Mea Motu and Lani Daniels retain world titles after Wahine Toa II fight night in Whangārei. Video / The Northern Advocate
Across three bouts in 2023, Jerome Pampellone needed less than four minutes of total ring time to extend his record to 18-0.
The most recent of those – an 86sec knockout of Rogelio Medina in Whangārei on Saturday night – might have been the statement he needed to lurea highly-ranked fighter down to New Zealand in early 2024.
The bout against Medina shaped up as the toughest challenge of Pampellone’s career. The Mexican held a 41-9 record, had taken some of the best boxers in the world today into the late rounds, and was riding a four-fight winning streak.
Ahead of the fight, Pampellone said he needed to beat his Mexican counterpart “with flying colours” to catch the boxing world’s attention, but even his coach Isaac Peach didn’t see him stopping the fight in such an emphatic fashion.
“Nah not that fast, man. Definitely not,” Peach said. “I was completely shocked. I was thinking six rounds, eight rounds, that was the game plan. We were going to try to feel him out, work him, break him down, and knock him out. To do it like that was just unreal.”
In his last six bouts, Medina’s only losses were to interim WBC super middleweight world champion David Benavidez (TKO 8), and former IBF super middleweight world champion Caleb Plant (unanimous decision).
Those results were a key factor in Pampellone’s team booking Medina as an opponent for the surging light heavyweight as they were looking for a true test of the 27-year-old’s abilities.
Jerome Pampellone claimed three first-round wins in 2023. Photo / Photosport
What was arguably most impressive about the fashion in which Pampellone got the job done was the accuracy of his power shots. Medina was fighting behind a tight high guard, but Pampellone found an angle to land a clean right hand around the guard and connect just behind Medina’s left ear. That shot was the beginning of the end.
“For Jerome just to walk in and knock this guy out and the first round is crazy,” Peach said.
“Jerome’s ready for a world title shot, 100 per cent.”
Pampellone went into the bout ranked at No. 7 in the world with the IBF, but Peach was hopeful his fighter would rise as high as No. 3 after the win. That would put him in a good spot to chase a world title in 2024, though earning a shot would still likely be at least one win away.
However, Peach was confident that if Pampellone was moved up the rankings his promoter Dean Lonergan would be able to lure a top-level talent to New Zealand – potentially in a world title eliminator – for a card to be headlined by Pampellone, indicating a date in April was the current plan.
“We’re close, but we will keep fighting until we get that shot,” Peach said.
“Dean now knows the potential of what he’s got with Jerome. I think Jerome could potentially be the best fighter ever to come out of this country. I think he’s starting to show that and I think we can bring someone down here.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
