Thunderdome 45 saw Jordan Laruccia bolster his undefeated while introducing several up-and-coming prospects from Western Australia at the Metro City Night Club in Northbridge.
Jordan Laruccia Defeats Wellem Reyek
In the main event, Laruccia (7-0), of Perth, overcame his most experienced opponent to date, knocking out Wellem Reyek (21-28-4) in a brilliant showing.
Laruccia, who captured the Australasian super welterweight title against Fano Kori last September, returned to the middleweight division to take on Indonesia’s Reyek.
The first round got off to a quick start, with Laruccia showing more polish, mixing up his shots and throwing off his opponent. Reyek landed some punches in the pocket, but they had no effect on the Aussie.
Laruccia turned up the aggression in the second, showing success with body shots after heeding his corner’s advice. After a flurry on the ropes in the third, Laruccia wobbled Reyek with a crisp left hook. The Aussie chased the finish – and got it – with another left hook that sent Reyek to the floor, where he didn’t answer the referee’s count.
The win pushes Laruccia another step closer to national stardom. In his post-fight interview, he expressed his desire to fight overseas.
Joel Lewis Defeats Bahtiyar Sonyol
In the co-main event, Joel Lewis brutally finished Bahtiyar Sonyol to capture the West Australian state welterweight title.
Lewis (4-0) started the fight off strong, dropping Sonyol with a straight left hand down the pipe within the first 30 seconds of the first round. The knockdown set the tone for the rest of the bout, as the Aussie stayed a step ahead of his opponent in his movement and punches.
Lewis continued his onslaught in the second round, continually rocking his opponent. Sonyol tried his best to trap Lewis against the ropes, but the Aussie proved to be too slick.
Early in the third, Lewis put the final nail in the coffin, landing a massive uppercut that sent Sonyol crashing to the canvas again. Sonyol was able to reach his feet, but the referee waved off the contest, declaring Lewis the winner by TKO.
Jude Grant Defeats Mitch Arnold
Jude Grant added yet another state title to his resume when he defeated Mitch Arnold in a lopsided fight.
The win at super middleweight marks Grant’s third state title, following his earning belts in the super welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Grant (6-0), of Perth, used his jab to good effect in the first round, feeling out his opponent. Arnold moved his head in an effort to avoid the straight punches coming at him, but Grant managed to catch him consistently.
In the second, Grant started landing bigger shots while using angles to escape Arnold’s attempts to corner his southpaw opponent.
Grant began going to the body in the third, and continued to dictate the fight by using his lead foot to angle away from his opponent.
In the fourth, Grant continued his assault to the body, landing increasingly more flush. In the closing seconds of the round, Grant connected with a huge left hand that wobbled Arnold.
Grant pressed for the finish but ran out of time before the fight went the distance – a unanimous decision in his favor.
Full Card Results
Jordan Laruccia DEFEATED Willem Reyek (KO3)
Joel Lewis DEFEATED Bahtiyar Sonyol (TKO3)
Jude Grant DEFEATED Mitch Arnold (unanimous decision)
Lewis Clarke DEFEATED Ranjeet Singh (unanimous decision)
Milan Bevk DEFEATED Lennox Caraynidis (unanimous decision)
Richard Lockett DEFEATED Asyer Aluman (TKO1)
Habib Kheirkhah DEFEATED Jack Thompson (unanimous decision)
Kevin Kophamel DEFEATED Tio Caraynidis (majority decision)