Unbeaten Salam eyeing Commonwealth crown

06 December 2007

STOKE Newington's unbeaten light-heavyweight Tony Salam easily made it seven pro wins from as many contests and now probably needs sterner tests than he was given on the Maloney Promotions show at Newham on Friday evening.

Salam was pitted against Carl Wild from Sheffield but, in truth, the Yorkshireman was never any match for the former ABA champion of four seasons ago.

In the event, Wild was retired on his stool by his trainer Glyn Rhodes, the Yorkshire cornerman feeling that his man had taken too much punishment in the first four sessions of a scheduled six rounder so called the whole thing off.

Last time out Salam scored the best win of his fledgling pro career when he outpointed and outclassed former east Londoner, the Jamaican-born Orvill Mackenzie, one-time Commonwealth champion, in Doncaster six weeks ago.

Now Salam is looking for a crack at the Commonwealth crown himself. "I'd like to get a shot at it some time in the future,'' he said.

Salam took control from the first bell against Wild and constantly caught his opponent with a combination of jabs and left and right hooks from the early minutes of the bout.

Wild came back with very little and was soaking up plenty of punishment in the opening nine minutes.

So much so that his trainer Rhodes was heard to say he would 'give him one more round' before calling it off.

This Rhodes duly did with his boxer having no chance of making an impression on Salam, who is making a real name for himself and rapidly climbing the British rankings.