|
On July 2nd, World
Boxing Federation President
Howard Goldberg attended a press
conference in Malta to announce
a very interesting fight for the
vacant WBF World Super
Middleweight title, between two
former champions, England’s
Robin Reid and South African
William Gare.
On the same card, Liverpool’s
perennial contender Tony Dodson
will take on an opponent to be
announced for the vacant WBF
Intercontinental Light
Heavyweight crown.
The August 17 show is billed
Rumble on the Rock, and will
be promoted by Attard & Harding
Promotions headed by Justin
Attard and Fran Harding. Also
present at the announcement was
Alex Zamit from the Malta Boxing
Commission, who has been
instrumental in realizing what
will be the biggest boxing event
ever on the Mediterranean
island.
Robin Reid, 42-7-1 (29), is a
former three-time World
Champion, having won the WBF,
WBC and IBO titles and made
eight successful defenses
combined. He holds victories
over former, reigning and future
world champions Julio Cesar
Vasquez, Brian Magee, Vincenzo
Nardiello and Hacine Cherifi,
and top-contenders such as
Giovanni Pretorius and Henry
Wharton.
Besides the world championships
and impressive victories, the
fact that his losses has come
against opponents such as Joe
Calzaghe, Carl Froch, Sven Ottke,
Thulani Malinga, and Jeff Lacy
is a testament that “The Grim
Reaper” has operated at absolute
top-class level for many years.
William “Dynamite” Gare, 27-15
(5), may have one of the most
deceiving records in boxing
today. For many years his
talents were ignored and he was
often send abroad to lose,
always on points, to “the
promoters man”, but in 2008 Gare
turned the table by stopping
former world champion Maselino
Masoe in four rounds and scoring
a decision over Australia’s Les
Sherrington who would go on to
pick up a world title himself
the following year.
In 2009 Gare solidified his
world-class status, and a number
eleven BoxRec ranking, with a
victory over Mexican undefeated
future world champion Rigoberto
Alvarez, older brother of the
more famous “Canelo”, before he
defended the WBF World title in
2010 by defeating fellow
countryman Roland Francis.
In his most recent bout Gare
lost a controversial decision to
another South African, Thomas
Oosthuizen, in an attempt to add
the IBO title. The loss
automatically made the WBF title
vacant, and now Gare will get a
chance to regain it against Reid
on August 17.
Considering the fighting-styles
of Reid and Gare, their clash is
likely to be a real barnburner,
and the second WBF title fight
on the bill could also turn out
to be a crowd-pleaser.
Tony Dodson (28-7-1, 14 KOs) has
been a presence at top domestic
level in Britain for many years.
After fighting for various
smaller championships at Super
Middleweight, winning some and
losing some, and duking it out
with the likes of Carl Froch and
Paul Smith, the 32-year-old
Liverpudlian won four straight
at Light Heavyweight, including
an International title, before
losing a challenge of
Commonwealth king Ovill McKenzie
earlier this year.
It remains to be seen who “The
Warrior”, as he is nicknamed,
will face on August 17, but
Dodson is ready to return to the
top, and winning the WBF
Intercontinental title will make
him a serious contender for the
WBF World Champion at Light
Heavyweight, Nadjib Mohammedi
from France.
|
