MCKENZIE LOSES OUT IN BAD-TEMPERED TUSSLE

BY MARK EKLID

09:30 - 23 October 2007

Derby light-heavyweight Ovill McKenzie slipped to a 57-55 six-round points defeat in a bad-tempered affair against Finchley's Tony Salam at the Doncaster Dome.

Salam, the 2004 ABA light-heavyweight champion, had notched five straight victories since joining the paid ranks and is already rated inside the top 10 at his weight domestically.

He cemented his growing reputation by getting the nod over the more experienced McKenzie despite having sustained a cut to the right eyebrow late in the second round.

Both boxers landed well after the bell sounded to signal the end of the second round as already taut tempers frayed further.

McKenzie had settled quicker, scoring with looping hooks to the body but by the midway point, his work had become a little rushed and the Nigerian-born Londoner, employing a regular jab, had moved narrowly ahead.

There were a couple of occasions when McKenzie looked to have hurt his opponent but he was also docked a point midway through the penultimate session for punching Salam as he sat on the centre rope, the official having called break.

Parity was restored in the last, when Salam, facing a late spell of pressure, also had a point deducted before being given a count having been sent to the canvas by a right hook to the head.

He was up quickly enough but there was too little time remaining for McKenzie to launch any kind of follow-up assault and Salam was free to begin his celebrations of victory number six.

McKenzie will box again on November 3, when he will take on hard-hitting Ghanaian Ayitey Powers at the Hilton Hotel next to East Midlands Airport.

The match had originally been made for the Heritage Hotel last month but Powers had to withdraw because of a visa problem.

Also on that bill, Derby light-welterweight Dave Ryan will go for his fourth successive win against the tough Coventry boxer Baz Carey, who has the rare distinction of taking Amir Khan the distance when they met early in 2005.

Sara Davies, of Derby, will make her second professional appearance with a light-middleweight bout against the Russian Angel McKenzie.

Juliette Winter, another Clifton Mitchell-trained boxer, is to fight for the European super-flyweight title in German next month.