At the Palais Des Sports in Saint-Quentin, France, World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Light Heavyweight champion Tony Averlant made a successful second defense of his title on Friday night, February 19, beating former African titlist Daniel Wanyonyi from Kenya.
With a sold-out crowd of 2500 watching, Averlant and Wanyonyi engaged in a tactical battle as both men tried to lay traps for his opponent, so it turned out to be a contest of skills more than wills. Never the less, the spectators seemed to enjoy the action, with their home-town favorite getting the better of most rounds.
The defending champion did a nice job of nullifying any attacks from Wanyonyi, and appeared to be the more polished boxer of the two. But the visitor from Nairobi had his moments, and it was a well-matched fight between two quality boxers.
However, Averlant was a clear winner, and the scorecards of judges Ernst Salzgeber, Christophe Hembert and Jean-Marcel Nartz reflected this appropriately with tallies of 117-113, 117-111 and 118-110. Referee in charge of the action was Smail Alitouche.
Averlant (31), who recently returned to the ring after a lengthy period of injury-recovery, improved his professional record to 23-8-2 (4). Wanyonyi (32) has come a long way since losing his pro debut in 2007 by stoppage, but falls to 22-9-2 (18).
The Tony Averlant vs. Daniel Wanyonyi WBF World Light Heavyweight title fight headlined a show promoted by Pascal Cordier.
