BOXING
By TOM HAYES
THE biggest fight night is gearing up with 44 Magnum Promotions set to take over the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium on Saturday, December 7.
A total of 17 bouts will ensure a packed card of boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai fights at both the amateur and professional level for Fight Night 4.
More than a handful of the fighters will be training out of The 44 Gym in Traralgon, coached by former multiple world champion kickboxer and former professional boxer, Steven Baldacchino, the promoter of Fight Night 4.
“I expect on the night just to put on good quality fights, showcasing all the locals – we have quite a few locals on this card,” Baldacchino said.
“The barista fight will probably be one of the key highlights of the night, but all the locals that are turning out to fight – the crowd is gonna thrive off that.
“From the grassroots athletes up to the professional athletes, we’ve got a mixed bag for the show.”
PERHAPS somewhat of a global trend in recent years has been celebrity boxing. We’ve witnessed actors, influencers, and even former AFL football players go at it in the ring.
Now these guys might not have the same level of fame, but they are very well known in the region.
The Barista Bash between Stefan Posa of One Shot Double Shot and Kade King of Bodhi Specialty Coffee is set to provide headline entertainment.
Both Traralgon locals and good friends, 37-year-old Posa and 39-year-old King only started getting into the boxing scene recently, and once the opportunity presented itself, the two have been dedicated to the sport.
King started getting around The 44 Gym about 12 months ago – only starting to train about six months ago, while Posa was talked into the fight and began training about 15 weeks ago.
The two will do battle in a boxing fight of three two-minute rounds, fighting at 90 kilograms.
“It was never really on my radar, I’ve never been in a fight in my life – I’ve never thrown a punch and I’ve never been hit,” King told the Express.
“I think it started off as a bit of a joke and a bit of fun… originally I turned it down and then I thought it was a pretty unique experience.
“There’s not many chances I would get to have this sort of feeling, so I thought we’ll sign up and have a bit of a go.”
For Posa, he accepted almost without hesitation.
“Steven came into the café and asked if I wanted to do it, and without hesitation or realising what I was doing I said yes,” Posa said.
Posa saw boxing as a new opportunity to do something he had never done before and outside his comfort zone.
“All of the training up until now I’ve really, really enjoyed. I don’t think I’ll lift another weight again; I think I’ll end up doing more pad work,” he said.
As one of the more anticipated fights of the night, and with no experience in the ring, the nerves are sure to settle in come December 7.
“As enjoyable as it is, hopefully for us both, people who don’t know much about boxing would hopefully come along and witness just because they know us two,” King said.
“Definitely for the barista fight, we’re going to get all sorts of people turning up… that’s going to hopefully pull in a crowd that isn’t conventionally used to going to the boxing,” Baldacchino agreed.
Posa believes he won’t have another opportunity to do something like this, saying: “I reckon closer to the fight night I think a mental game is starting to play as well.”
“I’ve had to drop down to Kade’s weight, which is about 90 kilos, and at the time I started at 104(kg).
“Meal prep was involved… I started maybe (training) four days a week, five days a week, and only recently I’ve been doing six days a week.”
King too has had to ramp up with his training.
“I’ve been a lot more consistent with my training. In the past I’d be really good, working out for a month, two months then I’d drop off for a week, then a month. Whereas having this, something to train for… has kept me really consistent and regular,” King said.
“I’ve had to pick up my endurance, and just be really consistent with the gym to try and learn how to throw a punch.”
As far as Baldacchino is concerned, he believes “they’ve both already won”, considering the two baristas are in the best shapes of their lives.
ALSO fighting on the night is Billy Whitmore, who is fighting out of Traralgon’s The 44 Gym, trained by Baldacchino.
He is coming up against Bendigo’s Jasper Ellis in another three two-minute round boxing fight.
Only fighting just two months prior, coming off the back of a win, Whitmore is keen to put on a show in front of a local crowd filled with family and friends.
“Like all previous Magnum 44 Promotions events, I think the atmosphere on the night will be incredible,” he said.
“With so many strong match-ups between fighters from around the country, I think the crowd support will be hard to beat. It will be exciting to see some of our local fighters get in the ring and show how hard they’ve been working.”
Coming off the back of a win not so long ago, Whitmore transitioned smoothly back into preparations for his next bout in December.
“Preparation for this fight has been great, being able to move around with various pro and amateur fighters from The 44 Gym and surrounding clubs has been awesome for developing my weaker areas and getting my cardio in top shape leading into this fight,” he said.
“With just over two weeks to go, I’ve got a few hard sessions left before tapering off into fight night.”
Coming up against Bendigo’s Ellis, 20-year-old Whitmore is banking on the fact that his cardio, speed and reach can be of benefit.
“I think it will be a fast-paced fight with a strong opponent coming from Bendigo. I plan on keeping very active throughout the fight and getting on top in the later rounds,” Whitmore explained.
FROM the 17 fights to take place on December 7, 13 of them are fighting out of Traralgon, adding to the 21 total fighters representing Gippsland.
The corporate/amateur card will start things off, before the pro card will finish off the event, including two title fights.
Professional Card:
Men’s Silver Vic Title (Boxing)
• Jhon Cortejos (Sale) v Sitthidet Phanasaena (Thailand/Melbourne)
Women’s Australasian Title (Boxing)
• Erini Ramirez (Melbourne) v Holly McGrath (WA)
Boxing
• Liam Reynolds (Bairnsdale) v George Webb Rose (Melbourne)
• Reghan Lewis (Leongatha) v Ramen Habib (Melbourne)
Kickboxing
• Peter Pirona (Traralgon) v Zane Patience (WA)
Muay Thai
• Jaiven Callander (Torquay) v Benedict Tivisini (Melbourne)
Corporate/Amateur Card:
• Kade King (Traralgon) v Stefan Posa (Traralgon) • Barista Bash
• Ethan Wilson (Traralgon) v Ben Lewis (Traralgon)
• Ben Dowd (Traralgon) v Joshua Gangi (Traralgon)
• Chris Ewert (Traralgon) v Hayden Daymond (Sale)
• Daniel White (Traralgon) v Luke Foreham (Bairnsdale)
• Amber Leysha (Traralgon) v Nina Cook (Bairnsdale)
• Billy Whitmore (Traralgon) v Jasper Ellis (Bendigo)
• Aaron Hawkins (Traralgon) v Kourosh Arvan (Torquay)
• Max Conway (Traralgon) v Takahi Hita (WA)
• Lucy Avage (Bairnsdale) v Yzzy Jacob (Melbourne)
• Cooper Martin (Sale) v Matthew Ludbrook (Torquay)
