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Daniel ‘The Rock’ Dawson
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Despite injuring his right hand in the sixth round, unbeaten junior middleweight Daniel ‘The Rock’ Dawson notched up his 15th straight win with an eighth round stoppage of late replacement Fred Kinuthia to claim the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title on a Fenech Fight Night at Badgery Pavillion in Homebush, Sydney on Friday night.
Dawson, who is heading to the United States next week to take part in the reality television program ‘The Contender’, brushed off the injury in the post-fight interview.
“Yeah, it’s alright,” said the Kalgoorlie-born banger. “A bit sore, but that’s boxing.”
26-year-old Dawson showed his class from the opening bell, controlling the ring and carefully picking his shots. His confidence grew as the rounds went on and by the fourth he was dictating the pace of the fight and firing off snappy combinations to the body and head from behind the jab.
At the end of the sixth round Dawson complained to his trainer Craig Christian that he had injured his right hand, but it didn’t seem to affect his punch output as he poured on the pressure for the next two rounds. Although Kinuthia, whose ideal fighting weight is 140lb, came to fight, he had little answer to the naturally bigger man’s firepower.
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Between the eighth and ninth rounds Kinuthia’s corner retired their fighter to prevent him from shipping any more punishment. The once promising Kenyan born Australian resident has now lost eight on the trot to see his record fall to 8-9 (5).
“All credit to him to coming in at late notice,” said Dawson, now 15-0 (10). “You’re not going to step in the ring unless your going to give it your all, so he stepped in. Thanks for that Fred. We trained up for the hard fight, changed the fighter a couple of times. So that’s alright, we’ll take what we can take and do what we can do.”
While Dawson was fighting Jeff Fenech, who was commentating at the time, received a text message from Shannan Taylor challenging Dawson.
“I love Shannan, he’s awesome. But if we’re gonna get it on, we get it on, no worries,” said Dawson.
On the undercard Alan Luxford, 9-1 (7), won by second round stoppage over Daniel Hoskins, 6-19-1 (6), at junior welterweight. Luxford started fast but his habit of keeping his chin in the air saw him get tagged and dropped by a right hand midway through the second. But this only seemed to fire Luxford up, who stood toe-to-toe with Hoskins to drop him twice in the same round before referee Brian McMahon stopped the fight at the 2:55 mark.
“That’s what happens when you lose concentration for a second,” said Luxford in the ring after the fight. “...I was unlucky to get dropped, but that’s boxing, you know.”
Naoufel Ben Rabah, 19-1 (9), won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific junior welterweight title win a sixth round stoppage of game but outgunned Johnny Cotterill, 10-2 (3). The Australian lightweight champion was dropped twice in the first round, and received a standing eight count along with a further knockdown in the third, but he battled on gamely to stay in the fight until Rabah’s heavy artillery prompted referee Craig Waller to call a halt to the contest in the sixth.
John ‘Digger’ Wyborn and Danny Morgan fought to a split draw over six rounds at super cruiserweight. Morgan’s record moves to 2-1-1 (2), while veteran Wyborn in now 15-19-4 (6).
33-year-old southpaw Paul Griffin, 21-2 (5), used his superior hand speed to box his way to a shutout victory against Thai opponent Amorn Longsriphoom over 6 two minute rounds at lightweight.
At featherweight Mohammed Elomar won on debut with a first round stoppage of Dave Smith, 1-1 (0).
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
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By Anthony Cocks (July 10, 2004) 
