16 years after their heyday, Fenech beats Nelson on points
MELBOURNE, Australia: Australian Jeff Fenech beat Ghana's Azumah Nelson in a majority points decision in a junior middleweight boxing bout Tuesday, 16 years after their last epic battle for a world title.
Judges scored the 10-round bout 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95 in Fenech's favor.
The fight was billed a serious rematch between Fenech, now 44, and Nelson, 49, who fought twice for the world super featherweight title in 1991 and 1992 in bouts that entered Australian boxing folklore.
Fenech, bidding for a third world title, was denied by a controversial draw in their first meeting in Las Vegas in 1991 and was knocked out in the eighth round of their rematch in Melbourne in 1992.
The fight was billed as "the final round" of their long-standing grudge and was claimed to be more than an exhibition, rather a serious bout destined to restore professional boxing's tarnished reputation.
Both fighters trained hard for the bout but could not disguise that they were many years older, and many pounds (kilos) heavier than when they last met in their heyday. Fenech, known as the Marrickville Mauler, last fought professionally in 1996 and Nelson in 1998.
Both had been triple world champions when they met in Melbourne 16 years ago but finished their careers, after that mutual high, matched against lesser opponents.
Fenech has since worked with Mike Tyson and Danny Green among other fighters, turning to training and later promoting boxing.
Tuesday's bout revealed little of their old class and there were boos and catcalls from some spectators who had paid up to 2,500 Australian dollars (US$2,380) for a ringside seat.
The match was denounced by critics including the Australian Medical Association, and by boxing's national body in Nelson's homeland, the Ghanaian Boxing Association.

as seen in http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/24/sports/AS-SPT-BOX-Fenech-Nelson.php

Kickett downs former world champ
June 24, 2008
WILLIAM Kickett underlined his star potential with a win over former world champ Gairy St Clair in their junior welterweight boxing bout at Vodafone Arena.
The main support before the Jeff Fenech-Azumah Nelson clash, Kickett took control in the middle rounds and then dominated the ninth of 10 rounds, which earned him a unanimous points decision.
The 21-year-old West Australian, likened to a young Lionel Rose by Fenech's trainer Johnny Lewis, has now won all 11 of his professional fights.
The Guyanese-born St Clair, 33, a former IBF super featherweight champion claimed afterwards he had done enough to win the fight, but paid tribute to one of the future stars of Australian boxing.
In the only title bout of the night, Indonesia's Angky Angota won the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Flyweight belt by pipping Omari Kimweri of Tanzania on points after 12 bruising rounds.
The three judges awarded the fight to Angota, but two of them had him winning by just one point and the other had him ahead by two after an even tussle.
Victorian heavyweight Justin Whitehead began his professional career with a convincing win over Justin Bayley by knocking the Queenslander down in the third round.
Cameroon's Sam Columban scored an undisputed points decision over Kofi Manu from Ghana in their welterweight bout.
The welterweight bout between Queensland's Mick Shaw and Victoria's Shannon McMahon also went to the judges, who gave it a majority decision to Shaw.
In the junior welterweight bout South Australia's Rob Sanders won a majority decision over Victoria's Ben Costello.
AAP

as seen in http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/print/0,22451,23918447-23210,00.html

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