Controversy in the ring

There where ten bouts on the cards at the Faleata Sports Stadium yesterday.

The first of two bantamweights featured featured Faasala Livai the silver medallist from the Oceania Games in April, 2007 up against Johna Nalau from Vanuatu.

A controversial decision with the first two rounds going to Nalau, the third round 12-all and the decision in the all important fourth round going in favour to the local lad, Livai.

The second of the bantamweights, between Eugene Keto of Papua New Guinea and Steve Airam, from Honiara in Solomon Islands was a very good fight as well.

Dominant and very strong, a body puncher, Keto in the end too good for Airam from Solomon Islands.

In the first of three featherweights contests, that's the under 57 kilogram division, featuring the gold medallists from the Oceania Games held in Samoa in April this year, featuring Samuelu Faialaga from Savai'i, Samoa and Simon Blechfiel of Solomon Islands.

The gold medallist Faialaga too good, the referee stopping the contest halfway through the first round, the gold medallist too quick, even Blechfiel was a bigger and stronger opponent.

The second of the featherweight contests featured David Iailan from Vanuatu and this was very much a great win for Oscar Kurt from Nauru, with Iailan going into the fourth round having won all three rounds and then Kurt from the Ewa district in Nauru with a very punishing fourth and final round and doing enough to convince the judges that he should get the decision and he did.

The second of the of the featherweight contests between Toefuataina Faileaso of American Samoa and Amlesh Narayan from Labasa, in Fiji was another close contest with not much separating these combatants in all four rounds and in the end it went to a judges decision, which was a close one decided in favour of Faileaso.

In the first of five sets in the light welterweight division, the under 64 category featuring Lestage Christophe of New Caledonia against Petelo Matagi of Faleula, Samoa. Contrasting styles cool and conservative Christophe, and very aggressive Matangi, in the end Christophe was able to stay out of trouble did enough to win the judges decision.

In the first of four light heavyweight contests, Jale Ma'afu from Suva in Fji up against Travis Motu jnr Sani Tapatuetoa, from Mutalau of Niue and a points decision in the fourth and final round to Ma'afu, this was a close and closely contested bout.

Then between Andrew Fanoule of American Samoa and Eugene Raurahi of Papeete, Tahiti was another good contest between two evenly matched fighter and then Raurahi getting the decision at the end of the fourth round.

The light heavyweight contest that featured Vengi Hagai of Cook Islands and Vete Ofati of Tuvalu was another excellent bout of boxing, particularly for Hagai who looks to be very quick, very aggressive and in the end it almost looked a mismatch after starting promisingly in the first round, the decision went to Hagai.

The final bout of the night featured Farani Tavui of Savai'i, Samoa, the gold medallist from the Oceania Championships up against New Caledonia's Dion Nicolas, a very good contest, Nicolas was in the contest to the halfway point but then Tavui finished it off very quickly and deserved the decision.