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Tommy Gun floors Yannick

Johannesburg - Tommy Oosthuizen stopped Serge Yannick in the sixth round at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, on Saturday night to retain his IBO super-middleweight title.

The South African southpaw won every round before his devastating left sent the challenger to the canvas. Referee Andile Matika immediately, and commendably, stopped the bout 47 seconds into the round.

Yannick, born in Cameroon but fighting out of Australia, proved to be a big-hearted scrapper, but was much too short to extend on the tall champion who used his speed, reach and footwork to complete his fourth defence of the title.

The challenger’s right eye started closing in the first round and he began bleeding from the mouth in the second.

He set off in fast-forward mode, trying to get close enough to Oosthuizen to do some damage, but he was soon rocked back on heels as “Tommy Gun” triggered that left, time and again.

Oosthuizen also spilled some blood for a cut near his right eye, but there was never any doubt that he would put down another marker on his journey towards top-flight fights in the United States.

Oosthuizen is ranked No 7 by the IBF and ninth by the WBC. His professional record now stands at 18-0-1, with 12 knockouts. Yannick dropped to at 14-2, with seven knockouts.

Earlier Kaizer Mabuza outclassed another visitor from Australia, Steven Wills, to win the vacant IBO junior welterweight title.

The 30-year-old South African, making a third attempt to win a “world” title, knocked Wills down in the opening round and stopped him 40 seconds into the sixth.

Wills was also docked a point in the first round for headbutting, and from there it was downhill all the way. Referee Tony Nyangiwe could have stopped the mismatch in the fifth round.

Sipo Taliwe retained his WBC international junior lightweight title when he beat Joey Stiglingh by scored of 118-110, 118-109 and 117-110.

Putting on a master-class, Taliwe had Stiglingh on the deck in the second round and was out of sight by the end of the eighth round.

The former sparring partners almost turned the fight into a friendly encounter. They hugged before the start of the final round and Stiglingh picked up the champion and carried him around the ring at the end of the bout, acknowledging defeat.

Taliwe, who overdid the showboating, improved his record to 18-2-1; 14. Stiglingh, who will do well to add a left hook off the jab to his arsenal, dropped to 14-1; 8.

Flo Simba (12-2; 10) beat Daniel Bruwer (23-3-1; 19) in a catchweight bout, more or less restoring his status as a real prospect.

It was, however, a forgettable fight. Bruwer was not in a condition to maintain a decent work rate and was beaten 98-92, 97-93 and 99-91.

Simba took enough heavy blows to show his jaw was not as suspect as many had thought.

In the end the two seemed intent on not winning or losing by knockout to ensure both will take part in the Super 8 cruiserweight series. By fighting to a points result, they kept Ruben Groenewald out of the series that is set to start in June.

The tournament was presented by Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions. 
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