After a year of delivering some of the highest quality match-ups seen in 2011, Brian Amatruda & Barry Michael Sports are back alongside their new co-matchmaker in Ellis Boxing Enterprises’ Brock Ellis with a five-fight card on Friday February 24th from The Melbourne Pavilion televised LIVE on FOX Sports ‘Big-Time Boxing’, featuring one of the most evenly matched cards to take place so-far in 2012.
This ‘Big-Time Boxing’ main event gives fans a chance to see Jarrod ‘Left Jab’ Fletcher (10-0, 7 KOs), the former 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and arguably one of Australia’s greatest amateurs in the last decade challenge the reigning and defending Australian middleweight champion Tito Mwetupunga (11-2, 5 KOs).
Mwetupunga, 35, is enjoying an impressive run of recent results. The Melbourne-based Namibian has won nine-consecutive bouts since his last loss, a debatable majority decision against Luke Moloney back in 2008. Mwetupunga’s streak includes an impressive stoppage win over current PABA light-heavyweight champion Manny Vlamis, as well as dominating decision victories over former unified regional titlist Peter Mitrevski Jr and Kurt Bahram.
Fletcher, 28, who is arguably in the prime of his career, has considerable more wear and tear on his body in comparison to Mwetupunga. This is primarily from his decorated amateur career which spanned over 180 fights in almost ten-years – which includes a victory over 2008 Olympic Gold Medallist James DeGale.
Fletcher is a skilled technician who operates behind one of the best jabs in the business – hence the nickname ‘Left Jab’. In this fight, Fletcher appears to have the career momentum and the edge in power (although he has faced limited opposition as a professional), but Mwetupunga has been a professional for a longer amount of time (2007 in comparison to 2009) and has been in with the far better opposition.
Both Fletcher and Mwetupunga are physically strong, forward-marching boxers who both have deceiving power behind their shots. This matchup should make for an entertaining main event between a challenger who has good technique against a champion who has a solid chin.
Fletcher may not have the power to hurt the defending champion, but knows he needs to look impressive in his first televised main-event, while Mwetupunga like always, will press the action and that’s what fans want to see.
All one has to do is look at the records of the fighters being showcased in the semi-main event of this card in Susie Ramadan (21-1, 8 KOs) and Alessia Graf (25-2, 10 KOs) to know they are the most seasoned fighters on the card.
With a combined record of 46-3 (18 KOs), it is quite obvious that both Ramadan and Graf are fighters of a very high-standard. They have both challenged for versions of the world-title and their only defeats have come in world-title fights. In fact, their scheduled 10-round fight is an official elimination bout for the WBC female bantamweight title.
Ramadan, 32, is the more mature of the two world-title contenders, having held the IBF bantamweight world-title. However, she was stripped of it due to inactivity and was on the receiving end of a highly-debatable decision in her attempt to re-gain the championship against Yazmin Rivas in Mexico last October.
Although she is the younger of the two, Graf, 31, is a battle-tested veteran. The now Sydney-based Belarusian has won sixteen of her last seventeen contests, dating back to 2005 – with her only defeat being a points decision loss to Ana Maria Torres (UD10).
Both Ramadan and Graf are confident veterans who should make each other think and fight harder than they have in quite some time, which should make for interesting viewing.
In the second of two fights featuring highly regarded prospects, unbeaten Victorian light-middleweight champion Michael Zerafa – takes on an opponent that is seven-years his senior in Pat Rullo, in a contest that will be his toughest fight to date.
This is because because Zerafa has never faced a fighter as accomplished as Rullo.
Zerafa looks like the complete package – he’s good looking, charismatic, and has one-punch knockout power with two of his three knockout victims having fallen inside one round. It’s no wonder he is becoming hugely popular in hometown of Craigieburn and in Greater Western-Area of Melbourne, keeping in mind he’s only 19 and has been a professional for less than 12-months.
However, the unbeaten Victorian has yet to face a top-draw talent domestically, so he has a lot to prove. A victory over fellow Victorian Pat Rullo (12-3-1, 1 KO) would be a significant statement in itself.
Rullo, 26, represents a massive step-up in opposition for Zerafa. The former national and state light-middleweight champion is a very good boxer who has faced some of the best fighters in and around the light-middleweight division – including the big-punching Tyrone Tongia, Steven Maxwell and Tui Leveni as well as talented boxers Rivan Cessaire, Jordan Gee Hoy, Rey Anton Olarte and Jason Kanofski.
Having said that, Rullo has looked lacklustre in recent outings and despite posting victories in four of his last five-fights – he has looked fragile since his loss against Rey Anton Olarte. However, he is coming off an eight-month break and will no doubt be better for it.
On the other hand, Zerafa is coming off an exciting split-decision win over capable brawler Faisal Fayad, in a fight which he seemed to control with pure aggression and punch output. Zerafa is in with a good chance because of his speed and power, however Rullo is a better all-around boxer, which may be the difference in a fight like this.
Rullo’s jab and his ability to move well around the ring could be play a major part in who wins this fight as he will try to frustrate his younger opponent, who will have to find a way to cut off the ring if he hopes to win.
A victory by Zerafa would considerably enhance his credibility as he looks to make his first appearance on national television one to remember. Zerafa has the potential to become of the most exciting fighters in country and in Rullo he is taking on one of the most consistent and battle-tested fighters the country has to offer.
This is a quality matchup.
The second televised bout of the card has the ingredients to produce what could more than likely be the ‘Fight of The Night’ when former amateur star and indigenous prospect Rocky Jerkic, who is trained by George Reno and managed/promoted by three-divison world champion Anthony Mundine & BOXA International takes on the exciting Melbourne-based Sri-Lankan Dinesh Kanth.
Jerkic (2-0, 1 KO), who only turned professional last October, is developing into a nice all-around prospect. His last two opponents have offered little resistance, but debut-opponent Stavros Karanicolas showed enough in the four-round distance to not only provide a good learning experience for the 24-year-old, but also a solid hit-out as Jerkic floored Karanicolas twice in the opening two-rounds.
This is Jerkic’s first fight over the six-round distance and he couldn’t have picked a potentially more dangerous opponent than the Sri-Lankan live-wire in Kanth, who on paper is a significant step-up in opposition.
Kanth (2-1, 2 KOs), is a kickboxing convert who has finished two of his three opponents inside the distance, with his lone defeat being a third-round stoppage against former Australian super-middleweight titlist Michael Bolling – although it is worth noting that Kanth floored Bolling in the opening round. Kanth scored the most significant victory of his career in his last outing, which was back in July 2011, where he recovered from a heavy-knockdown to stop the highly-regarded prospect Callan Orchard in one explosive round.
This is an intriguing matchup, pitting a boxer-puncher against a big-puncher that is guaranteed to be entertaining. These aggressive styles along with the seek-and-destroy mentalities of these two middleweights will always mesh to create a slugfest, which is why hardcore fans are so excited about this matchup.
A victory would be a solid step in the right direction for either fighter.
The opening bout of the five-fight telecast will feature unbeaten Victorian light-welterweight Matt Lytwynenko, who faces a replacement in South-Australian Neil Gysbers.
Lytwynenko, 26, has been impressive in his young career, consistently displaying eye-catching power. Although he has a tendency to lunge-in and occasionally lacks head-movement, he is a consummate professional and when on-song is one of the most-exciting fighters in the Victoria that shows a willingness to face anyone in or around his division.
Despite being unbeaten, Lytwynenko has drawn with three of his eight-opponents as a professional. One of those draws was in his last outing (D6 Addisu Tebebu) with the remaining two draws coming against fellow unbeaten Victorian Terry Tzouramanis, who has showed no interest in a potential rematch for local bragging rights.
Lytwynenko was originally scheduled to face New South Wales light-middleweight champion Anthony Brownlie, who later withdrew due to issues with weight, leaving Lytwynenko without an opponent with less than four-weeks remaining. Discussions began for potential fights against the unbeaten Takashi Seguira and former PABA light-welterweight champion Rob Whaley – but due to the lack of time for preparation, neither fight could be made.
The un-televised portion of the card also features the unbeaten cruiserweight Kane Watts who will face former Commonwealth title-challenger Oscar Siale as well as the returning Glen Marks, who will mark his comeback to the ring in a four-round scrap with the always entertaining Justin Medoro. The card will be opened by professional debutant Paul Watson who will take on the durable Stavros Karanicolas in a four-round attraction.
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