Above: Bobby Backman lays into Chris Rawlings in his heavyweight fight at the Bentleigh Club last week.PAKENHAM’S amateur boxing brothers Jesse and Bobby Backman made fine starts to the year by stopping their opponents early at the Bentleigh Club last week.
A big crowd attended the amateur 16bout program hosted by the Moorabbin Boxing Club in conjunction with the Amateur Boxing Association of Victoria.
The win completed a hattrick for 19yearold Bobby, who has now stopped his past three opponents within the distance.
The recently crowned amateur king, Commonwealth Games heavyweight gold medallist Brad Pitt, received a warm reception from the crowd when introduced.
In his last fight in September Bobby Backman won the Silver Gloves championship with a stunning thirdround left hook for a knockout and his left hook again helped seal victory against 24 yearold Chris Rawlings from Somerville Boxing Club.
Both fighters went straight into action from the bell and a flurry of wild blows became a scrappy at times. Both fighters got into holding clenches, for which Backman received a caution from the referee.
Rawlings let loose some swinging punches in the manner that recently stopped his last opponent. But Backman blocked most of those blows on his gloves and retaliated.
Both fighters then settled down to box and Backman found his mark, landing well placed punches.
There was a brief exchange of punches when the Pakenham boxer moved in with a series of lefts and rights that all found their mark, followed by a powerful left hook that sent Rawlings crashing to the canvas.
Following the referee’s standing eight count the fight continued as a courageous Rawlings fought back but was quickly back on the receiving end of Backman’s big hits and the referee stepped in to place another standing eight count. Rawlings had his hands raised to continue but was unsteady on his legs and the ref wisely called a halt to the fight that had lasted only one and a half minutes in the first round, declaring Backman the winner to the roaring approval of the crowd.
Next up 24yearold Jesse Backman, in his first fight after a 12month layoff after an accident, was against the superheavyweight Ross Dallow from Werribee. Dallow weighed in over the required limit, but the Backman camp agreed to take the match.
Neither fighter wasted time getting into action and became tangled in a clench, the referee giving both fighters warnings for holding.
The Werribee boxer appeared to be comfortable fighting in close, ripping in body shots as he pushed the leaner Backman back on the ropes.
But Backman fired back his own selection of big hits to the body and head of Dallow, putting him on the back foot.
Backman unleashed well placed uppercuts and hooks that the tough Werribee fighter absorbed well. Nearing the end of the first round Backman let go a lightning quick leftright combination that sent Dallow to the canvas on the seat of his pants and attracted a standing eight count.
In the second round Backman picked up the pace and was catching Dallow with speedy hits from all directions.
Dallow missed with some of his own big shots but forced Backman on to the ropes, landing big punches to Backman’s stomach and ribs, before Backman slipped off the ropes and landed a big right hand, sending Dallow crashing again.
After another standing eight count Backman moved in, landing a solid right hand before the referee quickly intervened and declared Backman the winner.
The Backmans are trained by their father Peter, who hopes the two can be matched for bout in May.
Among personalities in the crowd were AFL stars including St Kilda’s Fraser Gehrig and Carlton legend David RhysJones.
