Thirteen bouts were on the slate to cap off a week of intense boxing in Papenoo this Saturday night.
On the menu: seven finals for Polynesian titles, four showdowns in the open division reserved for the sport’s more seasoned fighters, and two international clashes. In this open category, several bouts finished before the final bell, a sign of the high tempo and intensity of the exchanges in the ring.
One of the headlining bouts pitted Jean-Louis Albertini against Franck Castan of New Caledonia. The visitor came out strong with a right to the chin that briefly shook the Tahitian. But Albertini answered back with precision. In the final minute, he connected a right uppercut that dropped his opponent, claiming the KO victory in the very first round.
Another highlight: the return of Tautua Dauphin. After five years spent in metropolitan France, the boxer came back to his island for a professional bout against New Zealand’s Dan Edge. Eight rounds were planned, but the contest did not drag on either.
After a first round of careful feeling-out, Dauphin intensified the pace with a flurry of body shots, then a right hook to the jaw, enough to drop Edge. For his big homecoming, Dauphin delivered a dazzling victory and gave his crowd a finale that matched their expectations.
“It was a great pleasure to box in front of this crowd. They had been waiting for this for a long time. I raised the pace in the second round; it unsettled the opponent. Tonight there was more than mana. There was family, positive energy. Thanks to everyone gathered,” smiled the day’s winner.
A spectacular evening that underscored the exchanges’ intensity and the progress of the local boxers.
