Charly Suarez celebrates after knocking out Australian Paul Fleming in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday evening, March 15, 2023. | Screen grab from the live streaming
CEBU CITY, Philippines— World-rated super featherweight contender Charly “King’s Warrior” Suarez shocked hometown boxer Paul “Showtime” Fleming via a 12th round technical knockout (TKO), winning three regional titles on Wednesday evening, March 15, 2023, at the Kevin Betts Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
The 34-year-old Suarez snatched the International Boxing Organization (IBO) Inter-Continental super featherweight, World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania super featherweight, and World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Boxing Council super featherweight titles from Fleming.
At the same time, he defended his International Boxing Federation (IBF) Asia super featherweight belt from the erstwhile unbeaten Aussie boxer.
Suarez, a former Olympian, stunned Fleming with a vicious counter left hook that sent the latter down on the canvas.
Fleming was able to get back on his feet despite being dazed by the powerful hook and continued to fight.
However, Suarez went for the kill, finishing off Fleming, who was leading the three judges’ scorecards.
Suarez launched a flurry of combinations forcing referee Pat O’Connor to stop the bout at the 1:58 mark of the 12th round.
Paul Fleming struggles to stand back on his feet after getting knocked down by Charly Suarez in the 12th round. | Screen grab from the live streaming
QUESTIONABLE SCORECARDS
Many Filipino boxing fans who watched the bout live stream aired their disappointment on social media after seeing the judges’ scorecards with Fleming leading before the knockout came in the 12th round.
Boxrec showed that judge Dean Cambridge scored the bout 106-103, Mick Heafey 107-102, and Richard Israel with 108-101 in favor of Fleming. Incidentally, all three judges are Australians.
Fortunately, Suarez landed that devastating left hook that downed Fleming avoiding a decision based on the scorecards.
Even without the knockout, Suarez seemed to have landed the cleaner shots.
Suarez upped his tempo in the later rounds, displaying excellent stamina. He looked like the more aggressive boxer in the ring.
With the victory, Suarez, remained unbeaten. He has 15 wins, nine via knockouts. Fleming absorbed his first loss in 30 bouts. He also has one draw.
/bmjo
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