Boxing: Pownceby eliminated in first bout

1.45am

ATHENS - Soulan Pownceby's controversial Olympic Games lasted just six minutes as he suffered a heavy defeat in his opening light heavyweight bout today.

The solitary New Zealand boxer's contest against Ihsan Yildirim Tarhan of Turkey was stopped at the end of the third round after Tarhan racked up a 20-point lead, 26-6.

Pownceby's first round was his best as he rocked Tarhan with a left-right combination which had his opponent staggering.

But it was his sole bright spot as Tarhan raced to a 17-4 lead at the end of the second two-minute round.

When the margin reached 20 points with one of the four rounds remaining, the fight was stopped automatically under tournament rules.

Pownceby, whose selection created a media storm after his conviction for the 1995 manslaughter of his baby daughter was revealed this year, refused to comment afterwards.

- NZPA