Werribee boxer Taylah Gentzen (above) lucked out in a split-decision loss to Queenslander Skye Nicholson at the Italian Sports Club of Werribee on Sunday.
Gentzen was aiming for payback in a return bout against bogey opponent Nicholson, who beat her in Brisbane a little more than a month ago.
But differing interpretations by the three judges consigned her to another defeat.
Trainer Darren Cowley said while Gentzen punched harder and landed the more significant blows, Nicholson was able to rack up the points with her unrelenting, grind-it-out style.
“A couple of judges came up to Taylah afterwards and said we scored it this way because the other girl had a higher work rate, while one of the judges had it for Taylah because she punched harder and landed the more telling blows,” Cowley said.
“That’s sport, that’s boxing.
‘‘Taylah stuck to her task but maybe was just not quite busy enough and that’s what might have lost her the fight.”
The amateur boxing event attracted more than 300 fans to the sports club.
Fighters came from the country and interstate to get their names on the card.
Cowley had five entrants from his local stable who he was delighted to show off to their supporters.
“It’s a massive boost for us to fight in our home town,” Cowley said.
One of the biggest results for the local contingent was Parek Wol’s upset of Victorian No.2 middleweight Roger Grant.
Wol claimed an emotional points decision victory, dedicating it to his nephew who
died recently.
“He took some time off and only trained two weeks for this fight, which was evident in his lack of lung power at the end,” Cowley said. “But he put enough points in the bank in the first two rounds to hold on.”
Michael Labrador showed his strength of mind, despite losing in one of the fights of the day.
Labrador, a former US marine, produced what Cowley described as a “super-human effort” to survive into the third round after hyperextending his elbow in the first round.
“I was begging him not to go out for the third round … he went out and the ref noticed he was carrying his left arm and stopped the fight,” Cowley said.
“He injured that arm in the first round so he carried it through one entire round and the bulk of the first round as well – an immense amount of courage.”
Colin Norris had his opponent begging for mercy after two rounds in a technical knock- out win, while Kole Karavias lost a closely fought heavyweight bout to Nathan McLean, who was named fighter of the day.
Next event on the Boxing Victoria calendar is at the Reggio Calabria Club in Parkville on August 31, one of three lead-up events to November’s state titles.
