Walters scores big TKO win

Jamaica's featherweight boxing sensation Nicholas Walters, made another successful defence of his World Boxing Association (WBA) Fedelatin featherweight title on Saturday night, with a dramatic sixth round technical knockout victory over Panamanian Irving Berry, at the Roberto Duran stadium in Panama.

With a record of 19-0, with 16 victories inside the distance, he has now firmly placed himself in line for a world title fight for the WBA featherweight crown. In the ratings to be issued next month, he should move a few spots up from his present number four ranking, and being the number one contender, should not be far away

It was an action-packed encounter, but Walters allowed his emotions to get the better of him on several occasions, and his attacks were sometimes untidy though effective. The pre-fight hype could have led to this, as at a press conference Berry reminded journalists that Walters used to be his sparring partner, and that he used to have things easy against the Jamaican on those occasions. There would be no difference with this fight he said.

Better fighter

Walters admitted to being dominated in those early sparring sessions when he had just come to Panama to train, but said things were different at this time and he is now the better fighter. To prove it he said, he would knock out Berry early in the fight.

He seemed determined to make this prediction come true quickly, as he started attacking from the opening bell. Berry, whose record going in the fight was 21-2-2 with nine knockouts, is renowned for his boxing skills, but instead of boxing, he allowed Walters to lure him into a slugfest, and paid an enormous price for this indiscretion.

The early encounters were at close quarters and both fighters banged heads a couple of times with Berry receiving a cut above his right eye. He was however, deemed able to continue by the doctor.

The first-round action continued into the second stanza, and something happened in a close exchange that led Walters, who lost his cool, to turn his back and walk away protesting. The referee cooled the tempers briefly, but the Walters attacks became even more furious after this. During one of these exchanges, Berry fell through the ropes and out of the ring, but was able to get back in without difficulty. Walters was still attacking relentlessly at the bell.

Effective uppercuts

Round three saw more exciting close-range action and the doctor was asked to take a second look at the bad cut over Berry's right eye, and he again gave the go-ahead. Walters continued to engage his opponent and with a knockout definitely on his mind, he added the uppercut to his armoury, and scored with a few of these punches, and they definitely hurt Berry.

Walters had his ardour cooled somewhat in this round, when he too came up with a cut over his right eye after a close range exchange, but after a quick examination, the doctor also gave him the go-ahead. After taking a lot of punishment in the fourth round, Berry went into survival mode in the fifth round, as it became clear that Walters had only one thing in mind, and it was a knockout victory. Although he was wild at times, Walters remained effective in this round and at the end of the round, he was definitely in charge.

Round six saw Walters moving into high gear very quickly like a souped-up racing car, and Berry could find no answers to the questions being asked of him. At 1 minute 35 seconds of the round, Berry's chief had seen enough, and jumped into the ring to call a halt to the one-sided action. His fighter would live to fight another day.