Fenech gets serious for bout with Nelson
29 April, 2008
Former triple world boxing champion Jeff Fenech has thrown and received his first serious punches in 12 years as he stepped up his preparations for his June 24 fight with old adversary Azumah Nelson.
Fenech sparred four rounds with Australia's former IBF junior lightweight world champion Gairy St Clair, who is still ranked 14th by that organisation.
It was the first time since preparing for his last fight against Philip Holiday in May 1996 that Fenech had sparred.
Asked what it felt like to be hit in the stomach and head again, Fenech said: "To be honest the guts has never been a problem for me, too many to the head, I don't like.
"If I can hit him (St Clair) and not get hit by him, then I'm doing well," added Fenech, who will divide his training sessions between Sydney and Melbourne.
He will step up the amount of rounds over the coming weeks in preparation for his scheduled ten round clash with Nelson, which Fenech said would be at Melbourne's Vodafone Arena.
Fenech said the weight limit for the fight would be determined next week when Nelson visits Australia to promote their third fight.
The 43-year-old Australian said he would like to fight at around the welterweight limit of 67 kilograms.
Fenech didn't take umbrage at the news some betting institution rated him the underdog for the fight, even though Nelson was six years older.
"He knocked me out in our last fight, he's got to be favourite," Fenech said.
"I will be right, I like being the underdog."
Ghanaian Nelson will return home after attending press conferences in Sydney and Melbourne.
The two men fought out a famous and controversial draw in their first bout in Las Vegas in June 1991.
Nelson came to Melbourne nine months later and smashed Fenech's unbeaten professional record with an eighth round stoppage.
In other news, Australia's former WBO interim lightweight world champion Michael Katsidis and his trainer and manager Brendon Smith will attend Oscar de la Hoya's fight with Steve Forbes in Los Angeles this weekend.
Smith said in the week following that fight he would try and finalise details of Katsidis's next bout in discussions with Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer and vice president Eric Gomez.
The Queenslander will fight in either July or September.
Cuban Joel Casamayor is apparently not keen on giving Katsidis a chance to avenge his first professional loss.
Former world champions Juan Diaz and Jesus Chavez remain among the potential opponents for Katsidis.
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