madjack
04-02-2003, 02:25 AM
WBC to name Fenech our greatest
February 3, 2003
JEFF FENECH is to be proclaimed the best world champion in Australian boxing history.
That call, by the World Boxing Council, will be made at a dinner celebrating the WBC's 40th anniversary in Mexico City on February 24.
Fenech, 38, will attend with other boxing greats from around the world, and receive an award, a new WBC championship belt, as well as the best-Australian-ever accolade.
The WBC recognition places Fenech, who held world championships in three weight divisions, at the forefront of the list of Australia's world champion boxers.
In chronological order they are Jimmy Carruthers, Lionel Rose, Johnny Famechon, Rocky Mattioli, Lester Ellis, Fenech, Barry Michael, Jeff Harding and reigning undisputed world super-lightweight titleholder Kostya Tszyu.
Fenech, from Sydney, competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and began in professional boxing on October 12, 1984, at suburban Marrickville with a second round KO win over Bobby Williams.
The "Marrickville Mauler", as he was dubbed, went on to hold world championships in three weight divisions and fought for world titles in another two.
Fenech competed at world level for 11 years, from April 26, 1985, when he stopped Satoshi Shingaki to win the International Boxing Federation world bantamweight title, to May 18, 1996, when he failed against Phillip Holiday in a challenge for the IBF world lightweight championship.
The professional record was 32 bouts, 21 KO wins, 6 wins on points, 1 technical draw, 1 draw, 3 KO losses.
In his three world-title reigns, he was undefeated.
He made three defences of the IBF bantamweight title before vacating and moving up a division.
He won the WBC super-bantamweight championship on May 8, 1987, by KO4 of Thailand's Samart Payakarun and made two defences before vacating to go up to the featherweights.
Fenech won the WBC featherweight title on May 7, 1988, by 10th round KO of Victor Callejas.
From there he went on to make three successful defences, against Tyrone Downes, George Navarro and Marcos Villasana before, again, vacating.
On June 28, 1991, in Las Vegas, Jeff Fenech went for his fourth world-title, fighting Ghana's legendary Azumah Nelson for the WBC super-featherweight championship.
The fight ended in a draw – and controversy, with many observers believing the decision should have gone to Fenech.
In the WBC-ordered rematch, in Melbourne on June 21, 1992, Nelson stopped Fenech in eight rounds to retain his title. Fenech would fight four more times before retiring after the Phillip Holiday setback in May 1996.
One of many extraordinary elements in the professional career of Fenech, a fierce boxer-fighter, is that he was never beaten on points.
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:26:29
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:27:01
February 3, 2003
JEFF FENECH is to be proclaimed the best world champion in Australian boxing history.
That call, by the World Boxing Council, will be made at a dinner celebrating the WBC's 40th anniversary in Mexico City on February 24.
Fenech, 38, will attend with other boxing greats from around the world, and receive an award, a new WBC championship belt, as well as the best-Australian-ever accolade.
The WBC recognition places Fenech, who held world championships in three weight divisions, at the forefront of the list of Australia's world champion boxers.
In chronological order they are Jimmy Carruthers, Lionel Rose, Johnny Famechon, Rocky Mattioli, Lester Ellis, Fenech, Barry Michael, Jeff Harding and reigning undisputed world super-lightweight titleholder Kostya Tszyu.
Fenech, from Sydney, competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and began in professional boxing on October 12, 1984, at suburban Marrickville with a second round KO win over Bobby Williams.
The "Marrickville Mauler", as he was dubbed, went on to hold world championships in three weight divisions and fought for world titles in another two.
Fenech competed at world level for 11 years, from April 26, 1985, when he stopped Satoshi Shingaki to win the International Boxing Federation world bantamweight title, to May 18, 1996, when he failed against Phillip Holiday in a challenge for the IBF world lightweight championship.
The professional record was 32 bouts, 21 KO wins, 6 wins on points, 1 technical draw, 1 draw, 3 KO losses.
In his three world-title reigns, he was undefeated.
He made three defences of the IBF bantamweight title before vacating and moving up a division.
He won the WBC super-bantamweight championship on May 8, 1987, by KO4 of Thailand's Samart Payakarun and made two defences before vacating to go up to the featherweights.
Fenech won the WBC featherweight title on May 7, 1988, by 10th round KO of Victor Callejas.
From there he went on to make three successful defences, against Tyrone Downes, George Navarro and Marcos Villasana before, again, vacating.
On June 28, 1991, in Las Vegas, Jeff Fenech went for his fourth world-title, fighting Ghana's legendary Azumah Nelson for the WBC super-featherweight championship.
The fight ended in a draw – and controversy, with many observers believing the decision should have gone to Fenech.
In the WBC-ordered rematch, in Melbourne on June 21, 1992, Nelson stopped Fenech in eight rounds to retain his title. Fenech would fight four more times before retiring after the Phillip Holiday setback in May 1996.
One of many extraordinary elements in the professional career of Fenech, a fierce boxer-fighter, is that he was never beaten on points.
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:26:29
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:27:01