In a highly anticipated rematch
of their October 2012 draw,
billed as “Unfinished Business”,
Adrian Taihia came out on top
after ten close rounds against
Gunnar Jackson to capture the
vacant World Boxing Federation
Oceania Super Middleweight title
on Friday, April 5, at the ABA
Stadium in Auckland, New
Zealand.
In front of a sell-out crowd,
both boxers started the bout
boxing behind the jab, but it
wasn’t long before big punches
were being thrown and half-way
through the fight it was a very
even contest on the scorecards,
with Taihia leading by one point
on two cards and the third
having it all even.
From the sixth round on Taihia
gained more momentum, but the
game Jackson never gave up and
often rallied back to make the
rounds close.
Entering the tenth and final
stanza, it was anybody’s guess
who was ahead and both warriors
tried to knock the other man out
right up to the final bell.
As the bell rang Jackson and
Taihia collapsed into each
other’s arms in respect of the
tough battle that had just taken
place. The final scores were
96-95, 97-94 and 98-93, all in
favor of Taihia who could
deservedly enjoy the cheers of
the crowd while WBF supervisor
Rick Bushell strapped the
championship belt around his
waist.
The new champion improved his
professional record to 9-1-2
(4), while Jackson dropped to
15-4-3 (5) but won a lot of
support in the crowd for his
excellent performance. Both
boxers deserved plenty of
respect for a fast-paced, clean
and entertaining fight.
The show, which featured the
first World Boxing Federation
title fight in New Zealand, was
promoted by Craig Thompson and
his CTP Boxing. |
