Perth boxer stuns Olympian Hooper
Perth's Rob Powdrill has caused the biggest upset in Australian boxing this year by knocking out hugely-touted Olympian Damien Hooper inside 21 seconds to become the new WBC Eurasian light-heavyweight champion.
Kick-boxing and Muay Thai specialist Powdrill was having only his fifth professional boxing bout and was drafted in just this week as a late substitute after Hooper's original opponent had been unable to obtain a visa.
Hooper's camp knew Powdrill wouldn't roll over but could not in their wildest nightmares have expected this outcome - especially in front of UK promoter Ricky Hatton, who this week had talked up the previously unbeaten 22-year-old as a future world champion.
But their plans may have been rubbed out for good as the Brisbane crowd sat in silence after 30-year-old Powdrill (now 4-1) landed the first clean shot of the fight - a massive overhand right to Hooper's temple which had the former world amateur quarter-finalist out cold.
Thankfully Hooper came round as Powdrill immediately went to check on his welfare, and he was able to walk out of the ring. In truth, he looked more shocked than hurt. But the slick boxer has revealed a chink in his armour and any decent banger will now fancy his chances if he can land clean.
To put into context how surprising this result this was, Powdrill was taken the distance by Perth's two-fight Ben Page last month, a decision many felt he was fortunate to get. And in July he beat 47-year-old Riccardo Monteleone only by a majority decision.
"The plan was to let him feel Rob's power, to put it on him as soon as we could and not let him settle and get his long shots off," said Powdrill's trainer Bill Seth, who said in the build-up that he felt they had "a bloody good chance".
Powdrill's next concern is headlining the Nemesis Muay Thai show at the Kinsgway Indoor Sports Centre in Perth this Friday, as Seth prepares himself for a flood of offers for Aussie boxing's new hot property.
Meanwhile an "embarrassed" Hooper will take stock.
"He caught me with a good right hand to the temple," said Hooper (now 9-1), who showed his class by praising his conqueror.
"I congratulate him on a good win. I'll have a little bit of time off and then get back into it."
Hooper's manager Matt Clark, who had warned beforehand that Powdrill had the power to cause trouble, backed his man to return strongly.
"That's boxing and it's all about how Damien bounces back from here," he said. "I've got faith in him."
