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(continuation)
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Australia's Olympic silver medallist Les Darcy is regarded by many as one of the truly legitimate contenders for the IBL's inaugural World Middleweight Championship. Having lost to Jamaica's Mike McCallum in the gold medal match in Sydney the 19 year-old has spoken in the past of how hungry he is to go that one step further in the professional ranks.
"It's not really beating McCallum that I'm after," said Darcy earlier this week. "Of course, that would be nice but I want to prove to the world, to the people who follow boxing that I belong amongst the top Middleweights in our sport. I don't think I'll be able to say that if I fail in the tournament."
Well, Darcy took the first step towards his goal tonight with a dominant unanimous decision victory against the Filipino fighter Ceferino Garcia (60-55, 60-56, 60-55). After an entertaining and competitive opening round Darcy settled into a rhythm and was never in trouble for the duration of the contest. His best work came in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th rounds, where he mystified Garcia with his defensive prowess and handspeed, snapping his head back time and again with a constant, potent jab and rapid-fire combinations.
Punch totals
Darcy 175/363 (48.2%)
Garcia 71/407 (17.4%)
"More than anything, I was happy with my defense," said Darcy, smiling. "We really worked on that aspect of the gameplan leading in and I'm thrilled that it paid off. This is a satisfying way to start the tournament, no doubt."
Across most of boxing's weight divisions (HBF included), Australia has at least one competitor who can be considered a genuine chance at World Championship glory. Darcy certainly fits that description in the Middleweight division.
(to be continued)
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