May 1
From the ASB Stadium, Waitakere
The ASB stadium was packed out for the Last Man Standing tournament by Lurkers Entertainment and D.C. Entertainment. Only one year earlier, the first Lurkers event only drew a couple of hundred spectators, which must seem like a distant memory considering the stark contrast of the surroundings. Auckland’s best and most beautiful fight fans enjoyed drinks and the sounds of DJ Karn Hall (George FM).
The event begins with each of the eight Last Man Standing fighters coming to the ring. A large $2,000 cheque hangs above the ring as a reminder of the prize these pugilists competing for. Former heavyweight contender Shane Cameron is then introduced and is given the duty of pulling names out of a hat to establish a draw. Being a single elimination contest to be contested over three two-minute rounds, opponents and order are all the more important. The draw will proceed as follows;
Fight One:
Aaron “Cool Hand” Coville v. Olenny Faimasasa
36, 6’0’’, 83kg 19, 85kg
Fight Two:
B.K v. Paul “The Don” Donahue
38, 6’0’’, 85kg 40, 5’9’’, 84kg
Fight Three:
Anton Balsom v. Logan Black
23, 6’0’’, 81kg 26, 6’0’’, 81kg
Fight Four:
Zane “The Civilized Animal” Coppins v. Troy “Triple S” Wright
28, 6’0’’, 83kg 32, 5’11’’. 84kg
Before the Last Man Standing tournament is due to commence, we are treated to a kickboxing bout featuring Ev Ting and Victor Mechkov.
Kickboxing:
Ev Ting v. Victor Mechkov
The action begins with Ting knocking Mechkov down with a kick to the torso. Both fighters spend the opening stanza being aggressive and looking to land kicks. Ting is able to get inside Mechkov’s reach without too much trouble and Mechkov is best served learning to use his height. Mechkov is looking to overpower but, so far, Ting stands up well. The second round sees Mechkov set the distance better and he is able to catch Ting on the way in. Ting tries to rush inside but is eating knees every time they clinch. Mechkov’s experience is starting to show and he is able to touch Ting at will and he is starting to back off. Ting lands with a lunging right hand at the bell. Round three starts like the second with Mechkov setting distance and unleashing hellish knees in close. Mechkov then drives Ting to the ropes where he again dusts off his knees. Ting is starting to look discouraged as the constant barrage of knees is taking their toll. The fight is over and, barring a competitive first round, the fight is all Mechkov and the judges award him a unanimous decision.
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Last Man Standing Tournament
Fight One:
Aaron “Cool Hand” Coville v. Olenny Faimasasa
Southpaw Coville starts the fight by establishing the jab where Faimasasa seems quite keen to turn it into a war. Coville is doing well in setting the distance and Faimasasa seems a tad awkward with the southpaw he is presented with. Faimasasa manages to get Coville into a corner where he flurries. Coville starts the second round trying to box the hard swinging Faimasasa. “Cool Hand” is moving well and only occasionally gets stuck on the ropes and Faimasasa’s nose is bleeding from the steady diet of jabs and left hands. All Faimasasa’s offence is being eaten up by Coville’s defense and he does a great job covering up. Faimasasa does well to duck a straight left hand. The fight devolves some at the beginning of the third with both fighters starting to lose their composure. Coville goes back to moving his feet and he is able to get away from what Faimasasa is giving him. Coville lands another straight left. Faimasasa is able to bull Coville around the ring but just can’t land. Coville gets the judge’s nod with a majority decision.
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Fight Two:
B.K v. Paul “The Don” Donahue
Donohue looks strong as the fight starts but B.K is set on exploiting his advantage in height and reach. A Donohue right hands gets B.K.’s attention and he soon responds with his own right. “The Don” is caught by a right hand on the ropes and seems standoffish whilst B.K. gestures for more action. B.K. comes out brawling at the beginning of the second but soon reverts to boxing behind that long jab. B.K is using it to great effect and he is winning all the exchanges. Donohue looks frustrated at his inability to close the distance. He is able to land a right hand during an early skirmish in the third but B.K strikes back in kind. B.K. is doing a great job of fighting tall and Donohue starts to become wild. The end of the fight sees Donohue load up a right to no effect. B.K looks good in controlling a squat, aggressive opponent. The crowd is certainly happy as B.K wins a unanimous decision.
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Fight Three:
Anton Balsom v. Logan Black
The pinpoint accuracy of Balsom is evident from the opening bell and he looks loose and composed. He lands a great right hand and Black attempts to up the tempo. Balsom’s punches crisply and, while Black is coming forward strong, they are taking effect. Balsom lands a hard jab to end the round. Black comes out hard for the second and touches Balsom with his right. Anton returns the favour and just seems a skill set above the game Black. Balsom loads up a right hand late in the round. Balsom shows great parrying to handle the early aggression of Black. Credit to Logan Black, as he just won’t stop trying, but he is clearly out of his depth. An uppercut finally gets through for Black but there is no follow up pressure. A bloodied Black lunges into hook but is countered with a right. Balsom displayed great all-round hands and out-skills Black to win a unanimous decision.
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Fight Four:
Zane “The Civilized Animal” Coppins v. Troy “Triple S” Wright
“Triple S” comes out hard in the first round but is losing the initial exchanges. Coppins lands a couple of left hooks and looks sharp. Wright is then backed into the ropes as Coppins brings the pressure. He lands with almost everything. A big right hand spins Wright around. Clearly stunned, “The Civilized Animal” lands a couple more rights before just wrecking him to the body. You can stick a fork in Wright, as he is just about done, and his resolve seems to be broken as the round ends. The bout is stopped before the second round as Wright can not continue.
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Semi-final One:
Aaron “Cool Hand” Coville v. B.K
B.K. forces the pace with his jab and throw is often. Coville is stalking but B.K. is once again doing a great job of staying outside. Both fighters surge during the second and B.K. lands a good right during a flurry. B.K. is again forcing the fight and drives Coville to ropes as the crowd goes crazy. He lands another right before the round ends. Coville comes out jabbing at the beginning of the third. B.K. pushes him back with body shots and lands a fantastic uppercut that shakes Coville. Seizing the opportunity, B.K. looks for an early night. The sound is deafening and the momentum is all B.K. but Coville manages to counter him coming in. The fight is all B.K and he wins a unanimous decision.
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Semi-final two:
Zane “The Civilized Animal” Coppins v. Anton Balsom
Balsom eats a big overhand right early and Coppins lands to the body and head. Another Coppins overhand sees Balsom smartly tighten up his defense. Coppins brings a lot of pressure, can’t miss with the overhand and counters anything Balsom can throw. Coppins lands a combination to start the second as Balsom looks to jab from behind his guard. Anton tries to bull him into the corner but he can’t get his head away from Coppins punches. “The Civilized Animal” is landing at will, throwing combinations and has clearly taken control of the round. He goes further in the third, dominating all the exchanges and landing the overhand right. Coppins has clearly kicked the fight up a gear and Balsom doesn’t have an answer as he eats a hard jab and a two-piece. A Balsom miss sees him on the end of another one-two. Coppins wins a unanimous decision in heavily outclassing a game Balsom.
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Boxing Exhibition:
Adam “AT” Thompson v. Jake “Young Gun” Ratcliffe
Thompson begins by pressing the action and lands a good one-two. Ratcliffe begins to stick with the jab however “AT” is starting to come forward and loading his shots. Ratcliffe looks the sharper fighter in the early goings but Thompson manages to get him in the corner and unload with hooks. Thompson starts the second aggressively by landing a hard overhand right. Ratcliffe comes back with a right hand of his own and Thompson goes to the body. Ratcliffe is caught by a hard right hand that partially spins his headgear around. Both exchange wild right hands. Thompson again manages to position Ratcliffe in a corner and is swinging for the fences where he lands strong shots to close the round. “AT” begins winging hooks at the start of the third and final and Ratcliffe is not utilizing his height at all. The hooks for Thompson begin to land, as does an uppercut that gets Ratcliffe’s attention. Thompson unleashes a big right hook with Ratcliffe’s back to the ropes then lands another right hand. Both fighters look spent when the bell sounds. Overall, Thompson was the far more active fighter who pushed the action and deserved the unanimous decision.
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Boxing Exhibition:
Craig Thompson v. Dom Tepu
In a heavyweight grudge match, Craig Thompson duked it out with Dom Tepu. Tepu starts hard and rips Thompson to the body and then lands an overhand right. Tepu is the far bigger puncher out of the two and looks like he could do some real damage. He displays uncanny hand speed for most of the first round. An overhand right at the start of the second rocks Thompson. So far, Dom Tepu has caused all the action. Thompson then lands a double jab and a right hand to the body but is backed into the corner where Tepu lands a murderous overhand right. Thompson recovers well and lands another double-jab/right-hand-to-the-body. Thompson starts the third landing the same combination but Tepu comes back with a hook to the body. Thompson seems to be aware of Tepu’s strength and it is keeping him honest. Another overhand right has Thompson in trouble but, although Tepu pours it on, he escapes and manages to finish the round. Tepu wins the decision.
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Last Man Standing Final:
Zane “The Civilized Animal” Coppins v. B.K
B.K. looks fast in the opening however he is caught by a right hand and driven to the ropes. Coppins accuracy starts to take over as lands strong jabs, right hands. Coppins lands a hard uppercut before the round is over. The start of the second sees Coppins control the center of the ring and use those skilled hands. He catches B.K. wading in, lands hard jabs and is, overall, winning all the exchanges. B.K. is having difficulty working out “The Civilized Animal” and seems without a plan. The crowd comes to life and Coppins has B.K. on the ropes but B.K. escapes as the round ends. Coppins comes out bouncing in the third and is still throwing tight, straight shots. Coppins experience is starting to show and he is in total control. Coppins ducks a punch and lands a right hand to close the fight. The entire crowd is on its feet and applauding the effort given by both combatants. Coppins hand is raised as winner of the Last Man Standing tournament as he wins a unanimous decision.
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Winner of Last Man Standing:
~Zane “The Civilized Animal” Coppins~
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