh and eight, Dunne wobbling his opponent with another right in the ninth.
The tenth was probably the best round of the contest, but Dunne opened up with a vengeance in the 11th, felling Cordoba three times before the contest was stopped just one second to the bell.
"It's ours, it's all ours. This has justified everything I have ever done in boxing," said Dunne immediately after the fight. There were times in that fight when I was under pressure, his hands were so fast."
In the main support bout of the evening, Limerick southpaw Andy Lee, who boxes out of the Detroit Kronk, registered a 99-91 win over Germany's Alex Sipos.
Lee wisely opted to work behind his raking right jab for most of this fight and dropped Sipos in a neutral corner with a beautiful right in the sixth.
However, the German, who sparred with Lee at Wladimir Klitschko's training camp in Austria last year, refused to buckle and continued to walk the 2004 Irish Olympian down for the remainder of the ten rounder.
The Munich born middleweight had a paricularly good ninth round, stepping inside to catch Lee with some solid shots mid way through the frame.
However, Lee, who had not fought since last August because of an operation to repair damaged tissue over his right eye, closed out the tenth to claim a deserved victory.
Meantime, reigning World, European and European Union champion Katie Taylor outclassed American lightweight Caroline Barry to claim victory, also at the O2 in Dublin last night.
The hard hitting AIBA 2008 World female boxer of the year produced a four round tour de force to earn a commanding 27 -3 win over the three times Pan American champion.
Speaking after the fight, Taylor, who stopped Barry on the 15 point rule en route to gold at the 2006 World Championships in New Delhi, admitted she was stunned by the welcome she received from Irish boxing fans.
She said: "I couldn't believe the reception I got - it was an amazing experience for me. I knew it was going to be a tough fight and well done to her for never backing off."
The Bray woman, whose dad Peter and Pat Ryan were working her corner last night, will defend her European title later this year and is keeping her fingers crossed that women's boxing will finally get the nod to become an Olympic sport.
The International Olympic Committee are expected to make a decision on whether the female version of the noble art will be introduced for the London 2012 Olympics later this year.
Stylish lightweight Andy Murray claimed the vacant European Union lightweight title at the O2.
The 26 year old Cavan fighter dominated his twelve rounder with Spanish puncher Daniel Rasilla to stretch his career record to 15 wins after earning a unanimous decision
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