Boxing: Simmons makes a strong start at world championships

Published on Friday 4 September 2009 09:44

LEITH VICTORIA'S Scottish heavyweight champion Steve Simmons outfought and outpunched Kenyan Elly Ajowi in the first round of the world amateur boxing championships.

Simmons stormed to a convincing 13-3 points win over the African at the event in Milan.

Afterwards, Simmons said: "The weightlifting sessions I had recently with my uncle, Kenny Simmons, to increase my punching power certainly paid off.

"I made Ajowi take two standing counts in the first round after I whacked him with right hands and left hooks. I knew that I had hurt him because, in the following rounds, he got on his bike and tried to stick and move and give me the slip.

"I could have gone all out for the knockout but my team coach Kelvyn Travis told me to outbox him so that I could get some quality ring time in before tackling my next opponent tomorrow – Australian Mostyn Niemann.

"I've watched some of my other potential opponents in the tournament and one Irish heavyweight looks quite useful but if I box as well as I did against the Kenyan, then I think a medal is not beyond me, although, as ever, the Cubans will be the guys to beat."

Luke Campbell was forced to dig deep to get his World Championship campaign on track in Milan with a hard-fought win over Mexico's Rey Vargas.

The European bantamweight champion from Hull claimed a 13-4 victory despite seeing a 12-2 lead skittled to just two points at one stage after sustaining two public warnings.

One more warning would have seen Campbell disqualified but the 22-year-old kept his cool to make it to the final bell and afterwards expressed understandable relief. "The first fight is always hard and I was up against a strong, come-forward opponent who made it hard for me. But you've got to be able to adapt to all styles."

On another fine day for Ireland, three more of their fighters advanced, bantamweight John Joe Nevin leading the way with an easy 19-4 victory over Rajim Najafov of Azerbaijan.

Middleweight Darren O'Neill outclassed Rajan Shikpakar of Nepal, stopping his opponent early in round two after establishing a 21-0 lead and Lightweight Eric Donovan made it three out of three with a 13-4 cruise over Tajikstan's Bekhodir Karimov.

Welsh bantamweight Andrew Selby was given a walkover to round two.