Big win will send Salam up the rankings

25 October 2007

TONY Salam, the undefeated light-heavyweight from Stoke Newington, propelled his way up the British rankings on Friday night in South Yorkshire, with the win of his professional career to date.

Salam, took a fight against former Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Orvill Mackenzie at short notice and outboxed the former East London domiciled Jamaican for all but one of the six round contest at the Doncaster Dome.

Salam had to survive an almost disastrous final round to score the prestigious victory that marks him out as one of, if not THE up and coming young talent in the division.

In the sixth, Salam was given a warning by referee Mike Alexander for holding and had a point deducted!

Then Salam suffered a knock-down, although it looked more like a slip, but was forced to take an eight count, all of which meant he lost the last round by a three point margin, Mackenzie being awarded it 10-7.

Fortunately for the Hackney boxer he had built up an impressive and unassailable lead prior to that and was awarded a 57 points to 55 victory, indicating referee Alexander had given Salam four of the first five rounds and had drawn the other.

Throughout the early rounds, southpaw Salam used his right jab too good effect and caught Mackenzie to the body with a series of left hooks.

He was on top in the contest from the early moments, scoring well with all the better punches.

Mackenzie, who now lives and is trained in Derby, but boxed out of the Peacock Gym, Canning Town for several years, was clearly having trouble getting anywhere near the Hackney boxer.

The former Commonwealth title holder was reduced to trying to catch Salam with some wild swings, few of which made contact as the Hackney man cleverly ducked and weaved his way out of danger.

The clash of heads near the end of the second round left Salam with a cut over his right eye.

It was the first cut of his career. "Mackenzie was very strong and on three occasions caught me with his head. One of them caused the first cut I've ever suffered as a boxer,'' the Hackney man told me after the contest. "I was never cut as an amateur.

Salam had an outstanding amateur career and won the 2004 ABA title at light-heavyweight under his full name of Mohammed Abdusalem, while with the St Pancras based Cronk club.

The victor had to have four stitches over his right eye after the fight.

But during the fight it didn't seem to unsettle Salam and he continued to impress.

In the fifth round, Salam was pushed to the canvas by Mackenzie and as he went down, he was hit on top of the head.

The referee took a dim view of the attempt and deducted a point from Mackenzie.

Salam is to be managed as well as promoted by Frank Maloney in future, following the tragic death of his former manager James Oyebola in last summer's shooting incident in west London.

But Maloney will leave all Salam's preparation to Laurence Rodney, who trains him at his Finchley Central gym.

Rodney said afterwards: "This was Tony's first contest since James Oyebola's death. James was always in Tony's corner for all his fights as a pro and an amateur. His thoughts were with James.''

Tony's wife Pamela, at ringside, blamed herself for the last round slip that could have been so crucial. "I bought him a new pair of boxing boots and I bought the wrong size, He takes 11 and I bought size 12 and they were too big for him. Tonight was the first time he's worn them in a fight,'' she said.

In the top of the bill fight, Leeds' British super-featherweight title-holder Carl Johanneson stopped Manchester's former champion Michael Gomez in six rounds, after a shaky start by the Yorkshireman.

Johanneson is lined up to fight the unbeaten Kevin Mitchell in a much anticipated title defence on January12 at York Hall, Bethnal Green, but can't afford to be caught the way he was by Gomez early in this fight.

lOn the undercard, Latvian born, East London based Gatis Skuja took everything Leeds based Danny Reynolds threw at him in a game six point defeat, 59 points to 53.