Absolute Adrenaline Fight Report

"Absolute Adrenaline" World Championship Kickboxing at the Littledown centre lived up to all the hype and more as Kickboxers from all over the world came together in a dazzling display of quality action. The house was sold out as always and the audience were treated to a bill that had everything. Drama, knockouts, dazzling skills and surprises galore.

Mo Kargbo from Christchurch topped the bill in his long awaited World Kickboxing Union World Cruiserweight title bid, putting on a classy display to outpoint Almedin Hasanagic (Bosnia) over twelve rounds.
This was always going to be a chess match with both fighters working intelligently but not taking any chances in a bid to secure the belt. Kargbo looked the stronger of the two but you never knew when the Bosnian, with only one defeat on his record, might come out with a KO punch.
Kargbo moved well not allowing Hasanagic to get inside and at the end of twelve rounds Mo Kargbo was crowned new world champion by a wide unanimous decision.

One of Bournemouth’s other current world champions John Orchard looked to be in a league of his own as he dismantled Alija Kajtezovic (Germany) in 3 rounds. Orchard never looked in any trouble and controlled the action throughout. It seemed as though he could have stopped the German at any point as each punch seemed to find its mark. In the end it was a spectacular front kick to the face that finished Kajtezovic.
It has been a huge year for Orchard, capturing the WKU World Middleweight title by defeating Belarusian Genna Tkachenka followed by the complete domination of the world’s number one Light Middleweight Fran Zuccala in the superfight of the decade. Negotiations are now underway to bring something special to the Littledown at "Absolute Adrenaline - Reloaded" in March.

Lita Palmer was hoping to take her European title challenge against Romana Ansilova (Czech Republic) into the later rounds but a blistering start from the Czech had her in all sorts of bother in the first round before she re-gained her composure and battled back.
Ansilova was awesome with fantastic combinations and a high work rate but it was always going to be about the later rounds when Palmer usually comes into her own. Unfortunately a bad swelling on the forehead forced the referee to stop the fight in the fourth round and Romana Ansilova was crowned European champion.
It has to be said that Ansilova was outstanding and on this form a crack at the world title in 2006 seems a very real possibility.

One of the fights of the night had to be Genna Tkachenka (Belarus) v Dumskas Gingaras (Ukraine), fought under Thai Boxing rules.
This was a clash between two world class fighters and was action packed from the start. Both men traded punches, kicks, knees and elbows, showing a fantastic variety of skills. Tkachenka looked to be stronger and a spinning back elbow in the third round put Gingaras down. Nobody thought he would beat the count but amazingly he was up at six and fought back in style.
There was no let up in the action as both men traded with unbelievable combinations and skills. At the end of the fourth Gingaras was forced to retire with a shin injury but it has to be said that he was coming back into the contest. Despite this, Tkachenka dominated throughout and looked comfortable at any pace Gingaras set. A re-match must surely be on the cards.

Brighton’s Tiffany Williams finally squared off against Rotherham’s Bridie Murphy in a British Title clash that was overwhelmingly dominated by Williams.
Both girls have fought regularly on the Bournemouth shows so the crowd were familiar with their profiles, but nobody thought that it would be so one sided. Bridie Murphy’s trainer Jon Green commented, "I have no idea what was going through her mind tonight. She trained long and hard for this, there were no surprises out there and she knew what she had to do - she just didn’t do it!" Not to worry. One bad day at the office can’t take away the performances she has given us in the past and will no doubt give again in the future.

So what about the undercard? It was thrills and spills all the way with mixed success foe the local fighters.

Bournemouth’s Jackie Cox opened the show against Chesham’s Emily Mason but never got going as she was stopped in double quick time by referee’s intervention. Mason jumped on Cox from the opening bell and she was unfortunately never in it.

Next up another local lad Du Van Duong squared off against another Chesham fighter Elliott Mocharaffie. After a strong start Duong lost his way a little while Mocharaffie just got stronger and picked his man off with a higher work rate to take a comfortable points decision.

Rob White restored local pride in an unbelievable war of attrition with Southampton’s Jim Dickens. Both men came out looking to trade and that is exactly what they did. White seemed the stronger of the two but Dickens pressed forward in an effort to finish things early. After an exciting first round Dickens seemed to have blown himself out and Rob White took full advantage with a barrage of blows forcing an excellent stoppage.
Look out for Rob White as he is sure to make an impact in 2006.

Carly Peters faced Maidstone’s Carla Jessup in a real 50/50 match up. Peters was the less experienced but had shone at the previous Bournemouth event with a first round stoppage win. Jessup on the other hand had mixed in better class.
A see saw battle filled with punches and kicks proceeded to take place with both girls showing heart and determination. It seemed as though the first two rounds were fairly even but there was an argument for Jessup providing a higher work rate. The third round however, was different with the Maidstone girl forging ahead to take the decision.

The ever skilful Kevin Hayward took on Chesham’s Stephen Cook in a stylish battle that seemed to have the Bournemouth man gaining the upper hand throughout. His kicks and punches were fluent and as always his work rate was high. Cook showed skills beyond his experience and fought all the way, but always seemed to be a little behind.
At the end of three entertaining rounds some harsh judging left this bout scored a draw. A re-match must be on the cards to sort this one out.

Bournemouth Thai Boxer Colin McIntyre made short work of Southampton’s Gareth Johnson, stopping him in the first round after several knockdowns. Both men entered the ring with the same experience but McIntyre looked the more comfortable and took the fight straight to Johnson. Some early shots found their mark and Johnson never really got into the fight from then on. This was a good win for Colin McIntyre.

A last minute change in the line up saw an all Bournemouth clash between Dom Lijertwood and 36 year old Nick Richardson, who stepped in at two days notice.
The fight was a classic swinging first one way then the other. With age on his side Lijertwood scored an excellent early knockdown and many thought this may be the writing on the wall for Richardson. However, this thirtysomething had not read the script and came back even harder.
The second and third rounds were very exciting with Richardson seeming to take the honours but with the early knockdown and good first round from Lijertwood the resulting draw seemed a fare result, and a good excuse to do it all again soon!

Another Richardson, James (no relation) has had a fantastic year in the heavyweight division, notching up a good series of wins until a broken arm forced him out for several months.
As always everyone was looking forward to the heavyweights and in the opposing corner, Mike Ross was particularly looking forward to returning after a couple of years out.
Once again this was an all Bournemouth clash that immediately exploded into action.
There are no second chances in the heavyweight division and James Richardson found out straight away as Mike Ross let the bombs go, sending him down for a count. After rising at the count of eight. Ross repeated the sentiment. This time Richardson did not make the count. This was an explosive and unexpected finish to this encounter.
To his credit James Richardson was more concerned about letting his fans down and immediately left the ring to apologise. There was no apology needed. We have all been entertained by him in the past and he will no doubt come again.

Scott Rowley had a nightmare against the vastly experienced Darren Forrest. Forrest is a man who has been in with the best but also been beaten by novices. Rowley is a man on a mission and he has to get past these types of opponents if he is to get to the next phase in his career. Although wary of his experience, Rowley’s camp was confident that he could deal with Forrest over three rounds and gain valuable experience. Unfortunately, Rowley was caught early and froze, allowing Forrest to tee off on him. He took a count and desperately tried to get himself together but Forrest would not be denied. The referee’s timely intervention put an end to the proceedings.
Scott Rowley’s time will come, it just wasn’t tonight.

The "Basque Bulldog" Indy Ethatha stepped into the ring to the roar of his adoring fans. Indy has been a local boy for the last five years and is loved by everyone. He did not let us down.
Facing off against Jordan Miller in a bout fought under full Thai rules, Ethatha dominating in every department. Miller seemed strong but not effective in the clinch while Ethatha seemed unstoppable with explosive kicks, knees and elbows.
At times, it was a wonder how Miller stayed on his feet but not only did he do so but he fought back with a dogged determination that made him dangerous throughout.
However, this was Indy’s night and after three fantastic rounds he scored a unanimous decision.

This was one of the most exciting events ever staged in Bournemouth despite the mixed results for locals on the undercard. We still have a new World Champion in the form of Mo Kargbo. We still have a reigning World Champion in John Orchard and we still have some of the most exciting prospects in the country to unleash in 2006!



Full results:
Emily Mason bt Jackie Cox - rsf 1st
Elliot Mocharaffie bt Du Van Duong - pts
Rob White bt Jim Dickens - KO 2nd
Carla Jessup bt Carly Peters - pts
Kevin Hayward Drew Stephen Cook
Colin McIntyre bt Gareth Johnson - KO 1st
Dom Lijertwood Drew Nick Richardson
Darren Forrest bt Scott Rowley - rsf 1st
Mike Ross bt James Richardson - KO 1st
Tiffany Williams bt Bridie Murphy - pts
Indy Ethatha bt Jordan Miller - pts
Romana Ansilova bt Lita Palmer - rtd 4th
John Orchard bt Alifa Kajtezovic - rsf 3rd
Genna Tkachenka bt Dumskas Gingaras - rtd 4th
Mo Kargbo bt Almedin Hasanagic - pts