Fleming wants chance to fight on world stage
Dunstan took AFL to whole new level
NORTH Queensland’s Olympian Paul Fleming declared he was ready for an opponent among the world’s top five after an impressive seventhround stoppage of Filipino Vergil Puton on the Horn-Corcoran undercard last night.
Fleming now has a record of 25-0 (17 KO wins) after the fight ended with Puton suffering a severe eye injury.
The loss was the ninth from 26 fights for the Filipino but made the junior-lightweight fight competitive against a slick southpaw who fought at the 2008 Olympics.
Originally from Tully, Fleming, 29, also won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Junior Titles.
He says he is now ready to face the best in the world in 2018.
It was Puton’s first loss inside the distance.
``I was really happy with the performance,’’ Fleming said. ``I just have to fight more regularly to show what can I do on the world stage.’’
■ A FURIOUS Alex Leapai will make an immediate appeal to the Australian National Boxing Federation after his brutal brawl with Nigerian Roger Izonritei ended abruptly with a technical draw in the third round on last night’s Horn-Corcoran undercard in Brisbane.
Leapai had the 195cm Perth-based strongman in trouble when a large cut on Izonritei’s forehead above the left eye forced experienced referee Paul Tapley to call a halt.
The referee ruled the fight over but a furious Leapai complained that the decision was not endorsed by ringside doc- tor Saul Geffen. EXPERIENCED administrator Melissa Dunstan has been credited with lifting AFL Cairns’ professionalism during her tenure with the competition.
Dunstan, who moved to the Far North in January 2006 and started at AFL Cairns a few months later, finishes up with the league this week after more than a decade of service to AFL in the region.
Dunstan, who had previously worked at the Carlton Football Club, started with the league as an assistant to the AFL Cairns general manager before becoming the football operations manager.
In recent years she has worked in a part-time role as the competitions Events and Communications Manager, since 2012.
“Without Mel’s contribution, footy would not be what it is today in our area,” AFL Cairns boss Gary Young said.
“She has shown she is passionate about the game, her job and led the way in bringing the game in North Queensland to a very professional level. Mel is damn good at her job.”
The annual AFL game at Cazalys, which featured AFL clubs Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast and now North Melbourne, over the years is one of Dunstan’s most satisfying achievements.
“One of the biggest things I
WITHOUT MEL’S CONTRIBUTION, FOOTY WOULD NOT BE WHAT IT IS TODAY IN OUR AREA