AN emotional Tim Drury dedicated his world kickboxing title to his late father after winning before a near capacity crowd at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.
Drury, from the NSW Central Coast, had to overcome a torrid seven-round encounter with tough Japanese fighter Hopper Nagawa before he could claim the ISKA world professional welterweight kickboxing crown.
The tenacious battle between two experienced warriors of the sport repeatedly had the huge crowd on its feet, cheering madly as each landed telling blows.
Big kicks and punches were traded, but each fighter showed his toughness by not flinching under the impact of solid blows.
However, Drury seemed to have the edge from the outset, with techniques that were slightly sharper, and attacks that hit their target more often.
Drury started the better, possibly inspired by the national anthems at the start of the bout that resulted in around 700 voices singing Advance Australia Fair.
As the bout continued Nagawa appeared lighter and faster on his feet, but Drury seemed to have the edge in stamina during the punishing encounter.
In the end the judges awarded Drury a unanimous points win, sparking jubilation among a large contingent of the crowd.
Drury roared his delight, before dedicating his win to his father, who died four years earlier.
“He taught me that if I worked hard, I could get whatever I wanted,” he told the gathering.
Drury’s win was just the second of the night for fighters from the blue corner in the 13-bout card, which was not good news for representatives from the local Southern Fitness and Martial Arts Centre who all took position in the blue corner.
The only local fighter to score a victory was Brad Traynor in the first bout of the night, as he took on Daniel Kimber of Picton in the light heavyweight division.
The judges were split on points, reflecting an even first round before Kimber was stronger in the second, and Traynor came home strongly to claim the third with solid punches that resulted in a standing eight-count being applied to Kimber.
Fellow local fighter Jay Ellard received a huge ovation when he took to the ring, and had the crowd on its feet screaming approval and encouragement during a blistering super middleweight bout with Sydney fighter Peter Landecka.
The two rising stars of the sport were engaged in a brilliant match that saw the evenly matched fighters trading kicks and punches.
Ellard’s kicks were more punishing, but Landecka’s hands were more effective, while his greater aggression in the ring helped Landecka earn a narrow points victory.
Earlier in the night super lightweight fighter Chad McGillick suffered his first loss in three fights when he went down to Renato Vieira in a majority points decision.
It was a fight that could have gone either way, before Vieira got on top late in the bout to ensure his victory.
After a convincing win in his first fight at the previous Total Havoc promotion, David Freeman-Smith started well in his super middleweight battle with Michael Sessions of Newcastle, and had the better of the first round.
However the pace picked up in the second when both fighters were involved in a torrid flurry on blows that saw Sessions get on top and retain control of the bout, leading to a unanimous points win.
Fellow local fighter Chris McLaughlan suffered a similar fate, after again seeming to have the better of the first round.
Two kicks to the groin in the following rounds seemed to slow him up, as opponent Scott Bullock of Canberra took control in their super welterweight bout for a points win.
The other local fighter on the card, Mik Miles, showed plenty of promise in his first bout, but was outpointed by Ben Cook of Newcastle in their light cruiserweight bout, leading to a clear points decision.
While local fighters struggled, the night still proved to be a victory for the Shoalhaven with competitors praising the way the event was organised and run by Richard Neradil of Southern Fitness and Martial Arts Centre, praising the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre as a venue, and praising the support given by the vocal local crowd.
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