Boxers disqualified over lack-lustre fight
TOMASI Bukalidi, Oceania Games silver medallist and Seleni Temo were disqualified for not boxing enough in the national amateur boxing championship light-middleweight final in Suva.
According to The Fiji Times on November 27, 1980, the much heralded encounter turned into a dull, dreary affair and referee Commander Stan Brown, justifiably, stopped the non-fight in the second minute of the third round.
"Both the boxers were disqualified for not trying for the national amateur title," announced Hector Hatch, chairman of the Fiji Amateur Boxing Association, as the two boxers made their way to the changing room.
There were some good and some mediocre fights in the finals. PWD’s Semeti Koroi destroyed Peniasi Yasawa, of Kings Club, with a series of crushing punches in the second round to lift the light-heavyweight title.
Hard-hitting Koroi Vodo of Young Men Christian’s Association bullied his way to the Fiji amateur middleweight title by outpointing Buli Raiwalui of PWD.
Razor-sharp Timoci Niumataiwalu earned a unanimous point win over PWD’s Eparama Saunokonoko for the welterweight title.
FABA’s nominee for this year’s Sportsman of the Year Award, Bertie Quai Hoi cruised to an over-whelming point’s victory over YMCA’s Isimeli Lesi, for the light-welterweight
Tomasi Bukalidi, Oceania Games boxing silver medalist throws a left to Seleni
Temo of the Prison’s Boxing team.
title.
Eparama Gonerara barrelled his way to the featherweight title when referee commander Brown stopped the fight in the third round saving Sunil Prasad from receiving further punishent.
A determined Koroi gave an electrifying start to the light-heavyweight title fight when he rocked King’s mediocre boxer Yasawa with a vicious left punch to the head.
Yasawa was given a mandatory eight count by referee Netani Ledua.
In the second round,with a good right and left combination, Koroi discarded Yasawa to the canvas for the only knockout win in the final.
The middleweight clash between Vodo and Raiwalui was a close one and it was only the strenuous efforts of Vodo in the second round that gave the split points decision.
First and third rounds were very closely fought.
King’s Niumataiwalu, with five consecutive wins in the FABA club competition under his belt before the championship, had little trouble in disposing of his opponent Saunokonoko.
Niumataiwalu took an early lead on points with some good clean punches in the first round of their three-round bouts.
Young Hoi justified FABA’s choice of him as nominee for the prestigious award by putting up impressive performance in his championship fights. Gonerara scored an effortless win over Prasad.
It was Prasad’s reluctance to throw punches at the shorter Gonerara that cost him the fight. FABA president Brow presented the certificate and trophies to the participants and the winners.
■ THE FIJI TIMES
November 17, 1981 ABOUT 100 French journalists staged a sit-down pro-test at Damascus Airport yesterday after one of them was not allowed through a security control unless he removed his false teeth. The journalists, arriving from Paris for a visit to Syria by French President
Francois Mitterrand, were kept waiting more than two hours without explanation, apparently for stringent security checks. The false teeth incident led them to sit on the floor and refuse to move or have their luggage searched. Despite high-level diplomatic exchanges it was five hours before they
left for their hotel.
■ THE FIJI TIMES
The Fiji Times front
page of Tuesday, November 27, 1979.
The Fiji Times front page on Saturday, November 27, 1976.