BRENDAN Saunders juggles working as a fitter, parenting and a professional boxing career all in one.
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The 26-year-old Tamworth boxer, who works at Allied Mills, is celebrating his first Australasian title.
He captured the World Boxing Federation Australasian Lightweight (61kg) crown in spectacular fashion in front of a packed auditorium at Club Punchbowl in Sydney on November 14.
It was part of a Neutral Corner Fight Promotion, the second time Saunders had contested the feature attraction.
In his previous fight the Tamworth boxer had faced off against another Australian contender, Cameron Glass, for the WBF Asia Pacific Lightweight Strap. It was a candidate for fight of the year according to ringside officials in attendance, although Saunders was knocked out in the 10th and final round of a closely contested championship bout. Saunders had outpointed Glass in their previous fight a few months earlier. It is the only loss on Saunders record to date. WBF supervisors were impressed with the quality of this fight and sort sanctioning approval from the championship committee for Saunders to fight for the vacant Australasian Lightweight title, pending a worthy opponent being available.
An opponent was found in experienced John ‘Jungstar’ Min who had been in with the likes of former World Champion Billy ‘The Kid’ Dib. After Min had performed a traditional Japanese war cry centre ring as an intimidation tactic toward his opponent, the fight scheduled for 10 Rounds was finally under way.
It lasted two and a bit rounds, Saunders stopping his opponent after 2mins 56secs of the third round with a perfectly timed right hand that followed a strong stiff jab that sent Min to the canvas.
Min to his credit was up at the count of six and clearly on unsteady legs pleading with the referee in charge to let him continue.
Referee Gary Dean after getting to the count of eight asked Min to walk toward him and as he did Mins legs went from underneath him causing him to fall sideways crashing into the ropes where the referee called a halt to proceedings. “He was a very dangerous opponent,” Saunders told The Leader. “His last two fights he’d won by KO, so we knew he had power but we boxed him smart.” Saunders thanks his sponsors, Ron Jones Haulage, Gary Ward Mechanical and All About Flowers for their support as well as coach Paul Saunders, who just happens to be his father.
They box out of the Boxing Shed Gym at the Tamworth PCYC, where his father also trains three title winning amateurs as well.
Born and bred in Sydney, Saunders was living in the city but still training under his father, who was living here in Tamworth.
“I got sick of the travelling and moved up about 18 months ago,” he said.
“All the hard work has paid off too. Juggling work, training and being a dad has been hard. When we’re in camp we do two sessions a day, two hours each. That could be at 4am in the morning or midnight, depending on work and everything.”