Towering Inferno in blazing form

CAMPBELL Somerville, the Towering Inferno of the Australian boxing team, made it a hat-trick of victories for the home side, stopping Joshua Redhead of Grenada in his opening fight of the 75kg division yesterday.

The 190cm Melbourne giant used his height and reach to great effect, controlling the action from the opening round against his plucky 175cm opponent, who simply could not cope with Somerville’s long, accurate, straight punches at the Oxenford Studios.

It was the third victory by Aussie boxers at the Games, following wins by Terry Nickolas (69kg) and Harry Garside (60kg) a day earlier.

Somerville, 21, a personal trainer, staggered Redhead throughout the fight, forcing Singapore referee Arnagirenathan Vadivel to apply standing counts in all three rounds before waving the fight off with a minute gone in the third.

Somerville has been training in the Rocky Mountains with Jeff Horn’s next opponent Terence Crawford and said the rarefied air at their base in Colorado Springs had done wonders for his fitness.

Sparring with Crawford’s mate, American professional Steven Nelson, also helped enormously, and yesterday Somerville couldn’t miss with his jab and right hand.

The big Australian will next face India’s 26-year-old Krishan Vikas, a bronze medallist from the 2011 world championships and dual Olympian who is one of the most experienced boxers competing on the Gold Coast.