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- Bendigo boxers looking sharp ahead of hometown fight night
- Morgan scores fifth professional boxing win
- Wins for Brad Morgan and Matt Hall
- Boxers go back to work
- Boxers achieve victory on TKO
- Tuitupou shapes up for ‘life changing’ bout
- Fight falls through, but Rafaeles looking forward to exhibition match
- Morgan hones in a hometown boxing win
ASK Matt Hall when his last bout was and the Bendigo middleweight will tell you it was too long ago to remember.
Given it was only 11 months ago, that might give you an indication on how desperate and focused the 21-year-old is to get cracking at the ‘Night of the Dragons’ professional boxing showcase this Saturday night at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre.
Hall will be looking to defend his unbeaten record (four wins, one draw), when he steps into the ring against Sutee Noonkrathok.
The 25-year-old from Thailand is a bit of an unknown quantity when it comes to boxing.
He has had one previous fight for a win over Matthis Bernot, A French fighter now based in Thailand, with an unenviable 0-10 professional record.
What Noonkrathok does have is his significant muay thai background, underpinned by dozen of previous fights.
Hall, who has ventured to Asia for his past fights, said he was eager not to impress in front of his hometown crowd.
“Hopefully we can draw a big crowd,” he said.
“I’ll go into it pretty confident, but still wary of my opponent. You never know (about opponents) until you get in there and suss him out in the first few rounds.”
Hall will have the added bonus now of fighting for a World Boxing Foundation Australasia title, with the organisation sanctioning the championship bout just this week.
The hard-hitting middleweight has shown steady improvement since his debut in November 2015 at Bendigo Stadium.
His past two wins have been by knock-out, including his most recent win over Chatri Charoensin in Thailand.
It will be a big night for the four Vinton Street Gym boxers on Saturday night’s card.
Hall said he was especially proud to see heavyweight Jesse Tuitupou stepping into the ring for the first time as a professional.
“For someone who hasn’t had a fight before he has come a long way,” he said.
“But everyone in the gym has been coming in every day and training consistently.
“You can’t afford to have any days off coming into a fight, but Jesse has definitely been the most improved.
“Myself I don’t know where I would be without this sport.”
His trainer Gary Connolly said Hall was ready for what loomed as his toughest test to date.
“His opponent is a young, tall guy, just under six foot - we are expecting this to be quite a competitive fight,” he said.
“Matt has got a bit more boxing experience, but this guy, like a lot of the Thai fighters, has a lot more fight experience with their muay thai background.
“He should get over the line, but with the Thai fighters, sometimes you just don’t know. They’re hard and seasoned and really know how to compete.”
Tickets for ‘Night of the Dragons’, which will feature two Asian Boxing Federation title fights, are available from The Capital box office, GoTix.com, or 5434 6100.