BOXING - Azzaoui too good for Nicaraguan opponent

Ohaeawai boxer Mohammed Azzaoui may add the name "doctor" to his title after clinically rearranging his Nicaraguan opponent on his way to winning the IBF Cruiserweight title in Russia yesterday.
Azzaoui was simply too good for Henry Saenz and the Nicaraguan's corner threw in the towel at the beginning of round nine of the ten-round fight, watched by a capacity crowd of 12,000 people at Moscow's Khodynka Stadium.
"Mohammed won by TKO after the eighth, the guy was a mess and he never came out to start round nine - Mohammed was just too classy on the night," his manager Anthony Warren said.
Warren said Azzaoui followed his corner's instructions and fought a perfect fight.
"He was really awesome and just put the guy away by sitting back and picking him off with some good lefts," Warren said from Moscow.
Saenz wasn't able to match the speed and reach of Azzaoui and that was the difference between the two boxers. The Nicaraguan had his nose broken by a jab in the early rounds and was then rocked by a big right hand in the fifth round and he never recovered.
In the final two rounds the Ohaeawai boxer was scoring almost with every punch and his opponent's corner surrendered to the obvious.
Azzaoui's management was delighted in the interest the fight has generated in the 31-year-old boxer.
"It's way too early to be talking about our next step, we're still at the stage of sitting back and enjoying tonight's win - if we said something now it might all blow up in our faces.
"Let's just say we've already had approaches from people wanting a hunk of him - but we've got to sit down and sort through them and find out which is the best for him."
One of the organisations to be impressed by Azzaoui's win was from a big consortium representing American casinos - always on the look-out for promising boxers.
"We have to let our match-makers take it from here and they can organise the right fights and hopefully we can earn a bit of money," he said.
The winners purse for this fight was largely spent in advance covering expenses for the fight but Azzaoui's future - both in terms of international status and financial earnings looks bright.
Azzaoui, his Kaikohe trainer Rusty Porter and Warren were due to begin their 30-hour flight home late yesterday, and are scheduled to arrive back in New Zealand at midday tomorrow.