Salam determined to come back stronger

Feb 7 2008

By Jonathan Clegg

TONY Salam had been expecting a memorable victory against Courtney Fry on Friday night, but after a sixth-round knockout ended his unbeaten record as a professional, the promising light heavyweight admitted the entire occasion was a bit of a blur.

“To be honest, all I can remember was being in control of the fight up to that point,” said Salam, who was caught flush on the jaw by a classic right-left combination, and sent down and out for over a minute.

“I can’t work it out because I had trained well for the fight and everything was going to plan, but I started to feel tired as the fight wore on, and I got caught by a good shot.”

It was a dramatic conclusion to a fight that looked to be heading Salam’s way during the opening rounds.

Despite Fry’s greater experience – he triumphed at the Commonwealth Games a decade ago and competed at the 2000 Olympics alongside Audley Harrison – the 32-year-old struggled to come to terms with his young opponent’s unorthodox style as Salam claimed the first two rounds.