On Friday, April 16th, 2004, IBF #4 ranked middleweight Sam "King" Soliman, 25-7 (8 KO’s), totally outclassed late replacement "Muhrodi" to score his fourth successive stoppage win with a third round TKO that took place on the "Southern Storm II" held at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
Soliman looked impressive from the opening bell, displaying his superior hand speed and defensive savvy to land triple hooks to the head and body while slipping punches with ease. The second round followed the pattern of the first, with Muhrodi barely able to lay a glove on the evasive Soliman who was peppering the Indonesian at will.
By the third round Soliman was unloading combinations numbering in the double figures. With Muhrodi hurt to the body, Soliman landed a flurry of punches upstairs and downstairs that prompted the referee to call an end to the action at 2:25 of the round.
Defending his IBF Pan Pacific Title for the seventh time, Soliman demonstrated the sharp reflexes and freakish ability to anticipate punches that have made him one of the most avoided fighters in the middleweight division today.
Whilst the win is inconsequential at world level, it gave Soliman’s many local fans the opportunity to see him in action before he heads to the USA to fight for the IBF mandatory contender position for his stateside promoter Dan Goossen.
In the co-feature former Sydney Olympian and current IBF #1 ranked flyweight Vic Darchinian, 21-0 (16 KO’s), scored a spectacular second round stoppage of Indonesian Falazona Fidal, dropping his foe twice to earn a second round TKO victory.
Stalking his opponent from the southpaw stance, Darchinian threw menacing shots at Falazona, who did little in return. In the second round the Armenian-born Australian dropped Falazona with a body rip that earned an eight count from the referee, and followed up with another vicious body shot that left Falazona prone on the canvas in obvious pain. The bout was stopped at the official time of 2:46 to the raucous applause of the crowd.
This was Darchinian’s first fight in Melbourne and the local Armenian community turned up in droves to support him. In the ring after the fight Darchinian’s trainer Jeff Fenech announced plans to have his charge challenge for a world title in either Melbourne or Sydney later this year.
In a welterweight grudge match that got better by the round, Steve Marks earned an eight round unanimous decision over Kenyan-born Australian Fred Kinuthia. After a slow opening stanza the action heated up in the second round, with Marks landing some sharp combinations while Kinuthia responded with single shots. As the rounds wore on both men landed had their moments, but it was Marks who consistently landed the cleaner shots and ran out a deserved winner by scores of 78-75 and 78-74 twice.
Heavyweight cult hero Bob Mirovic made short work of Paul Robinson, stopping him in the third round of a scheduled six rounder. The two-time Australian Champion consistently landed the heavier blows, dropping the game Robinson twice before the referee mercifully halted the action at the official time of 1:42.
In an entertaining light heavyweight bout fought at a close quarters, Tim Bell stopped Brown Enyi in the fifth round of their scheduled six round fight. Enyi looked ready to go at various stages of the contest, but continued to fight back until Bell dropped him face first onto the canvas courtesy of head-snapping uppercut. The ringside physician recommended the fight should be stopped at the official time of 1:19 of the fifth.
In the opening bout of the evening junior welterweight Lance Gostelow dropped Samsul Hidayat in the second stanza and followed up with a vicious body attack that brought a halt to proceedings at 2:15 of the round.
The card was promoted by Talentworks in association with Fightbiz International.
|
|
|
|
© Copyrights / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
|
By Anthony Cocks (April 19, 2004) 
