12-04-2022, 08:21 PM
Kiwi cruiserweight David Light earns world title fight after split decision win
Stuff sports reporters
New Zealand boxer David Light has earned himself a shot at a world title. (File photo)
Kiwi boxer David Light has earned himself a world title fight after a dramatic split-decision win in Florida on Saturday (NZ time).
The 31-year-old Auckland cruiserweight upset American Brandon Glanton at the White Sands Event Center near Tampa, to secure a mandatory challenge against England’s Lawrence Okolie.
Light, ranked No 6 by the WBO, and Glanton, ranked No 7, were both unbeaten going into the contest, with records of (19-0, 12 KOs) and (17-0, 14 KOs) respectively, and the New Zealander, who claimed silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, had taken on the bout at short notice, having fought just once in the past 23 months – a three-minute job against Anthony Martinez in Florida in April.
And despite slipping to the canvas in the 10th and final round, Light took Glanton’s power well and craftily worked from close range to prevail 97-92, 95-94, 94-95 to set up a title fight which he expects to be in the United Kingdom in March or April next year.
“I thought it was a good fight and I thought I probably wouldn’t get the decision given he was the local, he was their big star and all that,” Light admited to 1News on Sunday (NZT).
“I was happy with my performance and that was all I could do.
“We’ve always had a thing about bullying the bully – to not get pushed around by the bully. He’s used to having people on the back foot, but we stopped him in his tracks and he didn’t know what to do. That’s what we’ve been working on.”
Stuff sports reporters
New Zealand boxer David Light has earned himself a shot at a world title. (File photo)
Kiwi boxer David Light has earned himself a world title fight after a dramatic split-decision win in Florida on Saturday (NZ time).
The 31-year-old Auckland cruiserweight upset American Brandon Glanton at the White Sands Event Center near Tampa, to secure a mandatory challenge against England’s Lawrence Okolie.
Light, ranked No 6 by the WBO, and Glanton, ranked No 7, were both unbeaten going into the contest, with records of (19-0, 12 KOs) and (17-0, 14 KOs) respectively, and the New Zealander, who claimed silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, had taken on the bout at short notice, having fought just once in the past 23 months – a three-minute job against Anthony Martinez in Florida in April.
And despite slipping to the canvas in the 10th and final round, Light took Glanton’s power well and craftily worked from close range to prevail 97-92, 95-94, 94-95 to set up a title fight which he expects to be in the United Kingdom in March or April next year.
“I thought it was a good fight and I thought I probably wouldn’t get the decision given he was the local, he was their big star and all that,” Light admited to 1News on Sunday (NZT).
“I was happy with my performance and that was all I could do.
“We’ve always had a thing about bullying the bully – to not get pushed around by the bully. He’s used to having people on the back foot, but we stopped him in his tracks and he didn’t know what to do. That’s what we’ve been working on.”