Australian Zac Dunn offered excitement in his United States debut on Saturday night at The Paramount. Promoter Joe DeGuardia presented the 21st installment of the popular “Rockin’ Fights” series before an enthusiastic crowd. The undefeated Dunn (19-0 15KO Melbourne, Australia) faced veteran tough guy Derrick Findley (22-17-1 14KO Gary, IN). Dunn won the split decision by two scores of 95-94, while the third judge had the same score in favor of Findley.
From the opening bell, the raucous crowd knew they were in for a barn-burner, as the Australian and Findley went toe-to-toe, throwing bombs in a nonstop fashion.
Midway through the second round, Findley caught Dunn pulling back after an exchange with a big left, dropping the Aussie on the seat of his pants. Dunn jumped right up and continued his attack on Findley, dominating the rest of the round.
The pattern continued for the remainder of the fight with Dunn as the aggressor and throwing at an extremely high volume of punches, while Findley countered with huge shots of his own.
The final three rounds saw Dunn’s relentless pressure and sustained head and body attack increase as he outpaced the cagey and gutsy veteran. The crowd sensed Dunn’s quest for another knockout, yet when the bell sounded for round 10, both fighters roared out from their corners and let it all hang out. The crowd rose to its feet and roared its approval. Dunn, continuing his late fight dominance, captured round 10, which sealed the deal for him.
DeGuardia, who never disappoints the Paramount fight brethren, had this to say about the main event: “What an incredible fight tonight here at The Paramount. Zac Dunn and Derrick Findley showed unbelievable heart and the desire to win. This ranks among the most captivating fights ‘Ive seen all year and Dunn clearly showed what an incredibly TV and fan friendly-style he has.”
The undercard featured hometown favorite Junior Lightweight Anthony Karperis (11-2, 4 KOs), who lost for only the second time when he was shockingly stopped in the second round by Tyrone Luckey(8-4-1 6KO).
Luckey dropped Karperis a total of five times in the two rounds, as Karperis did not seem his usual, energetic self. Making 130 pounds for the first time in his career may have zapped Karperis of his strength.
Cruiserweight Constantin Bejenaru (10-0-1, 3KOs) remained undefeated, as he outboxed and outfought Joel Shojgreen (8-2, 7 KOs) over the eight-round battle, winning the unanimous decision.
Undefeated Junior Welterweight prospect Danny Gonzalez (10-0-1, 4 KOs) looked terrific as he destroyed normally durable Justin Johnson (6-10-4).
Popular Female boxer Alicia Napoleon (4-0 4KO) was scheduled to fight for the IWBF Junior Middleweight title. But opponent Kita Watkins was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to a medical emergency with her 10 year old son. Since she has no opponent to lace up her gloves against, DeGuardia offered Napoleon the opportunity to make her debut as a television personality.
